Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministry today!
Have you ever found yourself getting a little lazy?
Well there is nothing like having no food in the house to get me to step it up and get back to work. I had applied to be a substitute teacher in Dec. and I received my first job on Tues. of this week. When I visited the school on Wed., I found out that I could have a one day teaching job five days a week if I wanted it that way, which I don't. However, our budget requires that I make money, which is not always easy to do with art.
I have not had a paycheck for 5 years. Of course I have worked: parenting, painting, doing domestic work at home, plus some volunteer work. But I was free all the time. Whatever I did was my choice, because my husband is not demanding and he's very willing to work to provide for our family. He supported me in my dream to be a fulltime artist.
My art career has grown...slowly. Even though I am passionate about painting, I am less than thrilled about the work of promoting my work. Business is not my forte.
This morning I jumped up out of bed and hopped into the shower, because I knew I might get a call to teach and if I didn't, I would be prepared to paint. (I just received a call to teach this afternoon and I said, "Yes.") Now I will hurry to get the dishes done, walk the dog, and paint as much as I can before 11:15.
I am having to step up my stress handling skills and my self discipline to get everything done that I want to do. I used to be much better at this when I was 22! Now that I'm 55, I have to push myself harder. But it's good to be pushed a little, just not too much.
Love, Sue
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The Faith of a Child
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Have you ever wished upon a star?
When our son was 7 he wished on a star for a golden retreiver puppy. Two weeks later, Daisy came to us as a stray. She wasn't a puppy, but she was a golden. She smelled like road kill and had blond dread locks hanging all over her. I gave her a bath, brushed her and started calling her Daisy. She licked my hand and stayed.....for awhile. She was used to hunting for fresh meat (such as Bambi or Garfield) and thought that dry dog food was unacceptable. So everytime she got hungry, she jumped the fence and went on a hunting expedition.
We lived in the country and our next door neighbors raised champion sheep and I worried that we could owe thousands of dollars if she got into their pasture!!!! So I called her back and scolded her about staying in our yard, everytime I caught her leaping over the fence like a deer.
She never talked about her past, but the vet guessed that she was about two years old. One thing was obvious; she had been abandoned, probably more than once. I said that she had attachment disorder, because it took her six months to adopt us. But once she did bond, it was for life.
We had a male dog named Moses when Daisy came to us and he fell in love with her at first sight. He licked her, snuggled up to her and played with her endlessly and quite frankly, she never cared a hoot for Moses, or so we thought.
After we moved to town, I took the two dogs with me back to the farm so I could move some boxes. I opened the door to the pickup and Moses jumped out and ran all around the yard. Not Daisy! She stayed in that truck for 45 minutes until I got back into it and took her home with me. She was taking no chances of being dropped off again!!!
I laughed and told her, "You're making me feel better about myself!" I have a reputation for being clingy in a romantic relationship, because of my abandonment issues. In fact I drove all of my boyfriends crazy with it and was blessed to meet my husband who has even greater abandonment issues than me. Our son has them too, from being in a orphanage in Vietnam for five months. So we call ourselves the "cling family!" Even our dog is clingy!!!! We were made for one another!
When Moses died Daisy moped for a month and it wasn't until, I took her to the woods and let her run, allowing her to do every naughty thing that she could think of, before she snapped out of her funk. She waded in the black swamp water, rolled in the dead carcasses and ate you know what. Somehow, all of those totally disgusting activities reminded her that she was still a dog and that life was worth living.
Daisy came to us as a gift from God and now it is almost time to give her back, because she can't get around anymore and my heart is aching. But death is part of life and I must be brave.
I will never forget my amazement at our son's faith when he made his wish upon that star and God granted it. When Seth was little, he could pray for anything and it would happen! I often asked him to pray for my parishioners when they were deathly ill and like clockwork, they revived.
Oh to be able to have that kind of faith as an adult! I think I understand what Jesus meant when he said that in order to enter the Kingdom of God, we must come as a child.
Much Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Have you ever wished upon a star?
When our son was 7 he wished on a star for a golden retreiver puppy. Two weeks later, Daisy came to us as a stray. She wasn't a puppy, but she was a golden. She smelled like road kill and had blond dread locks hanging all over her. I gave her a bath, brushed her and started calling her Daisy. She licked my hand and stayed.....for awhile. She was used to hunting for fresh meat (such as Bambi or Garfield) and thought that dry dog food was unacceptable. So everytime she got hungry, she jumped the fence and went on a hunting expedition.
We lived in the country and our next door neighbors raised champion sheep and I worried that we could owe thousands of dollars if she got into their pasture!!!! So I called her back and scolded her about staying in our yard, everytime I caught her leaping over the fence like a deer.
She never talked about her past, but the vet guessed that she was about two years old. One thing was obvious; she had been abandoned, probably more than once. I said that she had attachment disorder, because it took her six months to adopt us. But once she did bond, it was for life.
We had a male dog named Moses when Daisy came to us and he fell in love with her at first sight. He licked her, snuggled up to her and played with her endlessly and quite frankly, she never cared a hoot for Moses, or so we thought.
After we moved to town, I took the two dogs with me back to the farm so I could move some boxes. I opened the door to the pickup and Moses jumped out and ran all around the yard. Not Daisy! She stayed in that truck for 45 minutes until I got back into it and took her home with me. She was taking no chances of being dropped off again!!!
I laughed and told her, "You're making me feel better about myself!" I have a reputation for being clingy in a romantic relationship, because of my abandonment issues. In fact I drove all of my boyfriends crazy with it and was blessed to meet my husband who has even greater abandonment issues than me. Our son has them too, from being in a orphanage in Vietnam for five months. So we call ourselves the "cling family!" Even our dog is clingy!!!! We were made for one another!
When Moses died Daisy moped for a month and it wasn't until, I took her to the woods and let her run, allowing her to do every naughty thing that she could think of, before she snapped out of her funk. She waded in the black swamp water, rolled in the dead carcasses and ate you know what. Somehow, all of those totally disgusting activities reminded her that she was still a dog and that life was worth living.
Daisy came to us as a gift from God and now it is almost time to give her back, because she can't get around anymore and my heart is aching. But death is part of life and I must be brave.
I will never forget my amazement at our son's faith when he made his wish upon that star and God granted it. When Seth was little, he could pray for anything and it would happen! I often asked him to pray for my parishioners when they were deathly ill and like clockwork, they revived.
