At least once.
As the sun sets,
and this one day ends…
can I look back and say
that at least once…
I was kind to someone,
I let someone be kind to me.
I was strong,
I was gentle.
I smiled and laughed,
I made someone smile and laugh.
I knew when to talk,
I knew when to listen.
I learned something,
I taught something.
I did something for someone,
I did something for me.
I told someone “I love you.”
I remembered to love myself.
As the sun sets,
and this one day ends.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
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
Yellow Rose Impressionistic Watercolor 11×14 Saunders 140lb Cold Press
A Yellow Rose for a Sweet New Baby Girl.
A sweet new baby girl was born this week into our extended family. She was named after two of her great grandmothers. One of the great grandmothers loved yellow roses. They were her favorite flower.
So in honor of our new little sweetheart, I painted a yellow rose.
My inspiration for this impressionistic rose is from the amazing style of Jean Haines.
Colors used: Daniel Smith Cadmium Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Aliziran Crimson, Burnt Sienna, and Perylene Green.
If her Mommy likes it, I will frame it for our new little angel’s room.
Amidst all the tragedy and heartache in the world (especially this past week here in the U.S. with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and the 15-year remembrance of 911), the miracle of birth continues to give us hope in the beauty of life and love. May our little ones create and live in a world of peace.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
The Softness of Early Morning – Mars, PA August, 2017
Be Soft.
Don’t let the havoc
make you hard.
Don’t let the hurt
make you hate.
Don’t let the struggles
steal your joy.
Don’t let the bitterness
steal your sweetness.
Be kind.
Give love freely.
Be soft.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Backyard Path – Mars, PA August 2017
The Right Path.
If it was done with kindness,
It it was filled with love,
If it took humility and courage,
If it made you laugh,
If it made you jump out of bed in the morning,
If it brought tears of joy to your eyes,
If it caused a lump in your throat,
If it made you sweat,
If it required sacrifice…
You are likely on the right path.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Alive.
“She was
sweet chaos
hiding behind
a delicate soul
and a vulnerable smile.
She loved like
the rage of a storm,
the heat of a wildfire…
And looking into her eyes
she always
reminds you
what it’s like
to feel alive.”-n.r. hart
Be delicate.
Be chaos.
Be vulnerable.
Love.
Feel alive.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Mars, PA – Late Summer Sunrise – August 20, 2017
Lately…
Lately, I’ve been reading
“The Storyteller”
by Jodi Picoult.
It has touched my heart deeply,
profoundly moved my soul,
and makes my hands
want to bake Chocolate Babka.
It’s made me consider,
“Inside each of us is a monster.
Inside each of us is a saint.
The real question
is which one of them will
we nurture the most?
Which one will smite the other?”
Lately, I’ve been binge-watching
Bloodline
on Netflix.
It’s made me realize
how past family secrets
and hurtful lies
can cause lasting scars
and shatter lives.
Lately, Hubby was out of town
on a business trip.
Not far. Not long. But not here.
It’s made me realize
how much I truly miss
the little things
I too often
complain about.
Lately…
I’ve been thinking about
a new perspective.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
No Trespassing…
I pass this sign, and many others like it,
on a daily walk with Charlie along the country road we live on.
The other day, in particular,
it struck me as being so sad.
What is so important that we must stop people,
that we must block them…. from entering what we feel is ours only?
I wish there were more "All are Welcome" signs along the road.
I wish there were more "C'mon in," "My House is Your House," "Peace to all who Enter."
Remember the song we sang as children?
"This land is your land. This land is my land…. This land was made for you and me."
Let's open our hearts.
Let's open our arms.
Let's open our eyes.
Let's open our ears.
Let's open our homes.
Let's open our land.
And if you have time, I urge you to quietly listen to this deeply moving version of "This Land," by a young Bruce Springsteen from over 30 years ago.
Let's keep trying!
This land was made for you and me.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Terry’s Yellow Flower of Friendship Watercolor 7 1/4 x 8 1/2 Artistico 140lb Cold Press
A Yellow Flower for Terry.
I have a friend named Terry.
His favorite color is yellow.
His husband’s name is Gary,
and they have a dog named Roxy.
Terry is a father,
a son,
a brother,
and a husband.
Terry is a handsome man in the fifth decade of life.
About a year ago, Terry and Gary sold their home in Texas,
bought a travel trailer and had plans to travel the country,
including a visit to Mars, PA, where I live.
About a year prior to that,
Terry began having some pain and health issues.
He knew something was very wrong.
Terry discovered he had cancer.
For the past two years,
Terry has sadly become increasing more ill.
The cancer is taking over his body.
But it has not, cannot, and will not kill his beautiful, loving spirit.
One of the many joys of blogging
is the community of other bloggers
and some very special friendships that are formed,
like the one that I have formed with Terry.
I’ll never forget the special way Terry made me feel one time in particular.
About a year ago and about a year into my new adventure in watercolor painting,
I painted and shared a not-so-great watercolor painting of a red boat.
Terry, in all his sweetness, told me it was “priceless” and he “would pay millions for it.”
So overcome with his kindness,
I offered it to him as a gift.
I sent it to him,
and he posted this beautiful way of thanking me: It’s a Jodi
Terry and Gary never did get to do the traveling they had planned.
They now reside in Florida, living in their travel trailer,
but Terry has spent more days than anyone would wish
at doctor’s appointments, chemo and radiation treatments, and the hospital.
My sweet friend Terry
is now on hospice care.
He has made the choice to live out his final journey
at home with those he loves in peace and comfort and love.
After seeing Terry’s post yesterday
and thinking of him so much,
I decided to paint a yellow flower of friendship
for a beautiful friend.
Dear Terry,
please know how much you are loved,
what an impact you have made on so many,
and how I will always remember you when I see yellow flowers.
Hugs,
Jodi
P.S. If you would like to visit Terry’s blog, please click on any of the hyperlinks provided throughout this post. I know it would mean so much to him and Gary if you would post a little note to him. If you do, please tell him how much Jodi loves him!
Watercolor: Winsor & Newton New Gamboge, Daniel Smith Olive Green, Perylene Green, Perylene Violet.
Grass Flip Flops – Don’t let the grass grow under your feet
Don’t Let the Grass Grow Under Your Feet.
After getting a total kick out of these grass flip flops I spotted in a gift shop in Sedona and seeing where someone who lives in the desert southwest might enjoy these, they reminded me of this saying Grandma used to say.
“Don’t let the grass grow under your feet!”
Some of her other favorites included, “Make hay while the sun shines,” and “Work before pleasure.”
I can still hear her saying these in my head, and it makes me smile.
Grandma only went to school until fourth grade before she had to stay home and take care of her brothers after the passing of her mother. At the age of nine, she also did the cooking and cleaning and laundry (long before automatic washers and dryers, microwaves, and vacuum cleaners) while her dad worked in the coal mine.
Can we even image any of our children at the age of 9 doing this today? Not that I would recommend it!
Though she lacked formal education, she had more common sense and a stronger work ethic than anyone I’ve known. There is nothing she wouldn’t try doing – including electrical work!
She taught me many things. Things you don’t learn in school.
She taught me the important “stuff!”
But most of all she loved me with a love I still feel today.
My grandma has been gone for over 20 years, but she is still my guiding light in so many ways every day. Now that I am a grandma, I can only hope that I will have the same impact on my grandchild(ren).
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 