Peace be with You

Peace be with You

I am about to give you a little more information about me on a spiritual level, than you probably want to know.  I was raised in a half catholic half evangelical christian home.  Needless to say the direction that I received was quite mixed.  I was told by my mother that I could not pray to anything but God and Jesus, and I would go to my Catholic school praying "Hail Jesus, full of Christ!"  I learned about the Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit, and I thought that "Peace be with You" was just something you said to greet your fellow worshipers at the church.  When my parents divorced, I spent half of my Sundays kneeling and crossing myself, and half of my Sundays watching people get healed and speaking in tongues (still quite a scary concept to me).  I embraced both sides of this Christian Spectrum as I kept myself safely distant from both sides as well.  Both of my parents were very devout Christians, they just had very different ways of expressing their devotion.  In their own minds they were right, and the other was to put it nicely, a little crazy (sorry Mom and Dad).  I grew up just thinking that surely neither of my wonderful well meaning parents were going to hell.  This painting is entitled "Peace be with You." It is a painting about the Holy Spirit.  Something that I grew up a little scared of and confused about.  On one hand, I thought it was something I had to have in order to get to heaven.  If I were to by accident blaspheme the Holy Spirit, I would for sure go to Hell.  On the other hand, I thought the Holy spirit was God and Jesus rolled into one.  He was my left and right shoulder when I would cross myself in mass.  Absolutely and totally Conflicted.

In my older age, I have been able to reconcile the two.  First of all, I would like to believe that God honors all those that honor him.  Whether they be protestant, catholic, Muslim, or Jew.  I no longer see the Holy Spirit as a ticket to the pearly gates, but my comforter and my guide.  The holy spirit is the one that gives me that feeling of comfort when I am at my lowest.  It is the one that holds me after I have gone through a divorce, or have had a miscarriage.  The holy spirit is the one that tells me to bite my tongue rather than to verbally rip someone apart (I wish he would assist me some more in this area).  The Holy Spirit, to me is not something to fear, but something to hold on to.  It is something that is there for you when no one else can.  The Holy Spirit, to me, is peace.  So when I say "Peace be with You."  I do not intend it as a greeting, but I intend it as a sincere wish that the Holy Spirit will bring you comfort during your storms, and guidance throughout your life.... that all will be well with your soul.

Whistle in the Wind

Whistle in the Wind

For some time now, I have been fascinated by glass.  I have dabbled some in stained glass, and fused glass.  I simply like it.  I especially love the concept of bottle trees.  They just seem poetic to me.  Whenever I see one on a movie, or along side the road on our way to Mississippi, or Cold Water Tennessee, I just start to daydream.  Did they drink all of the contents of those bottles?  Do they love to sit outside and watch the light dance off of the bottles?  What about the sound?  Do the bottles play beautiful clinkity clankity sounds?  Do they whistle in the wind?  Bottle trees just seem peaceful to me.  Sort of like sitting on the back patio on a fall night with a glass of wine listening to the leaves blowing in the wind. Total, absolute peace.  It is said that years and years ago people used to think that the bottles captured evil spirits.  Mainly because of the sound that the bottle would make when the wind blew over the mouth of the bottle. That is why people started hanging bottles on their trees, in order to capture the evil spirits, and keep them away from their homes.  The concept of bottles capturing evil spirits goes even further back to the times when people believed in genies and magic lanterns!  

Fragrant Dreams

Fragrant Dreams

I have always dreamed of having a little girl.  Those who know me well, know that it has been a long and painful road for me.  My husband and I Adopted our daughter in October of 2006.  She was not born from my body, but from my heart. I have no doubt what-so-ever that this was the daughter that God intended for us.  I have know doubts or regrets for any of the stepping stones that led us to our girl.  Only joy for the present, and sweet dreams for a happy and prosporous future for our child.

I Came to Make You Smile

I Came to Make You Smile

One of my besties came to paint with me this week.  When she was younger, she used to collect clowns. So in anticipation of her visit, I decided that I must paint a clown!  Knowing that everyone has those moments that they just don't feel like participating in the daily grind, I decided to make my clown a part of my angel series.  Whenever we feel down and out, we need to call on our inner clown to make ourselves smile, even if we don't feel like it.

Grace Grows Gratitude

Grace Grows Gratitude

This painting will more than likely be donated to The Vine Counseling Center for their Silent Art Auction.  That is unless I decide that I can not part with it, and decide to donate something else.  I knew that I wanted to paint turquoise and red, so I started with the red background, and as I was painting, I could see the shape of this angel appearing in the brush strokes.  I quickly stopped painting the background, grabbed the blow dryer, and then proceeded to trace the brush strokes.  Grace Grows Gratitude is one of those paintings that I have been thinking about for a long time.  However, I was thinking of a little girl watching a flower grow.  As this Angel literally appeared, she looked so sweet and delicate and graceful, that I knew she had to be my Gratitude Angel. 

Gratitude isn't always as easy as we think.  In todays fast paced world, we seem to expect and to demand more and more.  It isn't very often that we sit back and just be thankful for what we have.  We work and work and work, and often times feel as if we go unappreciated.  Yet, a lot of times we ourselves overlook all that God has done for us.  If we practice Grace, we will receive Gratitude, even if we are only grateful for ourselves.

Playing in the Poppies

Playing in the Poppies

This painting was done for a girl at church that I have often admired for her grace and for her faith, but especially for her strength.  At a very young age, she has gone through what no one ever dreams of going through.  She lost her two baby boys only a few days after they were born.  I remember reading updates on the boys, and praying for them not being able to phantom how anyone can go through this.  Yet they do.  I have often admired this girl from a distance. To me she portrayed a perfect example of God's grace.  When a lot of people would have questioned their faith and turned their backs on God, she and her family seemed only to draw closer.  It was an honor and a blessing to paint these sweet angels.

In this painting, the Red Poppies represent that the boys passing was not an end to their spirit, but an ascent to a higher place.  The white doves represent peace, a presence of the Holy Spirit with the boys, and a message of love from the boys to their family that remains on this earth.