Oh to be able to have that kind of faith as an adult! I think I understand what Jesus meant when he said that in order to enter the Kingdom of God, we must come as a child.
Much Love, Sue
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
New Paintings
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
How do you feel when you finish a project to your satisfaction?
When I was little, I followed my grandmother around the farmhouse and yard like a puppy dog. I dried the dishes she washed, made the beds with her (slapping the feather pillows to fluff them), put the cinnamon rolls into the baking dish after she kneaded the dough, rolled the brown sugar and cinnamon into it, then cut it into magic pinwheels. I caught the overhauls when they came through the wringer on the washing machine and pushed them down into the cold rinse water, then I caught them after they went through the wringer the second time and put them into the laundry basket. I handed the clothespins to her as she hung them on the line and simply watched in fascination as she sprinkled them with water and ironed them.
Everything my grandmother did was a ritual and she did it perfectly. When she taught me to quilt, she emphasized how important it was to have the corners meet exactly. Her knitting was so tight that the mittens she made for all eight of her grandchildren every year, kept the cold and snow out, no matter how long we played outdoors.
I learned my craftsmanship from her and set my standards equally as high as hers.
In Seminary, I learned that getting a B+ instead of a A+ was "very good" and I changed many of my standards for myself, especially when it came to housework!
However, there is still one area of my life where I try to be as absolutely perfect as I can be and that is with my art. Before I can sign an oil painting it has to "be my baby" and I have to be able to live with it on my walls at home. So calling a painting finished is not easy for me.
But I did it! I finished Painted Prayers for Haiti #4 and #5! I posted them for you to see. I hope you enjoy them, dear friends.
Much love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
How do you feel when you finish a project to your satisfaction?
When I was little, I followed my grandmother around the farmhouse and yard like a puppy dog. I dried the dishes she washed, made the beds with her (slapping the feather pillows to fluff them), put the cinnamon rolls into the baking dish after she kneaded the dough, rolled the brown sugar and cinnamon into it, then cut it into magic pinwheels. I caught the overhauls when they came through the wringer on the washing machine and pushed them down into the cold rinse water, then I caught them after they went through the wringer the second time and put them into the laundry basket. I handed the clothespins to her as she hung them on the line and simply watched in fascination as she sprinkled them with water and ironed them.
Everything my grandmother did was a ritual and she did it perfectly. When she taught me to quilt, she emphasized how important it was to have the corners meet exactly. Her knitting was so tight that the mittens she made for all eight of her grandchildren every year, kept the cold and snow out, no matter how long we played outdoors.
I learned my craftsmanship from her and set my standards equally as high as hers.
In Seminary, I learned that getting a B+ instead of a A+ was "very good" and I changed many of my standards for myself, especially when it came to housework!
However, there is still one area of my life where I try to be as absolutely perfect as I can be and that is with my art. Before I can sign an oil painting it has to "be my baby" and I have to be able to live with it on my walls at home. So calling a painting finished is not easy for me.
But I did it! I finished Painted Prayers for Haiti #4 and #5! I posted them for you to see. I hope you enjoy them, dear friends.
Much love, Sue
Sunday, February 21, 2010
A Pretty Purse
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this day!
Have you ever made a gift for someone that thrilled them?
Eliza Jane carried her new little purse that her mother and I made for her everywhere she went after we gave it to her. She is a darling three year old with blond hair, green eyes, pearly white teeth and two dimples in the same cheek! Her smile would melt the hardest of hearts!
We made the purse in my quilting class at church this morning. Nicole, our daughter-in-law, a.k.a. Eliza's mommy, had never sewn before, but always wanted to learn. She chose some cute cloth and we whipped together a little bag with a simple nine patch quilt pattern on each side and two little handles. We didn't have time to line it, but three year olds don't care about linings in their purses. Eliza thought it was as perfect as could be!
As a child I received many such gifts from my mom, grandmother and aunt. It feels so good to be all grown up and passing on the tradition of making handmade gifts for my own little ones! I remember how good it felt as a kid to receive those gifts, but it feels even better to make something with a loved one, for a loved one and have them both be delighted!
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this day!
Have you ever made a gift for someone that thrilled them?
Eliza Jane carried her new little purse that her mother and I made for her everywhere she went after we gave it to her. She is a darling three year old with blond hair, green eyes, pearly white teeth and two dimples in the same cheek! Her smile would melt the hardest of hearts!
We made the purse in my quilting class at church this morning. Nicole, our daughter-in-law, a.k.a. Eliza's mommy, had never sewn before, but always wanted to learn. She chose some cute cloth and we whipped together a little bag with a simple nine patch quilt pattern on each side and two little handles. We didn't have time to line it, but three year olds don't care about linings in their purses. Eliza thought it was as perfect as could be!
As a child I received many such gifts from my mom, grandmother and aunt. It feels so good to be all grown up and passing on the tradition of making handmade gifts for my own little ones! I remember how good it felt as a kid to receive those gifts, but it feels even better to make something with a loved one, for a loved one and have them both be delighted!
Love, Sue
Friday, February 19, 2010
Spring in the Air
Dear Readers,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Have you noticed that Spring is in the air as of yesterday?
I heard birds chirping and the air felt mild in my nose as I took a deep breath yesterday morning. It's coming!!!
My dad LOVES to call me from FL when the temperature in MI is below zero and brag, "I'm sitting by the pool, having a drink and watching the pellicans...." (GRRRRR......)
I love snow more than most middle aged folk, but I am so ready for signs of spring! I need some new hope, rebirth, green pastures, still waters!
There is something very reassuring about the changing seasons and being sure that spring will always come again.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Have you noticed that Spring is in the air as of yesterday?
I heard birds chirping and the air felt mild in my nose as I took a deep breath yesterday morning. It's coming!!!
My dad LOVES to call me from FL when the temperature in MI is below zero and brag, "I'm sitting by the pool, having a drink and watching the pellicans...." (GRRRRR......)
I love snow more than most middle aged folk, but I am so ready for signs of spring! I need some new hope, rebirth, green pastures, still waters!
There is something very reassuring about the changing seasons and being sure that spring will always come again.
Love, Sue
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Faith in Christ
Dear Readers,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Have you ever been afraid to step forward?
