Early Morning Walk – Lake Ontario – Rochester, NY – August, 2019
Seasonal.
Life is seasonal.
It is cyclical.
Recognize the season.
Embrace the cycle.
Let go of a past phase.
Choose to move forward.
Do it with peace.
Do it with clarity.
Live life joyfully
through its seasons.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A Pair of Beloved Kitties in Watercolor – 11×14 – Jodi McKinney June 2019
A Pair of Beloved Kitties in Watercolor.
Today, in honor of #WorldWatercolorMonth, I am sharing a painting I was recently commissioned to do through our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy Shop by a sweet man who wants to surprise his wife for her birthday with a painting of their beloved kitties.
Here is the photo he shared with me:
I like to paint in a looser style, so I hope she enjoys my version of her sweet kitties.
Are you painting? Are you thinking of trying? Join the fun! #WorldWatercolorMonth
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
In the Darkness.
Sometimes
the most
beautiful,
wonderful,
exciting
things
show up
in
the
darkness.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
10 Months Ago Today.
I crossed the railroad tracks today,
like I do so many days.
And I realized, after the fact,
that for the first time in 10 months
I didn’t get a lump in my throat…
I didn’t hold my breath…
I didn’t think of you
and the decision you made
10 months ago today.
It caught me off guard…
Made me both happy and sad.
Only 10 months ago
you were still here…
barely hanging on…
but still there was hope.
10 months later
there is no more hope
and the memory is beginning
to fade.
I want to be happy,
yet that makes me sad.
10 months ago today
you took your life away.
Rest in peace dear brother.
Rest in peace.
Love,
Jodi
Caught in the Net – Fishing Net in Black & White – Lake Arthur – May 2017
Caught in the Net.
I believe that there is one story in the world, and only one. . . . Humans are caught—in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too—in a net of good and evil. . . . There is no other story. A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well—or ill?
― John Steinbeck, East of Eden
A good question to ask ourselves at the end of each day … “Have I done well?”
And if not… tomorrow is another day.
Keep on trying.
Be caught in the net of good.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
The House by the Lake in Black and White Nostalgia – Lake Arthur, Moraine State Park – May 2017
I’d like to spend a day
in this house by the lake.
I’d spend some of the time
roaming the rooms
Looking and listening
and smelling and touching
Imagining the stories
of the occupants through the years.
I’d spend some of the time
on a reclining chair in the lawn
Watching the sailboats and fishing boats
and birds and fish and wildlife of the lake
Imagining the stories
of its occupants through the years.
I’d like to spend a day
in this house by the lake.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
snowy front yard in FULL COLOR
“The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night”*
Nature
inspiring
Nurture.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
* Three Dog Night, 1972 – first recorded by Peter Seeger, 1956
Enjoy the little things in life.
One day you will look back
and realize
they were the big things.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Foggy Morning Railroad Tracks – Mars, PA – August, 2016
When the fog is so thick
you can’t see round the bend,
do you take a chance
or allow a dead end?
Our minds can get foggy too,
and we don’t see as clearly as we usually do.
The intriguing thing, though,
is if we take a slow go
with thoughtful steps in confident faith,
we might be surprised at what awaits.
Go forward my friend
around the bend.
The further you go,
the clearer you’ll grow.
Cherish all the moments.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Life’s Curve Balls
They often sneak up or crash in on us,
and they can try to trick us up.
but if we know how to respond,
and if we ready ourselves for them…
they can result in home runs!
Embrace life’s curve balls.
Father’s Day makes me think of the curve balls life can throw us,
but it also reminds me of how special life can be
if we take that swing – in a leap of faith – and give it our all.
Happy Father’s Day Dad – What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life! ❤
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 