Last year, one of our ministers gave an amazing sermon that has stuck with our congregation for a few months. He told us about living in the key of “F”. As soon as he said it, I knew I was going to have that be my key phrase for the new year. I had selected Abundance as my word of the year, but I wanted to take this to another level. From this point forward, I am expecting abundance in every area of my life. Every single one. By living in the key of “F”, the key of Faith, there is NOTHING I can not accomplish.

What are you going to accomplish this year?

Yesterday, I was rather weepy and I make absolutely no apology for it. I was filled with so much gratitude and love for my life. Have you ever waited to hear or experience something only to have it happen and exceed your expectations and dreams? Well, I had that kind of moment and it filled my heart in ways that left me with a very tender heart. Tears seemed to be the only appropriate response. I have learned a lot over the past three or so years. Mainly about what love is, giving it and receiving it. I am a very giving person. I don’t love part of the way or with conditions. Either I am loving you 100% or I am not bothering at all. Now receiving it is not always as easy as giving it. What I have learned is that so many people do not love themselves. As a result, they don’t know how to receive unconditional love. I made up in my mind that before I could love anyone, I needed to first love myself. I needed to receive the ultimate love that my God has given me and love me. When I finally understood this and applied it to my life, the size of my capacity to love others increased. It increased to the point I was able to forgive everyone who has ever done me wrong. I was able to love them and others without expectation of being loved in return. I found joy in the simple act of expressing love fully and with my whole heart.

This past week, a family member passed away from her fight with cancer at the age of 57 and dear friend passed away at 38 from health complications. Their deaths touched me deeply. People seem to be dying younger and younger these days. I thought about how I did not want to live another day of my life with regret. I wanted to make sure I was giving people their flowers while they are alive right now. For me, that means telling people I love them, spending time with my children, being a comfort to friends in need and receiving people just as they are…unconditionally.

All anyone really wants is to know they are loved and it wouldn’t hurt us all to be better examples of what love is at it’s best. In my home, this is how I am raising my children. There is enough negativity in the world without adding to it. I choose to be happy, a light in darkness and to love. Life really is that simple.

**************************

There is still time to sign up for the art journal workshop, Life is the Art. I am so excited to kick this off September 12. You have until September 11 to sign up for the workshop. We will be cultivating a daily art practice and I am going to share some of my favorite techniques, prompts and journaling concepts with the class. Won’t you join us? It is going to be a wonderful adventure.

Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries. ~Jimmy Carter

Whenever we reach what we think are the boundaries of our endurance, you know ten minutes later you`re thinking: I could have done that – like in any athletic pursuit – I could have gone further than that; I could have jumped higher. ~Daniel Day-Lewis

Bill Evans is a real serious jazz pianist who, in my book, crossed over boundaries in terms of color. He used the piano as his canvas.~Roberta Flack

I believe that two people are connected at the heart, and it doesn’t matter what you do, or who you are or where you live; there are no boundaries or barriers if two people are destined to be together.~Julia Roberts

Simply pushing harder within the old boundaries will not do. ~Karl Weick

Love the moment and the energy of the moment will spread beyond all boundaries. ~Corita Kent

You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus. ~Mark Twain

One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular. ~Tony Robbins

When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance. ~Joel Osteen

We can always choose to perceive things differently. You can focus on what’s wrong in your life, or you can focus on what’s right. ~Marianne Williamson

The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear. ~Brian Tracy

My main focus is on my game. ~Tiger Woods

A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals. ~Larry Bird

Winners have simply formed the habit of doing things losers don’t like to do. ~Albert Gray

Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner. Even if you are behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory. ~Arthur Ashe

Losers live in the past. Winners learn from the past and enjoy working in the present toward the future. ~Denis Waitley

Winning is nice if you don’t lose your integrity in the process. ~Arnold Horshak

 
Check out my about.me profile!

All of the following quotes are by Buddha:

• Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

• You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

• All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What you think you become.

• Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
• Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

Check out my about.me profile!

Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith. ~Margaret Shepard

It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap. ~Stephen Schwartz

Self-worth comes from one thing – thinking you are worthy. ~Wayne Dyer

I have been thinking a lot about worthiness, confidence and love. All so closely linked together and all critical when it comes to nurturing yourself. My own assessment of my worthiness has been tested for a few months now as I have become acutely aware of select people telling me how I should act in order to gain the respect of others. I found it disturbing to be told to alter who I am because it was perceived I was not assertive enough and needed to project this false bitchiness to gain respect. I made it clear this is not how I build quality relationships. I believe in treating people with respect regardless of whether they deserve it or not. There are enough bitchy people in the world without me being another one.

For the briefest moment, I entertained their assessment of me, wondering if there was something wrong with me. I listened respectfully, but I chose to reject their assessment. If you have to shame someone into acting a particular way to gain a desired result, no one benefits from it. Instead you start a cycle of pain and unworthiness that can take years to repair.

My worthiness starts with loving myself just as I am, in my perfect imperfection. From that love grows confidence and a deep sense of personal value. No one can give this to me or define it for me. When you are deeply grounded in your sense of self-worth, no outside circumstances, people or situations can shake it. People are always going to have opinions about how you should act, what you should say or what you should do, but I caution you to look at how they are living before you give their assessment any real consideration. You don’t have to do anything to be worthy, you just have to step up, claim it and own it.

May you be inspired today to leap with confidence and unwavering faith.