One of the lovely perks of going on a mission trip to Haiti was our day off when we got to go to the beach and swim. As we were approaching the cabana that served as an open air restaurant, there was a walkway with stepping stones that frightened me. Someone had taken pieces of coral and pressed them into cement in Voodoo symbols. I stopped in my tracks and was afraid to step on them. Call me superstitious, but I had just enough casual contact with Voodoo, to be scared by it.
I asked our tour guide if she thought it could be harmful to walk on them and this was her reply, "It could. But if you believe in Jesus Christ then you are covered in protection and it can't hurt you a bit."
I walked across the path with no qualms whatsoever.
I have mixed feelings about Voodoo. On the one hand, I see that it's very much like our legal system in the USA. In America people sue one another; in Haiti they use spells to keep people from harming them again. Also, the revolution against the French began in a Voodoo ceremony.
But on the other hand, there is something that feels very scary to me in my limited experience with Voodoo and I don't want to mess with it.
My confidence in walking across that path in faith has served me well at other times in my life. For instance when I drive home on country roads in the dark and I'm afraid of a deer running out in front of my vehicle, I recite the 23rd Psalm over and over again. I gives me the peace that passes understanding and it feels wonderful!
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Have you ever been afraid to step forward?
One of the lovely perks of going on a mission trip to Haiti was our day off when we got to go to the beach and swim. As we were approaching the cabana that served as an open air restaurant, there was a walkway with stepping stones that frightened me. Someone had taken pieces of coral and pressed them into cement in Voodoo symbols. I stopped in my tracks and was afraid to step on them. Call me superstitious, but I had just enough casual contact with Voodoo, to be scared by it.
I asked our tour guide if she thought it could be harmful to walk on them and this was her reply, "It could. But if you believe in Jesus Christ then you are covered in protection and it can't hurt you a bit."
I walked across the path with no qualms whatsoever.
I have mixed feelings about Voodoo. On the one hand, I see that it's very much like our legal system in the USA. In America people sue one another; in Haiti they use spells to keep people from harming them again. Also, the revolution against the French began in a Voodoo ceremony.
But on the other hand, there is something that feels very scary to me in my limited experience with Voodoo and I don't want to mess with it.
My confidence in walking across that path in faith has served me well at other times in my life. For instance when I drive home on country roads in the dark and I'm afraid of a deer running out in front of my vehicle, I recite the 23rd Psalm over and over again. I gives me the peace that passes understanding and it feels wonderful!
Love, Sue
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Teenage Honesty
Dear Readers,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministry today!
Have you ever noticed how honest teenagers can be?
It's rare to get our 14 year old son to talk to us, but every once in awhile it happens. This morning I needed an outside opinion on my painted prayers for Haiti #3, #4 and #5, so I asked our son to give me a quick critique before he left for school.
He took one look and said, "I like that one (#3). I don't like the green in that one (#5), but I like the tree. I like that one (#4) except that her face is kind of ugly."
I asked, "Do you dislike the shape of the green or the color."
He repied, "The color." (He doesn't seem to like green very much, at least not in my paintings, so I took that comment with a grain of salt.)
However, he was exactly right about the woman's face being kind of ugly. Why couldn't I see that? My husband didn't notice it when he looked at it. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I spent another hour or so, making the face prettier on prayer #4 and now I love the painting and I had serious qualms about it before, but I couldn't put my finger on why it was bothering me.
I wonder if he will still give me honest critiques when he becomes an adult. I hope so, because I find them helpful.
A lot of people in my life have criticized me for being "too sensitive!" OMGosh! I have heard that way more times than I can count!
However, when it comes to my art, I appreciate honesty, because I want to improve as much as possible. Of course there are criticisms that are not helpful, like, "That stinks!" But when it is sincere and specific it can be very enlightening!
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministry today!
Have you ever noticed how honest teenagers can be?
It's rare to get our 14 year old son to talk to us, but every once in awhile it happens. This morning I needed an outside opinion on my painted prayers for Haiti #3, #4 and #5, so I asked our son to give me a quick critique before he left for school.
He took one look and said, "I like that one (#3). I don't like the green in that one (#5), but I like the tree. I like that one (#4) except that her face is kind of ugly."
I asked, "Do you dislike the shape of the green or the color."
He repied, "The color." (He doesn't seem to like green very much, at least not in my paintings, so I took that comment with a grain of salt.)
However, he was exactly right about the woman's face being kind of ugly. Why couldn't I see that? My husband didn't notice it when he looked at it. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I spent another hour or so, making the face prettier on prayer #4 and now I love the painting and I had serious qualms about it before, but I couldn't put my finger on why it was bothering me.
I wonder if he will still give me honest critiques when he becomes an adult. I hope so, because I find them helpful.
A lot of people in my life have criticized me for being "too sensitive!" OMGosh! I have heard that way more times than I can count!
However, when it comes to my art, I appreciate honesty, because I want to improve as much as possible. Of course there are criticisms that are not helpful, like, "That stinks!" But when it is sincere and specific it can be very enlightening!
Love, Sue
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Camping in the Rain
Dear Readers,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Have you ever been camping in the rain?
I have, but it doesn't really count, because my family had a camper and we were up off the ground. We did get cabin fever though, because there were seven of us, so we played cards a lot! I think we wore the spots off from the cards by the end of the week! Fortunately we had a home waiting for us at the end of our soggy vacation.
Others are not so lucky. The rainy season in Haiti is on it's way and the tent cities in Port-au-Prince are going to be very wet. Rain is a blessing, because there will be water for drinking and washing, but it may make sleeping very uncomfortable. Being homeless is bad enough, but being homeless in the rain is even harder.
Please join with me in doing what we can to make the lives of the Haitian people a little easier.
Thank you.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Have you ever been camping in the rain?
I have, but it doesn't really count, because my family had a camper and we were up off the ground. We did get cabin fever though, because there were seven of us, so we played cards a lot! I think we wore the spots off from the cards by the end of the week! Fortunately we had a home waiting for us at the end of our soggy vacation.
Others are not so lucky. The rainy season in Haiti is on it's way and the tent cities in Port-au-Prince are going to be very wet. Rain is a blessing, because there will be water for drinking and washing, but it may make sleeping very uncomfortable. Being homeless is bad enough, but being homeless in the rain is even harder.
