Learn how creativity can breathe life into your soul!
When my son approached manhood, I gave him Rudyard Kipling's poem “If.” No other poem seemed to say all that my mother’s heart felt needed saying in order to prepare him for success in life: If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you …
Continue reading "“If” by Rudyard Kipling: A Guide for Living and Relating"
Sometimes life goes backwards. You reconnect with a former friend who posts pictures on Facebook of your missionary outreach days in Budapest, Hungary. You look at you children ages four and seven and wonder under which carpet the Sandman swept away those years. If I could tell young moms a tidbit of advice, I’d say …
"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one's own sunshine." -Ralph Waldo Emerson This quote I read today stunned me. Now just so you know, I'm a quote lover, a collector of quotes, and a fashioner of quotes, but rarely have I ever come across such wisdom packed in a one-liner. The …
I’m convinced that sons require multiple labors: as infants, as boys, and as young men. When a son comes forth, he tears off a piece of your heart in his tiny clenched fist. Then you spend a lifetime trying to find that missing piece so you can fit it into his destiny and feel at …
"Our treasures are many...they just walk around in human form." In these lean economic times, circumstances force us to simplify. We reduce our spending and weed out extravagances. In the process, we search for meaning. What is truly important? We muse. Fear of financial security permeates the media. Talk among co-workers riddles with ways to …
Continue reading "Ice and Roses: Cultivating True Treasures"
Forging forward in following God’s will is difficult at best. At times, we do not clearly see the road before us. Like driving in a thunderous downpour, sights and sounds spook our senses and cause us to cling to the steering wheel with a white-knuckle grip. Doubts pummel our thoughts until we can no longer …
Have you ever had a desire seed in your soul and grow until you seriously contemplated its possibility? Perhaps this gentle inkling softly whispered “One day you’ll write a novel,” or “You’ll inspire others to create.” At first, you brushed the words away as if they were merely Tinkerbell fantasies. Yet in time, the idea grew …
I vividly remember the time when a man with a kind face reached across the table, placed his hand upon mine, looked into my eyes, and whispered, “I never thought you would be so beautiful.” I melted like soft butter on warm toast. He had me. At the time, I was a lonely single mother …
The summer I let my gardens die is still fresh in my mind because it just happened. That’s right. This past summer I did not tend to the garden plots that usually grow prolifically with strawberries, tomatoes, squash, and herbs. In fact just the contrary occurred. I watched vermin, wily and pesky squirrels, strip not …
JoDee Luna Art 