she said yes

today is the feast of the visitation of mary...

Father in heaven, by your grace the virgin mother of your incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed in keeping your word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


may we say yes in keeping your word and following your will every day.

resting

as i tried to catch a picture of joshua brayden beast napping i was struck by how hard it is to be still, to rest, to re-create.


this week is one away from "work" yet how does one rest?  i could blame it on being in a small town and running into people when i am grocery shopping, getting gas, going to the drug store.  i could blame it on seeing people in need and knowing i am to reach out.  i could blame it on the fact i am on stay-cation rather than out of town.  wow, i could even blame it on my vocation.


the reality is just like my silly dog, i don't rest well.  an empty calendar feels, well "empty."  surely there is a task to do, an errand to run...and there are, yet this time is one to be refreshed not filled with "stuff."


the Sabbath is not something to rush toward and then collapse.  it is meant to renew and refill one, to provide a break that allows new energy, a refocused purpose, and a re-connection with the creator of the Sabbath .  


i've learned that i need that time or i will keep rushing, keep doing, keep, keep, keep...until i am a frazzled mess capable of doing nothing.  like my silly dog i rush to open my eyes and move rather than just being in the "emptiness" of time away...


God gently taps me on the shoulder and reminds me that rest, like all things, means letting go and giving control back to God...luckily there is patience with my learning curve and the moments of being still are slowly increasing.


waiting to catch joshua brayden beast's eyes closed for a picture i realize he is afraid of missing something...and i learn another lesson.

Be still, and know that I am God!

Psalm 46.10

learning a new trick

today was the bear's last day of vacation and my first day fishing with my big girl rod and reel.


i did catch a few, like this guy, but let them stay to grow a little bigger...

i continue to be amazed as i watch the skill and grace this man has on the water...

he knows just what lure to use and when to use it.   he has an innate sense of where the fish are and seeing him cast is watching a dance.  

i on the other hand spent way too much time untangling things yet by the end of the day was getting the hang of my big girl caster.


time on the water is always healing even when my body doesn't want to cooperate and i thank God for such beauty so close to home.

a place for everything

yet not quite everything in its place...


i have been struggling with having space in my art room.  this was the before...

my work table

where everything got tossed, stacked, moved out of the way

the closet where everything got thrown

found some things in the attic to use to help organize things better...

my work table, yes it still has paint. glue, chalk, and other stains

shelves for stuff

the closet doors now close and things are find-able

placed a door on the bed to have room to spread out when needed so call before you visit!

feels a little less cluttered now.
some wip's that started the whole process...

lets see how long i go before it is chaos again!

Memorial Monday Nest Update

And now there are 3 babies outside my window!

Memorial Day

O Judge of the nations, 
we remember before you with grateful
hearts the men and women of our country 

who in the day of decision 

ventured much for the liberties we now enjoy. 


Grant that we may not rest until all the people of this land share the benefits of true freedom

 and gladly accept its disciplines. 


This we ask in the Name of 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

(BCP 839)

nest update for Pentecost Sunday

thought folks would appreciate this more than my  sermon from this morning...though if you want that, let me know...


no change in the home of our friends above the light fixture...

robin nest #2....

it is dreadfully hot and humid here and mama was panting but stopped every time i got close enough for her pic...

the nest that was moved after the starling's visit which i have left alone because of the upheaval they have experienced...

the detail continues to amaze me

two babies!

and joshua brayden beast wanted his picture taken but wouldn't be still...

i think he was showin' out for Miss Mazie!

nest update

and today we have robin egg #1!!!!!

hope the neighbor's party doesn't upset mama too much.

words

words on a monitor

bring the past to the present

remembrance

of the dance

speaks sorrow

of all the tomorrows

tossed away

never to see another day

what now

i don't know how

to move that way

see i have learned to play

in a whole new way

not perfect

but beautiful in its grace

that has been given space

to move to a new place

my words will raise

to the maker of praise

hoping there will be more days

the present is the gift 

the past has been set adrift

the future...

it's not my move

wind

(for some reason the links in the text are not working, but the buttons to the left will take you to In the Studio and Studio JRU)


having a new circle inspired me to do several projects this week.  to pick just one to highlight for sneak peek Friday was hard (In The Studio ).  this week's biggest project was inspired by Pentecost and a dear one who shared some of her treasures with me.


it started as a piece of dried honey suckle vine that had been cut out of a fence...

then various treasures were added to it...

until it grew up to be this...

wondering if it might work to keep starlings away without scaring the other birds...


and in case you wonder...it is a wind chime!  no wind to know how well it sounds, just another hot, muggy day in the South.

Here are a few other pieces inspired by Jennifer's "shine" piece last week (Studio JRU):


the backgrounds had already been done, I liked the idea of transforming them by building on them:

(no new news with the nests today)

for the birds...

the birds are teaching me much about life in community these days.


as i took my nest update pics today i was amazed at how carefully mama robin is making her nest.  remember yesterday it was mud and bugs and a few pieces of straw and twigs.


this is it today...

she has carefully padded it for the eggs that will soon be nurtured here using every means she has to prepare a safe place for her babies.  a place of safety and a haven from the elements.


we too try to carefully construct places that are loving, warm, authentic, and safe.  sadly, like the starlings above our garage, there are those who  come and try to take for themselves things that are not theirs to take or to destroy what has been built in our life together.  they engage in actions that undermine the fabric of the community, much like the starlings did to this nest...

it is easy to become discouraged and take their words and actions as permission to give up, to walk away, to search for a cave instead of build a nest.  


that is where i found myself today.  thanks be to God i was able to spend time with a beloved who reminded me that nests can be rebuilt, reused, and even added to.  they are stronger than they appear and often take much time to construct.


i left the visit encouraged, thankful for a respite in the midst of the chaos of life in community, and time on the porch brought the remembrance of swallows from my childhood (learn more here: swallows ).  i found myself waiting with anticipation for the bells to ring.  as a child the joy of hearing them was a reminder of continuity in the midst of continuous change.  a re-learning or re-remembering that some things, like God's love, never change even when we try to move them away or think others can tear them down.


i was also able to take these pics  (reminded again how social the swallows are)...

notice the careful construction of the nest.  literally thousands and thousands of nests used to be found built right on top of one another at Mission San Juan Capistrano and you can see here why they are able to do so...

feeding time (didn't want to get too close)...

this little one threw a stick at me to say it was time to go home...

... and i did grateful to my friends, feathered and not, for encouraging me to keep on building and loving me enough provide a safe place to land when the winds blow me off track. 


so again i wait with anticipation for the bells to ring as we enter our little nest as a family to worship together the parent who loves us so completely.