Please join with me in doing what we can to make the lives of the Haitian people a little easier.
Thank you.
Love, Sue
Monday, February 15, 2010
To Quilt Is Human To Finish Is Divine
Dear Readers,
Good morning! I hope you had a good weekend and didn't pig out too much on Valentine's Day candy like I did!
How many of you struggle with completing your projects?
It's been said that the "one with the most cloth when she dies wins!" Well I brought my entire stash to church with me yesterday to share with my Sunday School class, entitled, "Co-creaters with Christ." My students want to learn to quilt, so I am teaching them. Along with my fabric, I brought my two dozen or so unfinished quilt projects, all of which are very impressive, except they are not usable, because they are not done.
I am a great starter!
A year ago, I started out to lose 40 pounds and praise the Lord, I lost 20 in the last year. Then I gave up for awhile and am starting to gain. It's time to get back on track and finish this project of improving my health by losing my extra 20 pounds.
I cook a turkey every other week and am well aware of how heavy a 20 lb. turkey is to carry. I don't go very far with it before I am all to willing to set it down on the counter top. When I consider that I am putting that much extra weight on my skeleton to support, I get inspired to fight hard to win my battle against my inner procrastinator and finish my journey to reach my goal.
I need to focus my energies! I need to pray because I need God's help. Finishing is not my forte! I also need to set my mind to doing this thing. Perhaps if I remind myself of my past successes, it will help. My husband says that I am "very determined!" He doesn't use the word "stubborn."
Lent begins on in two days. With God's help I can give up sugar and fat. This will get me started back on my path to become as healthy and energetic as possible, by losing 20 lbs. and being active everyday.
God bless you in your Lenten goals.
And God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today.
Love, Sue
Good morning! I hope you had a good weekend and didn't pig out too much on Valentine's Day candy like I did!
How many of you struggle with completing your projects?
It's been said that the "one with the most cloth when she dies wins!" Well I brought my entire stash to church with me yesterday to share with my Sunday School class, entitled, "Co-creaters with Christ." My students want to learn to quilt, so I am teaching them. Along with my fabric, I brought my two dozen or so unfinished quilt projects, all of which are very impressive, except they are not usable, because they are not done.
I am a great starter!
A year ago, I started out to lose 40 pounds and praise the Lord, I lost 20 in the last year. Then I gave up for awhile and am starting to gain. It's time to get back on track and finish this project of improving my health by losing my extra 20 pounds.
I cook a turkey every other week and am well aware of how heavy a 20 lb. turkey is to carry. I don't go very far with it before I am all to willing to set it down on the counter top. When I consider that I am putting that much extra weight on my skeleton to support, I get inspired to fight hard to win my battle against my inner procrastinator and finish my journey to reach my goal.
I need to focus my energies! I need to pray because I need God's help. Finishing is not my forte! I also need to set my mind to doing this thing. Perhaps if I remind myself of my past successes, it will help. My husband says that I am "very determined!" He doesn't use the word "stubborn."
Lent begins on in two days. With God's help I can give up sugar and fat. This will get me started back on my path to become as healthy and energetic as possible, by losing 20 lbs. and being active everyday.
God bless you in your Lenten goals.
And God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today.
Love, Sue
Friday, February 12, 2010
blessings
Dear Readers,
I painted forever yesterday and am downright tired today, so I have nothing clever to say, but I still want to say:
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Love, Sue
I painted forever yesterday and am downright tired today, so I have nothing clever to say, but I still want to say:
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Love, Sue
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Handling Stress
Dear Readers,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Our teenage son and I locked horns this morning and I felt uncomfortably stressed afterwards. I needed to forgive him, which was easy, and forgive myself, which was not so easy. I had to find a way to help myself to feel better in order to enjoy my day.
Then I read my friend's blog about issues of control and it helped ease my mind. She said that we all have areas of our lives over which we have no control, and we wish we could, so we try to control other people to make ourselves feel better. Her honesty stung because I was trying to control our son this morning to do things which I felt were important, but he didn't. But the sting went away, because I could hear her voice through her words and she is a comfort to me.
As I went about my business, I thought about how stressful life is for many people in the world and reminded myself that my troubles are small. Plus I remembered that I have a job to do today. My job gives me a sense of purpose and I don't want to allow stress to get in the way of doing my job well.
I pray that you have a low stress, happy day and that you feel fulfilled by your work and play today.
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Our teenage son and I locked horns this morning and I felt uncomfortably stressed afterwards. I needed to forgive him, which was easy, and forgive myself, which was not so easy. I had to find a way to help myself to feel better in order to enjoy my day.
Then I read my friend's blog about issues of control and it helped ease my mind. She said that we all have areas of our lives over which we have no control, and we wish we could, so we try to control other people to make ourselves feel better. Her honesty stung because I was trying to control our son this morning to do things which I felt were important, but he didn't. But the sting went away, because I could hear her voice through her words and she is a comfort to me.
As I went about my business, I thought about how stressful life is for many people in the world and reminded myself that my troubles are small. Plus I remembered that I have a job to do today. My job gives me a sense of purpose and I don't want to allow stress to get in the way of doing my job well.
I pray that you have a low stress, happy day and that you feel fulfilled by your work and play today.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Snow Day
Dear Readers,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Do you remember how you felt when you were a kid and you had a day off from school because of snow?
When I was in seminary at Boston University we had 14" of snow on the first day of spring! BU closed and I had my homework done! I felt like a little kid, so I rounded up my friends to go outside and build a sculpture in the snow with me. Now when snow crazed seminarians build a snow sculpture, it's not your run of the mill snow man or even snow woman! We sculpted a lion and a lamb lying together in snow white bliss!
If you have ever lived in Boston or even visited Boston, you know that strangers on the street don't look at you, say nothing of speaking to you. My brother-in-law, who grew up in Boston, says that when other drivers in Boston give you the finger, it's just their way of saying, "Hi! How are you?"
But when we built our snow lion and lamb, our neighbor, who was walking by, stopped. looked and said, "Isaiah 11:6!"
We could hardly believe our eyes and ears!
He stayed and had a conversation with us for a few minutes. We learned that he was a student of Hebrew Studies at BU and lived 2 doors down from our brownstone, which served as the dormitory for Theology students. He was a very nice man.
