Reflections and New Beginnings

December for me always brings about a feeling of renewal especially towards the end of the month as we look towards a new year.  A time to bring some projects to an end and find renewed strength after a period of reflection. To face a new year with new opportunities, adventures and circumstances.  This is a time to think about the new seeds that you will sow - those ideas, goals and dreams that you want to see in 2013 take shape and grow.  I feel the drive to take stock over what I have done during the year – what was a hit, what missed - deciding what the best choices for what I want to achieve. 

I find it also important this year to look at my current state of health and make changes if necessary.  I didn’t do as much walking as I would normally do this year and definitely felt the effects of an unhealthy body.  I also found out I was deficient in quite a few vitamins which may have been the cause for the allergies that presented themselves.  I tried to convince the doctor that a prescription for a holiday in the sun would be the right course of action, but she couldn’t quite get passed the cheaper version of supplements instead!  So armed with my scarf, gloves and several layers we will see the start of a regular time for exercise as I reinvest in my physical health and well-being.

Personal development is also an area that requires focus to see how you can grow.   It is important to see growth as part of a continual process for all areas of our life, it is essential for our creativity.  I do think it is important to have a personal development plan to enable you to either perfect a skill or learn a new one.  I did a few courses and workshops this year, including Hello Soul Hello Business, 21 Secrets and Motley Soul Mixed Media  - check out some of the workshops yourself.  There is always something useful to learn - it is a continuous process.

There has been also been changes in the health of loved ones and I try and think of new ways to adapt to the changing needs of my mother who has dementia or the resurfacing of the multiple myeloma for my bother.  I ask for you all to continue to lift our family in your thoughts and prayers.

Yes December for me brings thoughts of tying up loose ends and embracing the new journeys and not running from them.  I won’t run from the new challenges ahead, some will be unexpected and some we might have some notice about, but while we have this life, let’s live it to the full and as we are blessed, remember to be a blessing!  Why wait!

Gratitudes - Flowers

I love even the smallest flower that is produced by a weed, the colours and smells that some flowers produce, way they make you feel.  For a feast of colour see my 365 days of colour posts. 

What are you grateful for this week?

Christmas wishes and 21 Secrets - Jane Davenport

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and wishing you and yours every peace and good health.

I thought I'd share with you about another one of the 21 Secrets workshop that I have been doing.  Frolicaholic is Jane Davenports offerings in 21 secrets and is designed to help you overcome those blocks you may have to spending time in your art journal.   

The time you do find should be precious and while not everyone has hours on end you need to find the creative hotspots where you can, that 10 minutes or so wherever you are that you can utilise for your creativity.  You can pull out a few simple materials and sketch or doodle as this is your investment to your growth.   

 

We all have experienced the art gremlins as Jane calls them that try and convince us that what we are doing is not very good, or so and so is better or the worse gremlin talk is that there is not enough room for another artist.  You come away with your own reference for other creative work and a general reminder to keep at it no matter the circumstances. 

 

I still have some pages to finish in this journal and will share how I get on at a later date.  The more you practice anything the better you will get, how about practicing spending some quality time for yourself.  Check out Jane’s site, she is very generous with her videos and her site is a pleasure to spend time in. Blessings for now!

Comfort - 52 Weeks of Colour

A thought for the week.....

Some doors are meant to close, don't worry about your situation and circumstance at the moment.  What you have to focus on is your gifts and your purpose.  Those doors that close have a way of pushing us closer to the ones that are about to open and lead us through a process of reflection and understanding.  Holding on to what is important is the best thing that you can do.  You are beautiful!  Blessings, Amanda

To move freely you must be deeply rooted. ...Bella Lewitzky

Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:24.....

Creating in Faith - Loss and purpose

At some point in your life you will experience loss.

 

I have been finding in my 40’s that there is an increase in people I know who have either passed or have illnesses with very serious prognosis.  You never imaging yourself to be in that position, can’t prepare for it and when it comes it leaves a hole that seems impossible to fill.   

Almost 20 years after my father passed I still have dreams about him in totally new situations. In the beginning the dreams would be of him during his illness.  As the dreams progressed he would get stronger until one dream he was lifting a wardrobe and I asked him if he could be more careful because of the illness, he laughed and told me he was fine.  In my most recent dream he came to my mum’s home and had a friend with him.  He was dressed really smart and looked like the picture I have of him in his younger days.  

 On waking I realised the friend he had with him was my mum when she was a young woman. 

The loss of a loved one takes time to come to terms with, the intense pain softens, you carry on, but you never forget.  I still think about my first son who passed at 3 days old, he would have been 23 now and I often wonder what he would have been doing now, thinking about all that he could have achieved with his life.  

While we can’t bring back those we have lost we can celebrate their lives, we rejoice at the lives they touched the impact they had on this world and we look to our own lives and hope that we too can make an impact on the lives of others and be the blessing we were called to be.   

I imagined as I got older I would be sharing more times of laughter with tales of grandchildren and aching joints, alongside the creative adventures with my good friend Barbara who I had known since I was 16 and who passed in 2011 and is so dearly missed.  

 From time to time I dwell on the shared experiences, and conversations we had about our journey as artists, the love she gave to her family and the love she shared with others.

 me and Barbara in our early 20's

Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time for everything and everything in its season: 

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

As we draw close to the end of the year, let us make a decision to live our lives on purpose.  Take hold of 2013 and aim to make an impact on your own life and that of others.  Whilst we will continue over the years at some point to suffer loss, let us hold on to the blessings that each individual life shared with us and celebrate their memories with joy, and let us live our lives to the full and not take one more day for granted.

  He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power...Isaiah 40:29

Come join the group - Creating in Faith, show us how you will be incorporating the words and scriptures and reflections in your art this week.  Step out and be a blessing and you will also be blessed!

Gratitudes - Seeds

It’s amazing where some plants grow.  I inherited my green fingers from my mum and love growing new plants and a lot of the ones I have were grown from seed.  I have also been blessed by the passing birds who often drop seeds as they fly by.

 What are you grateful for this week?