I Got A Re-Alignment!

Hi Friend!

So glad you stopped by...so much is happening in my life--i'm excited to share a little bit...!

Almost two weeks ago, I was struck by the 'bug going around' that seems to be a laryngitis/sinusitis/parasitis!  that 'everyone else' seems to have.  Now, don't get the heebie-jeebies on me; because i'm on the downhill-getting better side!

(normally, in my case, 'it' goes right into sinusitis, and i'm laid-out in a coma of exhaustion...however, this time, on Day 2 and 3, I WAS achy and BLECH, BUT--something was different. )

Know when you get to that coughing incessantly stage?  (oh--THAT!)  Well, at night in my 'I'm coughing-my-head-off' times;

I ALSO had times of:

Great Creativity! 

Cleaning Frenzies!
 and

Fascinating Colorful Dreams! 

and now you're thinking:

'WOW!  I want what SHE's having!'

To YOU

i say two things:

1- Like the old 'Ronco' commercials:

"you can't buy this in ANY store!"

2- I think this adventure was a ticket admitting only ONE.

The evolution of this week has brought me closer to God--and in my case, that means 'leaning into him' --so much so, that yesterday, I realized with the limited amount of sleep I've gotten each night in the past week,

yet STILL being able to continue with all my work obligations--

I must have leaned SO hard into God (depended on Him so much),


that my feet were actually off the ground;

He carried me;

SUSTAINED ME!

(in some oblique way, I knew what 'sustenance' was...yet when this concept hit me yesterday, I instantly gasped, then, 'WOW!' and 'THANK YOU, GOD'!)

each night (in my illness), I have been shown concepts / ideas / discoveries about myself and my relationship to God, and by becoming closer to Him, I have been able to let go of some past hurts, and in that; cleaning away mental, and spiritual 'sand' or dirt.

you know,

in the Bible; when it tells us not to condemn someone else for the sliver in their eye, while we have a PLANK in our own?! 

(hahahaha!  I SO love that--the mental picture has made me crack up since I was a child)

I am a positive person, and try to encourage others,

but somehow in my altered state of illness and lack of sleep,

the connection between mental dirt, and tangible dirt/dust was made!

so--the cleaning jags!  Each night:

Laundry was done! 

Junk Drawers cleaned out! 

Old magazines sorted and shared! 

A quilt I made without a 'home'--given away!

Plants watered!  Old nail polish removed!

I moved the couch and cleaned underneath!  This is like... 3:00 am one night!  Poor Maggie the cat!  She dashed and darted around- watching in disbelief--'What IS Mama DOING!?'

At first I thought i was just 'finding something to do'--later on, I connected the dust/dirt idea, and it became energizing:

As I clean away the 'flotsam' in my life, I am better able to shine my light for God= both as a reflection back TO Him,

AND; TO others= as a reflection OF Him!

ThEN--

in one instant two things happened: 

I yelled out loud--

"I HATE TO DUST!!!!!"





and Then, I BURST out laughing--



(I have ALWAYS HATED TO DUST!  What's the point?!  Aren't the little motes just dancing and laughing at us in the sunbeams, as they waft around, and land not TWO INCHES FROM WHERE THEY WERE?!!)

If you are a believer, what does God call us to do?

The TUFF STUFF.

the things we may not be good at, or avoid-- because we 'don't wanna'.




So--along with smiling, laughing, being positive and encouraging, and trying to help others (my favorite things)...now; I am called to the drudgery of DUSTING  (my mom and daughter are laughing convulsively right now!!  yeah, yeah-- I love you both!)

which, to me, seems like the most pointless-annoying-stupid-irritating thing EVER!

DUSTING!!

I've been telling people my whole life that I believe God has a sense of humor

Guess WHAT?!!

I'm celebrating my front-row seat to His show!!

Have a fantastic day!

Look What's Happening!

I can't believe it!  What happened when my back was turned for just a MONTH?!!


I have 8 followers!  that's so cool! 

thank you for checking out my blog.  I've missed being here.  Writing is really one of my passions.  I love words.

I was writing in an art journal yesterday...well, actually, it's an artsy book-under construction, and as my hand cut around the cursive letters from a magazine, I suddenly remembered the joy, and excitement of being in 3rd Grade, and learning 'Cursive'!

That was one of the milestones of childhood.  another would be being chosen first for ANY team.  I was always somewhere in the middle.


another thing...does anyone HATE Dodgeball or Kickball as much as I do?


Anything remotely like waiting for the ball to come to you, and then all eyes on you to perform?  It TOTALLY FREAKS ME OUT!!

(image from pegmulqueen.com)

(This would be my deepest fear-next to missing the ball entirely)

(Once though, I did work through my Kickball phobia--I was counseling at a Christian summer church camp, and we couldn't use the gym one day for 'organized free time', so one of the guy counselors suggested Kickball. 

Several things about this:
1) I'd never been a counselor before;
2) Somehow I was entrusted with 5th grade girls;
3) I didn't know WHAT the rules were; so
4) I kinda made my own rules!

we DID follow the schedule, and lights out...but like in Vegas--what happens in Camp, STAYS IN CAMP!!


I'd like to think that 'my girls' thought I was a rock star, and so they invited me to play Kickball, and somehow, after (let's say) 30 years--I got more coordinated, so that when the ball DID come to me


I was FINALLY ABLE TO KICK IT! 

I was a Kickball STAR!)



and now back to the blog...isn't it cool when life finally balances out?  and- we get a chance to see it?!


okay, well, anyway, something about cursive writing, and the curlicues, and lined paper, and discipline required, made it fun for me.  I felt like such a  grown-up.  As a child, I saw my mother's, grandmother's, other's handwriting, and it seemed like a secret code: what could all those squiggles mean?

(my father was a 'printer': he wrote a bit like an architect; and of course I wanted to be just like him!  however, the siren call of 'adulthood' was just around the corner--all by learning cursive!)



As time went along, I decided I wasn't so crazy about the shape of all the cursive letters, so I began to do what probably lots of people are doing...basically print, and connect my letters together in-between.


so-I have lots going on since I've written...

A class with Laura Wasilowski

This is one of my pieces from class.  I'm not really speedy at the handwork, but I love this!  If you have a chance to take a class from this lady--she is phenomenal: witty, clever, you sing and laugh in class...all so much fun.

Okay, so another thing, is that I was asked to write an eclub message for the quilt shop I work at: Greenbaum's Quilted Forest, here in Salem.  So--since I love words and writing, and quilting, and color...I took that on!  First thing:  it didn't have a name--so now--it's the 'Forest Flash'! Every week on Thursday right to your emailbox:  the latest, greatest, fabric, patterns, classes, events!

  go to www.quiltedforest.com
if you want to sign up!

I've done a class or two with
background painting for art journaling,

pruned my pride-and-joy lilacs,

made a quilt or two for the shop (here's one)


and canoodled around with glue sticks, and
papers, and magazine clippings, and
quotes, making little goofy books in
my spare (what?!!) time!


Here's one of my favorite finds:

bye for now!