What made him stop? Was it the fact that adults were playing in the snow? Was it the visual imagery from one of the most cherished scriptures in the Bible? Was it the Holy Spirit? Whatever it was, I'm glad he did, because it made an already wonderful memory even better.
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Do you remember how you felt when you were a kid and you had a day off from school because of snow?
When I was in seminary at Boston University we had 14" of snow on the first day of spring! BU closed and I had my homework done! I felt like a little kid, so I rounded up my friends to go outside and build a sculpture in the snow with me. Now when snow crazed seminarians build a snow sculpture, it's not your run of the mill snow man or even snow woman! We sculpted a lion and a lamb lying together in snow white bliss!
If you have ever lived in Boston or even visited Boston, you know that strangers on the street don't look at you, say nothing of speaking to you. My brother-in-law, who grew up in Boston, says that when other drivers in Boston give you the finger, it's just their way of saying, "Hi! How are you?"
But when we built our snow lion and lamb, our neighbor, who was walking by, stopped. looked and said, "Isaiah 11:6!"
We could hardly believe our eyes and ears!
He stayed and had a conversation with us for a few minutes. We learned that he was a student of Hebrew Studies at BU and lived 2 doors down from our brownstone, which served as the dormitory for Theology students. He was a very nice man.
What made him stop? Was it the fact that adults were playing in the snow? Was it the visual imagery from one of the most cherished scriptures in the Bible? Was it the Holy Spirit? Whatever it was, I'm glad he did, because it made an already wonderful memory even better.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
When It's Right You Know It
Dear Readers,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
How do you discern God's will for your life?
My husband called me with joy in his voice from work yesterday, because he had been praying (for a week and a half) about 2 bills that we had looming over our heads and the manager of his shop came out of the office to hand out envelopes for everyone at 10:20 a.m.. Roger opened his to find a bonus check for almost the exact amount of money that we owe on those two bills!!! Can you believe it?!!! It had been forever since his last bonus and this came as a total surprise!
My husband has been feeling the call to the ministry all of his life and like Jonah, has been on the boat headed the other way from Nineveh, but since his hours at work were cut recently, he decided to pursue his call. This answer to prayer confirmed for him that he is on the right path.
It feels so good when we are doing what we interpret as God's will for our lives!!!
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
How do you discern God's will for your life?
My husband called me with joy in his voice from work yesterday, because he had been praying (for a week and a half) about 2 bills that we had looming over our heads and the manager of his shop came out of the office to hand out envelopes for everyone at 10:20 a.m.. Roger opened his to find a bonus check for almost the exact amount of money that we owe on those two bills!!! Can you believe it?!!! It had been forever since his last bonus and this came as a total surprise!
My husband has been feeling the call to the ministry all of his life and like Jonah, has been on the boat headed the other way from Nineveh, but since his hours at work were cut recently, he decided to pursue his call. This answer to prayer confirmed for him that he is on the right path.
It feels so good when we are doing what we interpret as God's will for our lives!!!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Lost in the Dominican Republic
Dear Readers,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today.
Have you ever been lost in a foreign country? I don't recommend it!
That happened to us on our trip to Haiti in 1990. There was political unrest in Haiti and the airport in Port au Prince closed just as we were about to leave on our trip, and being the determined mission workers that we were, we decided to go into Haiti through the Domincan Republic. We arrived at the airport in the D.R. at about 8:00 p.m. and everyone else on our fight left the terminal. There we were standing all alone in the dark with no one to meet us and none of us spoke Spanish very well. I had a phone number of the person who was supposed to be our tour guide, so I found a public phone and made the call. A young mother answered the phone and thankfully, she spoke English. She had no idea, that we were coming because our contact person from Haiti was unable to call her because the phone system wasn't working that day. She said, "My husband is gone, my two children are in bed and I'm eight months pregnant. I can't pick you up."
I replied, "What do we do?"
She said, "I'll call you back in 5 minutes," and hung up the phone.
I thought she meant 5 minutes the way we count minutes here in the midwest, but she was talking about Dominican Republican time! She called back in 45 minutes and asked to speak to a taxi driver.
There were two taxi cabs at the curb and I motioned for one of the drivers to come to the phone. He jabbered on with her in Spanish in super speed, so I didn't catch one word. He hung up the phone and motioned us into the two taxis and yelled to the other driver, "Follow me!" Then he took off at what seemed like 90 miles an hour to me, leaving the other cab in the dust.
Our cab looked like a stock car. It did have a windshield, but all of the other windows were missing. We were careening around people, chickens, goats and dogs at breakneck speed. I was panicked because I was the leader of this trip and responsible for the safety of the other people I brought along and they were nowhere in sight. The only way I could cope with the situation was to repeated the words. "Love, joy, peace, patience..." over and over again in my mind. If I stopped for even a second the panic in my chest started to rise into my throat. A young man from our group in the cab with me was telling me about all of the security guards he saw in front of homes with machine guns. I did not appreciate his chatter one little bit and I tried my best to be polite to him while silently reciting my words of faith.
Then our cab broke down.
I started praying with all of my heart for God to help us.
Within minutes our other cab arrived at the spot of our breakdown and I was never so happy to see those people in my whole life!
The drivers worked on the engine while we prayed as a group.
Miraculously, our young mother, who was our tour guide, drove up in a van and took us straight to the guest house where we would be staying that night. When we walked in through the door, we all spontaneously dropped to our knees and sang the doxology!
I vowed in my heart to never lead another mission trip again!
I feel every muscle in my body tense as I am writing this! Later, we laughed and loved to recount the story to one another, but at the time we were downright scared! It was in those moments that I actually felt the prayers of the people back home who were praying for us and it gave me a world of comfort.
God really does work through prayer!
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today.
Have you ever been lost in a foreign country? I don't recommend it!
That happened to us on our trip to Haiti in 1990. There was political unrest in Haiti and the airport in Port au Prince closed just as we were about to leave on our trip, and being the determined mission workers that we were, we decided to go into Haiti through the Domincan Republic. We arrived at the airport in the D.R. at about 8:00 p.m. and everyone else on our fight left the terminal. There we were standing all alone in the dark with no one to meet us and none of us spoke Spanish very well. I had a phone number of the person who was supposed to be our tour guide, so I found a public phone and made the call. A young mother answered the phone and thankfully, she spoke English. She had no idea, that we were coming because our contact person from Haiti was unable to call her because the phone system wasn't working that day. She said, "My husband is gone, my two children are in bed and I'm eight months pregnant. I can't pick you up."
