My college girl is home.......

One of the gifts of joy today......to have my sweet girl home for the long weekend. Thanks you, Father for blessing me with such a lovely daughter. How sweet it was to have breakfast together this morning. We have some fun stuff planned. I'll post pictures...

Giveaway of THREE pounds of beads, findings, etc

I am following a neat blog all about beads- Copper Diem......the gal is having a giveaway so go to her site and sign up.

http://copperdiem.blogspot.com/2012/02/three-pound-giveaway.html">

My Symphony....

“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart, to bear all cheerfully, to all bravely await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.”

― William Henry Channing

This speaks for me. It is how I want to live.

Beginning Drawing class

I am taking a beginning drawing class this year at our community college. Most of my assignments have been less then stellar. I am not very good at drawing. But this last assignment turned out great. I followed the directions the teacher gave and 7 hours later had a very good piece of art to show. In class we have to put our drawings on the board and have them critiqued by the class.

My drawing got picked as a favorite by a student, received nice comments from the teacher as well as a round of applause. (one of only three drawings to get this) Finally the teacher asked if she could put my drawing in the window of the class.

I smiled all the way home, felt a bit like a child in grade school who did good in class. I do wonder if this is a one time thing, if I can draw the next assignment as well.....

Art History

I am enrolled in an Art History class this semester at American River College. Many of the things I saw on my Europe trip are covered in my class. I didn't even know the name orthostats but was none the less drawn to them.

Orthostats are thin slabs of stone. Defined as ~ A slab of stone set upright at the base of a wall or building to form the lower section of it, sometimes carved in relief.

Here are the photos Emmy and I took of some orthostats displayed in the British Museum. They are from the palace on Nineveh.

Finding Joy.......

My friend Andrea has a blog where she writes about fibromyalgia. I was really moved by what she wrote about finding joy in her life in spite of her struggles.

"There's more to life than happiness, because there's joy. Joy is more than happiness. Happiness focuses on circumstances. Joy focuses beyond circumstances. It doesn't even come from whatever might be the situation. For me, this has been a huge and continuing lesson. I'm learning that when I fixate on my unwellness I then forget to turn my eyes to the Lord.

When I focus on my unhappy circumstances, joy's elusive. I can't find it. That's because I've made my health my idol. You can't build happiness into joy from an idol. An idol just plain old has no joy to give. But, where is joy? Joy is in the Lord.

Joy is only in the Lord. The Lord is joy. Can I find my hope, my strength, and my joy in Him despite my circumstances? Yes. My illness can't be my idol when the Lord is my God. Even when my mind's ruled by fear and anxiety, I can find joy. I may feel unhappy, but I can know joy.

You see, joy is built on faith. And, faith is not a feeling. It's built on the unshakeable character of Jesus Christ. Joy is then built on the truth that the Lord is good all the time no matter what. So, no matter what circumstances storm my life, God controls the storm. That is a fact. He is good. That is a fact. He loves me. That is a fact.

So, resting in Him, I can have joy despite my fibromyalgia. My God who loves me will always be bigger than the circumstances life throws at me. I might perhaps be sorrowful but I can always be rejoicing (2 Corinthians 6:10)"

While I don't have a chronic illness, I do have struggles that cause me to be ruled by fear and anxiety........Lord, please walk with me as I work at finding joy.

Leo Politi

.....................I visited the Leo Politi Branch Library in Fresno this week. Leo Politi was a great children's book author and illustrator. He won the 1950 Caldecott award for "Song of the Sparrows". The library has original artwork, letters and best of all....a wonderful mural.