The Art of Emotion

The Art of Emotion, 2002.

As radiant colors pour into my eyes

Emotions too strong for words or control 

Drown me.

Ideas flow as a rushing mountain stream.

A kaleidoscope of hues at sunset

Faint lights from a distant town

A serene willow in a country meadow

Metropoliton motion on a city street

At this instant of inspiration,

I feel alive,

And I feel brave.

The tones.  The motion.  The mood.  The rapture.

A casual corner cafe in the summer's breeze

Autumn tones smeared along the roadside

Thunderous waves on a New England shore

Soft snowflakes falling a winter fire

I gather my tools

As I gather my soul.

The culmination of thought, emotion, and passion

Collide.

As I begin my painting,

I am alive.

The Written Word: Revisited.

 

Here, 2002.

Here, I am in paradise,

Instant comfort and perfect joy

Consume my soul.

A serenity of surrounding

Captivates me.

Here, I sigh as I take it all

In and remember once again

The pleasure of this haven, I love.

Here, it's as if lives, ideas, worries,

Hopes and dreams meet

On hold.

Philosophers compromise,

Poets and critics agree,

Artists and scholars pause,

Politics and religions breathe,

They agree to disagree,

Welcoming any inquiring minds

And all hungry souls.

Here, I see worlds open before

My inquiring mind,

My hungry soul,

I find myself.

Here,

Stories of art,

Of love,

Of war,

Of hate,

Of beauty,

Of God,

Of language,

Of life

Are complete with a grande vanilla latte,

Here, in the bookstore.

We're sorting through a massive stack of plastic tubs, a.k.a. our childhood memories, books, pictures, all those items that we'd like to put in that large storage closet we do not have.  I found a folder full of all my papers and writings from college.  So, in the name of not forsaking these words... Oh Dr. Cotton would be so proud.

Reflecting on Growth

Left and right, companies are closing their doors and one of those is Circuit City, the employer of my husband, for the last 1.5 years.  Next week marks the end of his job.  Surprisingly, I am overwhelmed with such peace that I sometimes, think something is wrong with me.  I know that's not true.

I am not sure that I have ever been so peaceful about such a huge situation.  I mean, the situation seems huge to our lives, our income-- that is important; but it seems so small in comparison, to what God can do.  At the start of this year, one of the areas that we wanted to see growth in our lives was in the area of confidence in God's plan.  That's a dangerous thing to ask for, dangerous like asking for patience. He didn't waste anytime in helping us hold on to that confidence, no time at all.

When I stop to remember how God alone has sustained us and done it in His timing and His own special way, I am confident that this one job was there for us for a season and now God is calling us towards something new, something that reflects that which is greater than us.  We are not sure what that is, but we know it is going to be good.

Having few answers is not always fun, but having confidence is great.  I am certain that had this been a year ago... I would not be so calm.  I thank God for the struggles that have brought me here, to a deeper peace, knowing that His plan is better.