I replied, "What do we do?"
She said, "I'll call you back in 5 minutes," and hung up the phone.
I thought she meant 5 minutes the way we count minutes here in the midwest, but she was talking about Dominican Republican time! She called back in 45 minutes and asked to speak to a taxi driver.
There were two taxi cabs at the curb and I motioned for one of the drivers to come to the phone. He jabbered on with her in Spanish in super speed, so I didn't catch one word. He hung up the phone and motioned us into the two taxis and yelled to the other driver, "Follow me!" Then he took off at what seemed like 90 miles an hour to me, leaving the other cab in the dust.
Our cab looked like a stock car. It did have a windshield, but all of the other windows were missing. We were careening around people, chickens, goats and dogs at breakneck speed. I was panicked because I was the leader of this trip and responsible for the safety of the other people I brought along and they were nowhere in sight. The only way I could cope with the situation was to repeated the words. "Love, joy, peace, patience..." over and over again in my mind. If I stopped for even a second the panic in my chest started to rise into my throat. A young man from our group in the cab with me was telling me about all of the security guards he saw in front of homes with machine guns. I did not appreciate his chatter one little bit and I tried my best to be polite to him while silently reciting my words of faith.
Then our cab broke down.
I started praying with all of my heart for God to help us.
Within minutes our other cab arrived at the spot of our breakdown and I was never so happy to see those people in my whole life!
The drivers worked on the engine while we prayed as a group.
Miraculously, our young mother, who was our tour guide, drove up in a van and took us straight to the guest house where we would be staying that night. When we walked in through the door, we all spontaneously dropped to our knees and sang the doxology!
I vowed in my heart to never lead another mission trip again!
I feel every muscle in my body tense as I am writing this! Later, we laughed and loved to recount the story to one another, but at the time we were downright scared! It was in those moments that I actually felt the prayers of the people back home who were praying for us and it gave me a world of comfort.
God really does work through prayer!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Happy, Happy, Happy!
Dear Readers,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministry today!
How did you feel when you woke up this morning? I hope you felt good and if not, I hope you will feel better soon.
Today I woke up happy, for the first time in the last six days, since my husband's hours were cut at work. I attribute this joy to having spent a day painting with my friends at the Art Center of Battle Creek. We have been getting together for over 12 years and love one another unconditionally. We talk, we paint, we offer one another artistic advice, we eat and we pray a Native American prayer of thanksgiving before our meal.
I always feel good the day after we get together, because we support one another artistically and emotionally too. We discuss anything: politics, religion, etc. and we have a rule that anyone may express their opinion, but no one is allowed to criticize anyone else's views.
Some people are naturally cheerful. When our son was a toddler, he used to run around saying, "Hoppy, hoppy, hoppy!" with a huge smile on his face. It made me feel like a success as a mom to have such a cheery kid!
God must feel that way when we are happy too. I love the scripture in the wisdom literature that says, "God delights in his people." Some people see God as stern, but not me, because even we human beings look at our loved one's foibles as part of their charm and we are less perfect in loving than God is. God must love it when we smile, laugh, clap our hands and dance!
Of course, we can't be happy all of the time. But it sure feels good when we get back to feeling joy again after a period of sorrow!
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministry today!
How did you feel when you woke up this morning? I hope you felt good and if not, I hope you will feel better soon.
Today I woke up happy, for the first time in the last six days, since my husband's hours were cut at work. I attribute this joy to having spent a day painting with my friends at the Art Center of Battle Creek. We have been getting together for over 12 years and love one another unconditionally. We talk, we paint, we offer one another artistic advice, we eat and we pray a Native American prayer of thanksgiving before our meal.
I always feel good the day after we get together, because we support one another artistically and emotionally too. We discuss anything: politics, religion, etc. and we have a rule that anyone may express their opinion, but no one is allowed to criticize anyone else's views.
Some people are naturally cheerful. When our son was a toddler, he used to run around saying, "Hoppy, hoppy, hoppy!" with a huge smile on his face. It made me feel like a success as a mom to have such a cheery kid!
God must feel that way when we are happy too. I love the scripture in the wisdom literature that says, "God delights in his people." Some people see God as stern, but not me, because even we human beings look at our loved one's foibles as part of their charm and we are less perfect in loving than God is. God must love it when we smile, laugh, clap our hands and dance!
Of course, we can't be happy all of the time. But it sure feels good when we get back to feeling joy again after a period of sorrow!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
To Everything There Is a Season
Dear Readers,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministry today!
When we stayed near a small village in Haiti, our dormitory rooms had no ceilings, so it was like the Walton family. We could talk at night which we did when we heard the voodoo drums, because it was our first night there and we were scared by them.
The open ceilings made it impossible to not overhear conversations in the next room. Now I will admit, that my husband and I love to eavesdrop in restaurants on the people sitting at nearby tables, but other than that, I am not known to intentionally listen to other people's conversations.
I couldn't help but overhear a young woman on our trip who was a PK (pastor's kid)complaining about how she felt like she had to make an appointment to speak to her dad. My heart went out to her and I made a vow to myself that my future children would never have to feel that way.
I was one week away from entering seminary at Boston University, and though I was single, I had a very dear wish to marry and have a family.
Since that time, God has blessed me with a husband, a son (who turned 14 yesterday), 3 stepsons, 3 daughters-in-law and 5 grandchildren. My cup runneth over!
While I pastored a church, I was diligent about my time, being fair to everyone, God, myself, my family and my church. I was trained for good boundaries by punching a clock for 10 years as a jeweler.
Now that I am passionately painting prayers for Haiti, I find it hard to quit work at the end of the day and spend time with my family. Yesterday was our son's birthday, which meant taking time to create a party, (which we all enjoyed!) Plus my grandson wanted me to paint his face with multiple eyes like Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, because his youth group was having a pirates' night.
Looking back on yesterday, the birthday party and the painted face were the most memorable and meaningful parts of my day, even though I feel my work is important. I must keep in mind the wise words from Ecc., "For everything there is a season..."
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministry today!
When we stayed near a small village in Haiti, our dormitory rooms had no ceilings, so it was like the Walton family. We could talk at night which we did when we heard the voodoo drums, because it was our first night there and we were scared by them.
