Beautiful Day

What is all this day about?

Whispers & callings in my heart

stirring, urging me on a new path . . .

Praying, journaling, asking,

Really, God, is this You

or am I just making this up?

Identification of belief ~ my beliefs

of what is important

and how I want to live.

Asking the question:  what am I believing?

Asking this question: how do I want to teach my children to live?

Play it safe? Or risk following what's in your heart?

Do what you think will please others and impress?

Or do what you really care about and believe in?

Seek what the world says you need/want?

Or love and live right where you are?

Wish to be someplace else, some other time, someone different. and have something else?

Or find beauty right where you are and enjoy what you have?

Try to not to disappoint anyone?

Or realize that we all disappoint someone sometime?

Stay on the same path,

or follow the one that is true to your heart?

Worry that you might fail, so you might as well not try?

Or have faith that trying you may fall

but that learning is a process,

and God's grace is the hand that will catch you

and set you back on your feet again?

Think your too old or it's too late to start something new?

Or believe it's never too late to be what you might have been? (George Eliot)

Stand still because the journey is so big?

Or start by taking one step today?

Wish you would have done this or that?

Or start taking steps, even small ones, toward it today?

The journey to this

new beginning

has been full of hours of fitful sleep,

choices to stay on one path or follow another,

hard choices, facing who I want to be, choosing not to hide that person,

risking vulnerability,

putting my heart out there in writing, speaking, teaching, photography, and art

and weaving all of those things together.

Believing God is with me,

really doing a work in me.

Choosing to believe God over the doubt

and sneaking whispers of fear and discouragement...

This has been a journey

of facing fears,

of fighting gremlin-like voices in my head

that discourage and diminish who I am

and what I have to offer,

as well as battling the prideful heart that desires

to prove my worth, my validity, my security.

Life is facing all that.

It is taking a look at all the things

that hold me back

with faith that the God who made me

did so with purpose and intention.

It is trusting that He takes the hurt parts, the broken parts,

the places where He shattered pride and arrogance,

made me humble,

and puts them back together and redeems them,

for a purpose with a passion for Him

and sharing all of that . . .

so that others would seek Him, find Him, and follow the unique purposeful passion

that He puts in their hearts.

That's what all this is about.

Listening so closely for the heart of God.

Finding His voice.

Following it.

Being who He made me to be.

Because in really searching and seeking for Him,

I find who I am, and I discover all these other wonderful blessings

that are right here in my hands, my heart, my life.

So, so grateful for this family, these friends,

that came to support and celebrate

this opportunity to share a beautiful day

of stepping out in faith and not letting fear rule.

Especially grateful to my husband Jim

celebrating 15 years of marriage,

of saying "yes" to him here at Chute Roosters in Hill City,

16 years ago,

that he has loved me through all of my

ups and downs, questions, wondering, fear/faith battles,

falling flat on my face in failures, getting back up again, and

being here for a great day like this one.

Thanks to Lori and the staff at the

Jon Crane Gallery in Hill City, SD,

for giving me the opportunity to share my art.

I'm honored and grateful.

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Linking with Jen here:

and with Jennifer In The Studio here:

Studio JRU

Sneak Peek Friends, this post was on Monday,

but thought I'd share here as a celebration with YOU

for the STUDIO work I've been doing and sharing with YOU.

THANKS FOR YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT.

My Friday post is HERE:  There is a season.

It features my photos of the beauty of the prairie where I live,

which is also what I've been up to "in my studio" this week and month!

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