Faith is a process of leaping into the abyss not on the basis of any certainty about ~where~ we shall land, but rather on the belief that we ~shall~ land. ~Carter Heyward

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. ~e.e. cummings

Half the failures in life arise from pulling in one’s horse as he is leaping. ~August Hare

Oh the wild joys of living! The leaping from rock to rock … the cool silver shock of the plunge in a pool’s living waters. ~Robert Browning

I have this tiny journal with multiple pages like the one above, with little sayings I created. I enjoy a good quote and often use other people’s to get my point across. With this journal, I decided to come up with my own quotes. They are closer to expressing what is on my mind and in my heart than someone else’s words. My own words are significant and worthy. I am more mindful now of using my own voice to express myself first before using another person’s words. Often times, those quotes are taken out of context and you lose the full meaning of why they said what they said. We all have gifts and talents to share. The challenge is discovering, embracing and finally sharing them with confidence and courage.

May you be a joyful inspiration to others today.

There isn’t a worthwhile thing in the world that can’t be accomplished with good hard work. You’ve got to want something first and then you have to go after it with all your heart and soul. ~ Margaret Rudkin

When I started the Art Slam, it was my fourth “from scratch” blog. I shut the others down knowing full well I was losing huge readerships. Why did I do it? They were no longer me…authentic. I felt lost in a world of scrapbook supplies, moms with cameras and enough online fakeness to make you want to hurl. I had lost my voice. My words did not seem like my own and I spent a couple of years searching for the essence of who I was. It was during this time I moved my journaling past just writing to making art within my journals. It never fails that when a challenging time comes into your life, you either rise to the occasion or you shrink back and allow it to consume you.

Recently, I was introduced to the story of Pepperidge Farm’s founder, Margaret Rudkin. Her youngest son suffered from asthma and severe food allergies. Concerned about his diet, she tried her hand at making bread and failed miserably with her first attempts. She did not give up and despite what skeptics told her about their doubts she could make nutritious bread that tasted good, she proved them wrong. I can not count the times I have had people tell me they doubted me and my ability to do anything meaningful with my love of art. There’s always going to be someone who does not think you can do something because THEY can not imagine your dream becoming reality. Thing is, the dream was placed in you, not them. You can not allow what others think to stop you from dreaming and being all you were meant to be.

Like most of us, Margaret did not set out to start a business, she had to do something to support her family. As a mother, you do what you have to do to support your family. I can remember when I lost my job a few years ago, I relied on what I knew best in order to help support my family in our time of need. I used my graphic design and photography skills to bring in some extra money. I started writing again and discovered a more patient, confident voice. I started this blog knowing it was not about having a huge readership, but about being a real, authentic person who could inspire with my art and words instead of breaking people down. There is enough of that mess going around online without me adding to it. When you stop by here, I hope you leave feeling better about who you are, inspired to live your life fully everyday and wanting to be all that you can be. Blessings to you.

During the month of May, I invite you to visit the blog carnival at Blog Nosh Magazine and share your stories. Join me and grab Pepperidge Farm coupons to purchase your favorite tasty treats. Mine happen to be the Bordeaux cookies. I can eat a whole bag by myself.

Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal and transformation in our lives. ~ Anonymous

Love this quote so much right now. I have not been creating a whole lot of art lately. But, before I hit a dry spell, I started creating a series of pieces where hearts dominated the artwork. I am going to share those over the course of the next few days along with a quote or two that resonates with my spirit. Enjoy.

Compassion literally means to feel with, to suffer with. Everyone is capable of compassion, and yet everyone tends to avoid it because it’s uncomfortable. And the avoidance produces psychic numbing — resistance to experiencing our pain for the world and other beings. ~ Joanna Macy

Something about this quote speaks to me. It is the part about being uncomfortable. Lately I have noticed that people do not like being out of their comfort zones. Doing so means they no longer have their usual safety net or standby routine. It is when you come out of your comfort zone that true growth begins. I have been living outside of mine for a few months now and describing it as uncomfortable does not seem to do it justice. Sometimes, it is downright painful. I feel exposed and vulnerable because I am putting everything on the line. There is no physical shield for me to hide behind, nor do I want to hide. This exposure, this openness, while extremely raw and uncomfortable is where I am growing. It is like being in a valley and while the valley is dark and often times lonely, there is a lesson there. For one, I realize I am not alone. For two, I have learned to truly give my burdens over and not carry the weight of them around. For three, being uncomfortable has taught me to have more compassion.

This week, one of the things I am working on is loving the sinner and not the sin when I interact with people. None of us is perfect. No, not one. This message was driven home in the sermon I listened to at my church Sunday. As was the message that our sins have already been paid for and we are washed clean as snow; all because of Jesus. Now, those of you who frequent my blog know I do not hide my love of the Lord. I have no intentions of starting now. My tribulations this year have proven one thing. That I can not be defeated when I stand strong in my faith. I am reminded of the flexibility of a palm tree. In a storm, the palm tree takes a beating. It bends from side to side, touching the ground as the storm rages around it, but in the end, it does not break. Strength without flexibility is stubbornness. There is no power in being unmovable in thought or feeling for the sake of being right. For some people, it is more important to be right and to judge. That kind of thinking and stubbornness profits no one. So, I pray everyday to be a more compassionate person. To treat people as I desire to be treated. Because this world can use a little more compassion. In fact, it could use a lot more.

Why is it people feel life owes them the easy way out of everything? When something does not go as we planned, we get offended or pissed that life did not go our way. That kind of thinking is so damn arrogant. Nothing in life is 100% easy. The things you want the most, you have to work for. Even if you do get exactly what you want, you still have to work to keep it. There are forces at work ready to pounce on any area of vulnerability in our lives and rip it to shreds. Our job is to be aware of those forces. Awareness is no joke. When you have it, things can be so clear it is almost painful. Clarity can be blinding with the truth it shows, but would you really want to have it any other way? Would walking around unaware be a better choice for living your life?

Through awareness comes growth. There is always a lesson to learn or some new insight to gain. Be it into yourself or another, the lesson can be life changing. If the change is a positive one, the path to awareness will always be the one I choose.