Tag Archives: Be

Day 9: Let the Beauty You Love, Be What You Do

Let the Beauty You Love

Day 9: Let the beauty you love, be what you do.

My desk had become crazy messy with all the crafting I’m doing. My work space was shrinking as more supplies made their way to the desktop and the layers of paper, pens, glue sticks, scissors, brushes, embellishments, rubber stamps crept into the little empty place in the center.  Before I started crafting today, I spent 30 minutes putting away tools and supplies I wasn’t using and organizing (re-stacking) stuff I planned to use today.

As I sorted through the flotsam and jetsam, collecting little scraps and interesting bits, I saw that I was halfway to getting a spread assembled. I had a quote from Rumi scribbled on an envelope, a glittery bit of trim cut off an old calendar page but saved for it’s sparkling possibilities, a heart-shaped stencil with interesting paint smears and a pretty crescent moon that my sister let me snag from her collection of images.

I decided to use these in a page and knew I’d be using the beautiful image of a purple bottle I’ve been wanting to include.  It is too tall for my book,  but I love how it looks, so just made a little fold-out flap to include it.

Flap with Key

The butterfly and heart scraps were leftovers from previous projects and with a few more scraps from the pile, a great photo from a magazine of a painting of Mt. Tam, some paint and a few more embellishments, my spread for Day 9 was just about done.

I got everything glued in place and carefully wrote out the quote from Rumi.

Rumi quote

I had started with a small, paper key but liked this metal one better so I switched it out and added a little sparkly dot.  A heart charm dangles down from the flap.

Key

Dianne Dots were the finishing touch.

Dianne Dots

I also made two more birthday cards to get my mom stocked up.

Birthday Bird & Collage

The bird came from the same old calendar as the little glittery border I used in my Art Journal.  Thanks, Shook!

Cigar Label Birthday Card

Both of these cards used paper and embellishments that were already out on my desk.

If I took a picture of it now you probably wouldn’t believe that I’d cleaned it up, but I know that it is much better than it was.

Last year for Day 9 of 30 Days of Creativity I made these pretty Glass Tile Pendants.

The year before that I made a pair of Pink Glass Earrings.

Thanks for coming on by.

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Filed under 30DOC, Crafts

Be Loving

Be loving.  That was Rem’s advice to me when I was leaving the house to accompany my parents to a medical appointment.

The previous day they had met with the oncologist to learn the results of my dad’s recent PET scan.  Sadly, the news is not good.  The cancer, originally in his esophagus has spread to his lungs. Future treatment will be palliative.  We were all distraught and trying to come to grips with this information.

Rem saw that I was anxious; worried about my folks and distressed about the news.  He gave me a hug and said “be loving”.  It was exactly what I needed to hear and gave me comfort as I went out the door.

We all need to lean on each other, especially in difficult times.  We need to be as loving as possible and cut each other some slack.  Right now I’m trying to be as supportive, loving, strong and comforting as I can to my parents, my siblings and extended family.  I also love to make my dad laugh and I’m delighted when I do.

My friends have been compassionate, caring and generous.  They give me hugs and listen when I need to talk, hold me when I need to cry and strive to make sure I’m taking care of myself.

One dear friend touched me deeply with the loan of her beloved Lambie.  Lambie sits on our bed and sometimes at night I rub one of her ears between my fingers, finding comfort both in the soft fabric and in the tenderness of my friend’s gesture.

The women I sing with with, of the Threshold Choir, have sung beautiful songs on behalf of my dad, my mom and my whole family.  At rehearsal, where we sing with our chairs in a circle, we have a practice of giving songs to those who want them.  A reclining chair is in the middle of the circle and the person receiving the song lies down in the chair.

With women surrounding you, the a cappella singing is like a warm blanket of music. I often feel as if I’m floating on the sound and I sink into it gratefully, tears welling up and spilling over in a completely safe and supportive atmosphere.  The wisdom, love and understanding of these friends has been a blessing.

We really don’t know what the future holds.  Heartache and suffering but also conversations, music, walking the dog,  joy and laughter.  If we can be loving it will only help.

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Filed under Life