Moon over Mars PA March 2018
Shine Brightly.
Amidst the darkness
and the clouds
that try to hide it,
the moon
still
shines brightly.
I want
to be
like the moon.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Shine Brightly
Inspiration
Inspired by Lives and Letters
Inspired by Lives and Letters.
I am taking my second-ever online art class. I was so blown away by the first one I took a few months ago, that when I learned the same artist, Lendon Noe was doing another, I had to join in again.
The class is hosted by another wonderfully-talented artist, Carla Sonheim, who hosts a variety of online art classes.
Lendon (I just love her name, by the way, and especially when she says it with her adorable southern accent) is a mixed media artist, and I have learned so many different techniques and ways to really stretch my artistic talent and creative brain from her.
This class is especially poignant, because it is not just about art for the sake of art, but it is about our art telling a story.
It is about creating art that “communicates.”
It is about being inspired by the lives of those who are important to us and the letters they have written.
We’ve done some fun things with dying tissue paper and creating plaster pieces (which I’ve shared in some photos here) and then put them together in a way that creates a dialogue (at least to us in some personal way).
We then were tasked with searching for some letters that were important to us. Lendon has some beautiful letters written by her father to his mother and brother while he was serving in World War II.
Though I don’t have anything that wonderfully poignant, I was able to dig deep into my cedar chest – the same cedar chest Hubby made for me when we were engaged – my “hope chest” that still sits in our bedroom almost 36 years later – and found the very first note he ever wrote to me (one he left on my car at work with a rose asking me out on a first date before he even knew how to spell my name) and another poem he wrote to me 10 days before our wedding.
It might not look like much to you, but I was so excited to give it to Hubby as a gift that I framed it and wrapped it and presented it to him one ordinary day last week.
If you are wondering what the Bingo references are all about, you can read about the beginning of our story here.
Thank you my sweet art and blogging friend Jill Kuhn at Jill’s Art Journal for nudging me into this class. I am truly Inspired by Lives and Letters.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
The Misty Morning Fog
The Misty Morning Fog.
Arising to the misty morning fog
that beautifully softened what could have been a bleak view
caused me pause and made me think.
It made me think how a bit of fog
might help the way we critically look
at different people and different situations.
Ones we think are clear,
and we think are bitter,
but we really don’t understand.
Maybe a little spritz of magic mist
is what we need
to spray on our hearts
to prevent us from
so harshly judging
the things we believe.
A magic mist
of understanding
to soften our views,
to soothe our souls,
to unlock the love
that lives
in the
misty
morning
fog.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
May your day be filled with peace and love.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
That Moment
That Moment.
That moment when a drip of water
crystallizes into ice with a single degree drop in temperature.
That moment when your eyes meet
and you truly see, and you immediately understand completely.
That moment when a song comes on
and memories and long-forgotten feelings flood your heart and soul.
That moment when the ringing phone
brings startling news that suddenly changes everything.
That moment when a single spark
ignites a rip-roaring, intensely scorching, blazing fire.
That moment of quiet wonder amidst the clamor
that reminds us that blissful peace is within reach.
That moment…
just one of the many…
that define our lives.
Cherish that moment.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A Bouquet of Love
Heart Bouquet of Love Watercolor
A Bouquet of Love.
If I could pick the perfect bouquet,
I’d pick a bouquet of love.
It would be filled with memories of special kisses…
a first from a shy young man who I still get to kiss goodnight each evening before falling asleep,
a first on the forehead and nose and cheeks and mouth of each of my baby boys the day they were born,
a first on the forehead and nose and cheeks and mouth of my granddaughter the day she was born,
the last one I gave my grandma when we said our final goodbyes,
the ones I watched each of my sons give to their wives on the days they said “I do.”
It would be filled with memories of special hugs…
that one my dad gave me when we first saw each other after almost 40 years apart,
the one his wife gave me the day she met me and told me my dad always promised her a daughter, and now she had one,
the ones I receive and give upon greeting and saying farewell to friends and family I love so dearly.
It would be filled with memories of cherished moments…
those every day moments –
a text, a Snapchat, a phone call, a visit,
walks with Charlie,
sunrises, sunsets, snowfalls, birds tweeting,
a card or letter or package received.
So as I spent just a teensy bit of spare time last evening
doodling and splashing paint to create a simple, inspired* Valentine,
I created a bouquet of love.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
*Pinterest inspired watercolor – source unknown
Dealing with Change
Icicle – Dealing with Change – Mars PA January 2018
Dealing with Change.
If you
think
you can’t
deal
with
change,
think of
the drop
of water
who froze
in
midair
when the
brutally
cold wind
met
it.
It became
an
intricate flake
that
landed
on the rooftop
and joined
the
others
to form
a
soft
white,
fluffy
blanket.
Then
the sun
came out
and
warmed
it
just
enough
to create
a crystal
clear,
hard,
solid
icicle.
The sun
grew
warmer yet,
and
the icicle
melted.
The
drop of
water
fell
to the
earth
and
watered
the ground
where
the tree
grew
that
provided
shade
when
the sun
grew
even
warmer
yet.
It went
through
all that,
and
remained
beautiful
in
every
stage.
If a
drop of
water
can manage
through
all that,
You, too,
can
deal
with
change.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Happy Endings
Winter Sunset, Mars, PA – January 2018 – “Happy Endings”
Happy Endings.
The magical beauty
of a sunset
at the end of the day…
no matter how hard
or cold or uncomfortable
the day…
renews my faith
in the possibility
of happy endings.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Let Each New Sunrise
Backyard Sunrise – Mars, PA – January, 2018
Let Each New Sunrise…
Give you hope.
Fill you with gratitude.
Provide a clean slate.
Invent new explorations.
Start with a hug.
Include an “I love you.”
Not be overlooked.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Don’t Quit Your Daydream
Don’t Quit Your Daydream.
It may be just what gets you through the day.
Travel in your mind on sunbeams and moonbeams
to bright and breathtaking destinations of wonderment.
Soar by the wings of your seeking soul
among the twinkling stars and zooming comets.
Give your heart swift, light feet
to scamper through golden fields and slide on frozen streams.
Swing freely in the balmy breeze among blue butterflies
fluttering through clouds made of cotton candy and snow cones.
Some say “Don’t Quit Your Day Job,”
but I say “Don’t Quit Your Daydream!”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
In Time – Seasons of Change
Frozen Stream – Backyard – Mars, PA – January 2018
In Time – Seasons of Change.
Isn’t it so comforting?
Doesn’t it fill you with hope?
To know…
that the brittle frozen stream
will once again flow
with soft warm life…
in time.
Seasons of Change.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 