Life Lessons

Life Lessons from the Old Porch Swing

/ Jodi / 54 Comments

Front Porch Swing – January, 2019

Life Lessons from the Old Porch Swing.

It’s not about what you look like on the outside…
even if you are rusty, weathered, and worn.

It is about what you are made of…
and what you do with it.

It is about how you connect.
It is about the purpose you serve.

It is about the joy you create.
It is the comfort you provide.

It is about the support you give.
It is the sacred secrets you protect.

It is about feeling the breeze.
It is embracing the squeaks.

It is about the experiences you create.
It is in the memories you cherish.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

To Notice the Last Glow of Light

/ Jodi / 45 Comments

To Notice the Last Glow of Light.

To feel the softness,
and experience the gentle breeze,
to notice the last glow of light shining through…

Even amidst the things that choked you,
the experiences that broke you,
the storms that turned your world upside down…

These are the blessings of life,
that give us the strength,
and give us grace…

To be courageous,
and brave,
to persevere and to grow….

Into the confident beauty
we were meant to be
and share with the world.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

I want to ask you …

/ Jodi / 78 Comments

I want to ask you …

What makes your heart skip a beat?
What memories cause goosebumps on every inch of your skin?

I want to ask you …

Who has hurt you so deeply that you have lost all confidence in who you really are?
What loss has caused bitterness in your soul?

I want to ask you …

If you could be anywhere right now, doing anything you wanted to..
where would you be, and what would you be doing?

I want to ask you …

When you take a deep breath and close your eyes, what is the first thing you think about?
Does it make you happy, or does it make you sad?

I want to ask you …

What makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning?
What makes you smile when you go to sleep at night?

I want to ask you …

What do you think life is really about?
What is our purpose?

I want to ask you …
but is it okay?

Maybe I should just ask you …
How was your day?

Isn’t that
the polite thing to say?

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

A “Woohoo” Journey

/ Jodi / 32 Comments

A Woohoo Journey.

I was talking to a friend the other day
whose family just returned from their annual weekend amusement park vacation.

It made me think about how many “rides”…. how many difficult situations… how many journeys…
I closed my eyes and waited until it was over.

Instead of enjoying the ride… Instead of appreciating the journey,
and shouting “Woohoo!”

Roller Coasters…
literally and figuratively.

I think of all the things I missed….
just waiting to get to the end – the destination.

No more!
No more closing my eyes and waiting.

Eyes are now wide open.
I am watching.  I am appreciating.  I am enjoying the journey!

(Just please don’t hold me to this on the Thunderbolt at Kennywood!)

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Charlie’s Dog Lessons for People

/ Jodi / 46 Comments

charlie-0117

Charlie’s Dog Lessons for People

  • Love unconditionally
  • Take a walk outside every day (even if it is raining and your Mom keeps singing “It’s a Rainy Day… It’s raining outside, and we can’t go out and play.”  It’s only water, and it shakes right off!)
  • Forgive quickly and easily
  • Play every day (and make your family play with you!)
  • Be loyal and faithful
  • Keep digging until you find what you are looking for
  • Accept treats with gratitude
  • Greet guests and strangers lovingly
  • Drink plenty of water
  • Eat all of your dinner
  • Trust and follow your instincts
  • Take naps
  • Bark only when necessary
  • Appreciate a simple life
  • Be a best friend

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

Charlie is an adopted dog with brown eyes and a white-tipped tail who brings joy and laughter to his family and friends.  Charlie is a gifted writer, raving food critic, cat, chipmunk, and donut lover, and exceptionally photogenic model.  Some of his best friends are Mike the UPS Man, Cliff the Mailman, and ANYONE who delivers pizza to the house.   If you would like to read more guest posts by Charlie, simply type “Charlie” into the Search box at the top right hand corner of this link: thecreativelifeinbetween.com.   If you would enjoy a companion like Charlie, please consider pet adoption.

She is Beautiful

/ Jodi / 44 Comments

scan20161220_11004501

“She was beautiful,
but not like those girls in the magazines.
She was beautiful for the way she thought.
She was beautiful for the sparkle in her eyes
when she talked about something she loved.
She was beautiful for her ability to make other people smile
even if she was sad.
No, she wasn’t beautiful for something as temporary as her looks.
She was beautiful deep down to her soul.
She is beautiful.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Let’s teach this to our daughters
and granddaughters
and sisters
and friends.

And….
let’s teach this to
ourselves.

#BestGiftEver #LoveYourself

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Real can’t be ugly…

/ Jodi / 77 Comments

stuffed bunny watercolor card

How could I have missed this?

It is a classic novel.

It was made into a film, a musical, and a soundtrack.

It is a story that caused my heart to swell,
reminded me of the past,
gave me pause to consider the future.

It made me smile broadly.

It gave me a lump in my throat.

It caught me off guard and caused me to gasp.

Tears welled up, and then magic appeared.

The Velveteen Rabbit, illus. William Nicholson:

How could this be considered a “Children’s Novel” when it teaches such relevant adult life lessons?

“How about this old Bunny?” she asked.
“That?” said the doctor.  “Why, it’s a mass of germs!  Burn it at once.  What?  Nonsense!  Get him a new one.  He mustn’t have that any more!”
And so the little Rabbit was put into a sack with the old picture-books and a lot of rubbish, and carried out to the end of the garden behind the fowl-house.

How often does this happen in real life….
to real people….
whose hearts and souls are young,
but their bodies are aged, broken, weak, and have germs….?

How could I have missed this beautiful story that was never read to me as a child and that I never read to my children?

The Velveteen Rabbit.

Written almost 100 years ago, and I just bought my first copy this week…. via Amazon Prime….   for ages 3 – 7… and I am 52… and I LOVED it!

The life lessons are so deeply profound.
I so encourage you to read this… slowly – and at least twice:

The Gahan Girls: Thank you, Skin Horse. I couldn't have said it better myself.:

Thank you, Skin Horse, for your insightful wisdom.
I will try very hard to remember this every day.

Whether you have children or not, The Velveteen Rabbit is a MUST-READ!  It will be the best 10-15 minutes (depending on how long you linger over the beautiful illustrations) you’ve spent in a long time, and the best $7.49 you will spend this year.

A new, old, profound classic on our bookshelf!

It is waiting to be read to or by anyone who visits our home….   anyone who wants to know what it means to be REAL.

velveteen rabbit

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

P.S.  I was so amazed by this story (which I discovered after a friend posted a quote on Facebook), that I had to draw a version of a stuffed bunny (a velveteen rabbit) late one night.  It came freely.   From a Google Search of stuffed bunnies, I saw a photo similar to this one I painted.  It came quickly and easily, and I was delightfully surprised when I saw how it turn out the next morning – when the paint had dried, and my eyes were clear, and it became “Real.”  And “Real can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

Live Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply

/ Jodi / 19 Comments

Christmas live simply

Trying to keep things in perspective

and remembering to enjoy the journey.

Life Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply.

That is what matters.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

(P.S.  Remember when doing ceramics was “all the rage?”  I still love these three little pencil Santas on the left I painted about 20 years ago.  They are hanging out in an antique jelly cupboard in our great room with a bunch of others for the season.  I have a bit of a “Santa” thang.)