The open ceilings made it impossible to not overhear conversations in the next room. Now I will admit, that my husband and I love to eavesdrop in restaurants on the people sitting at nearby tables, but other than that, I am not known to intentionally listen to other people's conversations.
I couldn't help but overhear a young woman on our trip who was a PK (pastor's kid)complaining about how she felt like she had to make an appointment to speak to her dad. My heart went out to her and I made a vow to myself that my future children would never have to feel that way.
I was one week away from entering seminary at Boston University, and though I was single, I had a very dear wish to marry and have a family.
Since that time, God has blessed me with a husband, a son (who turned 14 yesterday), 3 stepsons, 3 daughters-in-law and 5 grandchildren. My cup runneth over!
While I pastored a church, I was diligent about my time, being fair to everyone, God, myself, my family and my church. I was trained for good boundaries by punching a clock for 10 years as a jeweler.
Now that I am passionately painting prayers for Haiti, I find it hard to quit work at the end of the day and spend time with my family. Yesterday was our son's birthday, which meant taking time to create a party, (which we all enjoyed!) Plus my grandson wanted me to paint his face with multiple eyes like Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, because his youth group was having a pirates' night.
Looking back on yesterday, the birthday party and the painted face were the most memorable and meaningful parts of my day, even though I feel my work is important. I must keep in mind the wise words from Ecc., "For everything there is a season..."
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Encouragement from Little Ones
Dear Readers,
I pray that God will bless you, your loved ones and your ministry this day.
Do you like to cuddle with someone you love and read a picture book? I loved to do that so much when I was little, that I began to dream of growing up, getting married, having a child, then writing and illustrating a book for that child. It took a long time for that dream to come true for me, but last spring when our son came home from school, I handed him a blindfold and told him we were going on a mystery trip. He asked about a hundred times, "Where are we going?" but I didn't say, so when we pulled into the parking lot of the local printer, he still didn't know what was happening.
The sales lady took us into the conference room, then I handed her my camera and asked her to take a picture. She snapped the shot, just as I was handing the first published copy of "Red the Rooster" to our son, Seth.
I wrote the book when he was 7 years old, but it took me until he was 13 to publish it.
Now a 13 year old boy, cannot show a lot of emotion, especially to his mom in front of a stranger! But he was sweet and I could see in his face that he was truly pleased. The saleslady left and Seth sat down next to me and allowed me to read the book to him as if he were still in 2nd grade.
Yesterday, I got to go to Fuller St. Elementary and read the book to the 2nd and 3rd grade classes. The kids were awesome!!! They cock-a-doodle-dooed along with the rooster, they mooed with the cow, meowed with the cat and even oinked with the pig in my story! They clapped and asked me for my autograph! I even received a number of sweet hugs!
I also showed them one of my painted prayers for Haiti and let them touch the surface of the oil painting. I was impressed that every single child in the 2nd and 3rd grade classes I visited knew about the earthquake in Haiti. I told them how sad I felt when I saw the pictures on the news and that painting and praying for the people made me feel better.
I asked them what they did to help themselves feel better when they are sad and I got all kinds of answers! One tough boy said, "I suck it up!" Lots of them play video games, eat chocolate, go to sleep, watch TV or read. Many of them like to draw, sing, dance or write when they are sad. One little boy broke my heart when he said that he drew pictures of his family that he missed, because he was in foster care.
I felt the urge to gather him up in may arms, take him home and adopt him right then and there! Of course my wiser self reminded me that I am 55, struggling financially and already have a son to raise!
Our son was in an orphanage in Vietnam and we were blessed to be able to adopt him when he was five months old, back in 1996. He is the joy of our lives! I thank God every day for him!
Part of me would like to adopt 10 kids if I could, but it would not be wise. So what do we do when we see needy kids that need permanant homes? It's not an easy question.
I find my peace by praying for them, and showing them whatever love I am able to give.
We all want to do more than we can. Instead, we just keep on doing the things we can do and put the rest in God's hands.
I pray that God will bless you, your loved ones and your ministry this day.
Do you like to cuddle with someone you love and read a picture book? I loved to do that so much when I was little, that I began to dream of growing up, getting married, having a child, then writing and illustrating a book for that child. It took a long time for that dream to come true for me, but last spring when our son came home from school, I handed him a blindfold and told him we were going on a mystery trip. He asked about a hundred times, "Where are we going?" but I didn't say, so when we pulled into the parking lot of the local printer, he still didn't know what was happening.
The sales lady took us into the conference room, then I handed her my camera and asked her to take a picture. She snapped the shot, just as I was handing the first published copy of "Red the Rooster" to our son, Seth.
I wrote the book when he was 7 years old, but it took me until he was 13 to publish it.
Now a 13 year old boy, cannot show a lot of emotion, especially to his mom in front of a stranger! But he was sweet and I could see in his face that he was truly pleased. The saleslady left and Seth sat down next to me and allowed me to read the book to him as if he were still in 2nd grade.
Yesterday, I got to go to Fuller St. Elementary and read the book to the 2nd and 3rd grade classes. The kids were awesome!!! They cock-a-doodle-dooed along with the rooster, they mooed with the cow, meowed with the cat and even oinked with the pig in my story! They clapped and asked me for my autograph! I even received a number of sweet hugs!
I also showed them one of my painted prayers for Haiti and let them touch the surface of the oil painting. I was impressed that every single child in the 2nd and 3rd grade classes I visited knew about the earthquake in Haiti. I told them how sad I felt when I saw the pictures on the news and that painting and praying for the people made me feel better.
I asked them what they did to help themselves feel better when they are sad and I got all kinds of answers! One tough boy said, "I suck it up!" Lots of them play video games, eat chocolate, go to sleep, watch TV or read. Many of them like to draw, sing, dance or write when they are sad. One little boy broke my heart when he said that he drew pictures of his family that he missed, because he was in foster care.
I felt the urge to gather him up in may arms, take him home and adopt him right then and there! Of course my wiser self reminded me that I am 55, struggling financially and already have a son to raise!
Our son was in an orphanage in Vietnam and we were blessed to be able to adopt him when he was five months old, back in 1996. He is the joy of our lives! I thank God every day for him!
