Category: Painting

A beautiful Thanksgiving meditation

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I am pleased to present this guest post from Brunhilde Luken, a painter and spiritual writer. I met Brunhilde several years ago as we were both members of the Commission for Women of the Diocese of Worcester. She is one of those people that truly wears her heart on her sleeve–you know you’ve met someone who is authentic with an inner beauty that draws you into her creative works.

I can’t think of a better way to remember Thanksgiving than through this lovely meditation of image and words. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

In a few days we are celebrating Thanksgiving; it is a wonderful day set aside to celebrate with family and friends to give thanks. I am especially thankful to live in a country where I can celebrate and proudly confess my Catholic faith. A faith that stood firm generation after generation.

I am also thankful that we can hold hands with all our neighbors, friends and all those that cross our path, Christian and non-Christian alike, where we allow each one to be free. A country where we can share the love that Christ brought into the world for all of us alike. We have to remember He died on the cross for all the world. These are hard times right now. There is so much suffering in the world right now. At times we all suffer. By embracing our suffering, God will pull us closer to Him. This will help us to pray for all. Let us all pray especially for those that need it most. Let us share the gifts that God gave us. When we pray we speak to God, when we read the scripture, God speaks to us. A Gift given to all of us, a gift we can share with all.

Touched by the Spirit 2015

 

We are the ones to show the face of Christ to the world, and to see the face of Christ in everyone. Let each moment be a moment of thanks. I am also most thankful for each one of you.

I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving, may God’s blessing be upon you and your whole family.

Psalm 95

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
In His hand are the deep places of the earth.
The heights of the hills are His also
The sea is His, for He made it.
And His hands formed the dry land.
Oh come let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God.
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you hear His voice:
“Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion.
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
When your fathers tested me;
They tried me, though they saw my work
For forty years I was grieved with that generation.
And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their heart.
And they do not know my ways.’
So I swore in my wrath’,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ”

Let us bow our heads in Thanksgiving to the Almighty, the “I AM WHO I AM”, “FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT.”

You can find more of Brunhilde’s lovely paintings at her website, http://brunhildeluken.fineartstudioonline.com/.Her book, My Walk with Christ, is available on Amazon.
You can read other posts and see her paintings here.

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A room of one’s own: what if your “room” could be portable?

Published on by susanwbailey1 Comment

What happens when you get the urge to create?

  • Do you retreat to a music studio to write a song?
  • Do you go to your specially designated study to write?
  • Do you paint your latest masterpiece in a light-filled studio?
  • Do you shut the door when you enter your room?

Why do secret hideaway places draw us like magnets?

I wanted a room of my own when I first discovered Louisa May Alcott as a kid. There was an illustration of Louisa in her special room where it was quiet and she could think. When she had finished writing her latest poem or story, she could indulge in her other favorite passion, running, by racing out the door to her room that led outside.

drawing by Flora Smith from The Story of Louisa May Alcott by Joan Howard
drawing by Flora Smith from The Story of Louisa May Alcott by Joan Howard

Getting away from the noise

Louisa’s family was noisy; quiet and privacy were hard to come by. Journals were a community affair with the parents writing notes in the margins. Louisa’s father Bronson often encouraged the children to read from their journals during the evening meal. Louisa was criticized by her father for writing too much about herself.

No wonder then that Louisa spent much of her life seeking out rooms of her own.

Finding a separate space

I used to think that a separate space away from everyone was necessary in order to create. A busy household with younger children makes finding quiet time difficult. It’s even more difficult when your home is too small to afford a separate space.

This was when I began to learn that any space could be a room of my own.
The physical space was not the key; it was the rituals you established that created that space.

512 louisa writing in the appletree
illustration by Flora Smith, from The Story of Louisa May Alcott by Joan Howard

With that kind of mindset, a room of one’s own can be portable.

You might think it’s a waste of time to explore tools and work routines.

It is time well-invested. In the end, it saves time.

Why?

It took me hours, days, weeks, even months to figure out what worked for me. I searched diligently for those t00ls, those routines that would catapult me away from the world into my creative “zone” in an instant.

Now I snap into my “zone” with no effort at all, wherever I happen to be, so long as I have my tools (which for me are the Nook and my iPhone – see previous post) and routines.

My room is portable.

I can set up anywhere, anytime, in quiet spaces and noisy ones too. The rituals and tools I use act as a trip wire, sending me into my head for a delicious time of writing.

ADDENDUM: I just found this post about other writers and their own “rooms” – check it out at www.penheaven.co.uk/blog/getting-down-to-writing/

What tools do you use to create? What are your rituals that help you to create?
Where is your room?

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A gift from my sister: It’s never too late to live your passion

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My older sister is a wonderful painter so I commissioned her to paint the Be As One bridge. Isn’t it beautiful?

http://christinehoylehoude.fineartstudioonline.com/
http://christinehoylehoude.fineartstudioonline.com/

My sister has ties to this bridge just as I do. She wrote the following on her website:

“The Wellesley College Bridge is iconic to me as is Wellesley College.  My family and I have a rich history there.  It all started with my mother who attended Wellesley College many years ago.  My husband and I were married there followed by my son Jeff and Amanda, who were married right out on the lawn near to this bridge.  There are photographs of us on the bridge with Azaleas and Dogwood blooming on our wedding day.  My sister captured this image on a beautiful Spring day while she was out in her kayak.”

Christine is like me, acting on her passion after raising a family and helping to run a successful business. In her retirement she is making up for lost time, just like I am with my reading and writing. On her website she writes,

“So now I am becoming the artist I always wanted to be and feel so inspired by it every day!  It is NEVER too late to start and make that change to be who you really are.”

I couldn’t agree more!

Visit Chris’ website at http://christinehoylehoude.fineartstudioonline.com to see the rest of her paintings and to order your print.

 What is your passion? How are you living it? Are you like Christine and me, living your passion after your kids have grown? Share your stories.

Click to Tweet & Share: A gift from my sister: It’s never too late to live your passion http://wp.me/p2D9hg-CE

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