Part of me would like to adopt 10 kids if I could, but it would not be wise. So what do we do when we see needy kids that need permanant homes? It's not an easy question.
I find my peace by praying for them, and showing them whatever love I am able to give.
We all want to do more than we can. Instead, we just keep on doing the things we can do and put the rest in God's hands.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Haitian Faith
Dear Readers,
Again, thank you for reading my blog. I pray God's blessings on your day and your ministry, whatever that ministry may be.
How is your faith? Mine is challenged at the moment, because my husband had his hours cut back at work, and we are in super-scrimp mode. As I pout about this, I am reminded that half of the world's population doesn't have adaquate food, water, clothing, shelter and access to medical care. Only 7% of the world's popualtion has coins in a jar or money in a bank account.
I also am reminded about a man I met in Haiti, who had incredible faith. He said that Jesus was with him every day; if he needed food, Jesus would give him food; if he was sick then Jesus came and did surgery on him. I was in awe of his faith and the glow from his face!!!
I shared this story at a church gathering one time and someone interpreted it to mean that I was romanticizing poverty. That is not my intent. My aim is to inspire myself and others to have faith when we meet needs in our own lives.
Before I started painting yesterday, I felt depressed about our financial situation, but as I painted my prayers for Haiti, the knot in my stomach eased and I began to feel whole again. This morning the knot is back and I find if I sing the song, "Rejoice in the Lord Always, Again I Say Rejoice" then I feel better.
Do you find it amazing when the Haitian people gather in the street to sing hymns and praise God in the midst of their tragedy? I certainly do!!! It's awe inspiring to me.
Now that I too am facing my own challenges, which are puny in comparison to those in Haiti, I am doing like the Haitians and singing praise in response to my troubles. It truly helps!
Again, thank you for reading my blog. I pray God's blessings on your day and your ministry, whatever that ministry may be.
How is your faith? Mine is challenged at the moment, because my husband had his hours cut back at work, and we are in super-scrimp mode. As I pout about this, I am reminded that half of the world's population doesn't have adaquate food, water, clothing, shelter and access to medical care. Only 7% of the world's popualtion has coins in a jar or money in a bank account.
I also am reminded about a man I met in Haiti, who had incredible faith. He said that Jesus was with him every day; if he needed food, Jesus would give him food; if he was sick then Jesus came and did surgery on him. I was in awe of his faith and the glow from his face!!!
I shared this story at a church gathering one time and someone interpreted it to mean that I was romanticizing poverty. That is not my intent. My aim is to inspire myself and others to have faith when we meet needs in our own lives.
Before I started painting yesterday, I felt depressed about our financial situation, but as I painted my prayers for Haiti, the knot in my stomach eased and I began to feel whole again. This morning the knot is back and I find if I sing the song, "Rejoice in the Lord Always, Again I Say Rejoice" then I feel better.
Do you find it amazing when the Haitian people gather in the street to sing hymns and praise God in the midst of their tragedy? I certainly do!!! It's awe inspiring to me.
Now that I too am facing my own challenges, which are puny in comparison to those in Haiti, I am doing like the Haitians and singing praise in response to my troubles. It truly helps!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Hard Times
Dear Readers,
How are you surviving the recession? I hope you are able to live, be satisfied, and confident about your future.
We received difficult news on Friday; my husband's hours have been cut back indefinately at his job. It's good that the owners chose this option over laying some people off from work altogether, but it's still hard.
I guess our mission trip to Haiti that I mentioned in my last blog, is unlikely, as any money I earn will be needed to put rice and beans on the table. I am disappointed about the hope of taking the trip, but that is a small concern.
Fortunately, we bought a pre-paid tuition package for our son, when he was a toddler, so he will be able to go to college. I am soooo glad that we did that! He is very gifted and self motivated, so he will do well throughout his life.
My concern for the future is to have enough money to live in our old age, since our nest egg is more like a pigeon egg than an ostrich egg. We will have to scrimp enough to save for the future, so we won't be a burden on our kids.
My immediate concern is keeping the freedom to paint. Right now I paint 5 days a week, all day. It is my true love in terms of my vocation. While I'm painting I love my life and feel that I am doing what God created me to do. I know in my gut that this is the work that is not only my passion, but my destiny.
I worked a "day job" throughout my 20's so that I could live and paint on the side. God called me into the pastoral ministry and I gave the next 20 years of my life to serving God in that way.
When I turned 50, I felt that God was calling me from the pulpit to the easel. I believe that I can have more influence for God with my art than with preaching. (I do pastoral care with or without an appointment. It's who I am.) A painting can last for 500 years. If it speaks eternal truths, it will continue to inspire viewers for as long as it lasts.
I am praying and painting with all of my soul, not only for Haiti, but also for my ministry of painting prayers for others in need.
How are you surviving the recession? I hope you are able to live, be satisfied, and confident about your future.
We received difficult news on Friday; my husband's hours have been cut back indefinately at his job. It's good that the owners chose this option over laying some people off from work altogether, but it's still hard.
I guess our mission trip to Haiti that I mentioned in my last blog, is unlikely, as any money I earn will be needed to put rice and beans on the table. I am disappointed about the hope of taking the trip, but that is a small concern.
Fortunately, we bought a pre-paid tuition package for our son, when he was a toddler, so he will be able to go to college. I am soooo glad that we did that! He is very gifted and self motivated, so he will do well throughout his life.
My concern for the future is to have enough money to live in our old age, since our nest egg is more like a pigeon egg than an ostrich egg. We will have to scrimp enough to save for the future, so we won't be a burden on our kids.
My immediate concern is keeping the freedom to paint. Right now I paint 5 days a week, all day. It is my true love in terms of my vocation. While I'm painting I love my life and feel that I am doing what God created me to do. I know in my gut that this is the work that is not only my passion, but my destiny.
I worked a "day job" throughout my 20's so that I could live and paint on the side. God called me into the pastoral ministry and I gave the next 20 years of my life to serving God in that way.
When I turned 50, I felt that God was calling me from the pulpit to the easel. I believe that I can have more influence for God with my art than with preaching. (I do pastoral care with or without an appointment. It's who I am.) A painting can last for 500 years. If it speaks eternal truths, it will continue to inspire viewers for as long as it lasts.
I am praying and painting with all of my soul, not only for Haiti, but also for my ministry of painting prayers for others in need.
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