What's happened in your life over the last 10 days?
A week or so ago I went a bit manic and cut my hair off myself. I'd been cutting a bit off every week.
One of my goals for the new year was to do a lot more sketching and painting. Now when I say that it doesn't mean I'm good at it. I just enjoy it and it gets me into that wonderful zone -- good for the mental health (has kept me from plummeting to the depths after my hyomanic phase which was going on the day I cut my hair -- probably was the reason I took the scissors to my head. Life with MI/BP -- never boring).
I had planned on just sketching at night while watching TV with my kids. I do this but I need to sketch more to fill up the sketch books (one a month) Shannon got me for Christmas.
Here's what I sketched a few minutes ago. I like drawing line drawings very quickly. I'll never be a reality kind of artist. That's what photographs are for in my world (though I sure admire artists who draw so perfectly the picture looks like a photograph or better):
If you look close you can see the progression of a pear I was eating while I sketched. Ah, pears! I love them. I want to plant pear trees but I've never been able to grow a tree successfully. But hey, maybe we'll try again. This could be the year!!
When I paint or draw during the day, this is usually what Hawk does:
Oh, God has been so good! What blessings have you seen in this first month of 2019? There must be something.
Yesterday I was able to order a package of bees that will arrive at the end of May. I've been wanting to do this for years. I don't know if I'll be successful, but I'm going to try.
Yesterday in church Shannon talked about our reactions to horrendous events in our world (such as the legalization of the abortion of full-term-not-yet-born babies in the state of NY). It was a great sermon. You can read the notes and hear it here. One point he mentioned was praying. He shared six things we can pray when we don't know what to pray. They are:
1. Pray God opens people's eyes.
2. Pray God protects the innocent.
3. Pray God comes soon.
4. Pray God uses you to the utmost.
5. Pray God give you the power to witness.
6. Pray God gives you a chance to make a difference.
How's your year going? It's good to look at it. Is it going the way you want it to go? Only a couple of months till spring starts. Praise God! Praise God for the promise of spring.
I read something today in Ephesians out of The Message. I want to share it here:
"It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live." Ephesians 2:1
Why do we look to the world to tell us how to live? We all do it: when we believe lies; when we look to the world for answers; when we try to look like people who have it all together; when we start sounding like everybody else; when we stay silent because we're afraid of what others might think. This world isn't our home. Be kind today. Give someone some real encouragement. Point someone in God's direction. Know that our time on this earth is so short. Don't get caught up in things that don't need your attention, things that stress you out.
Often, in the last several months I've woken up from bad dreams. Usually I don't know what the reason is. I don't watch violent stuff or read violent or nasty stuff. But my dreams still sometimes get filled with negative scenes. Yesterday when I told Shannon this he said I had to figure out what was at the root of my dream. And I did. I had gotten off center. I had been focusing on a disappointment that I had wished had been different. This led me to look at something else that I wished was different (these are things I cannot change at the moment -- if there is something you don't like in your life change it if you can). Once I knew the root of the problem God was able to help me get that negative junk out of me and I was fine. God tells us to guard what is entrusted to us. One thing entrusted to each of us is our own mental and emotional health. Negative junk can really do a number on this.
If you've read this entire post I applaud you. It is jumpy and haphazard but sometimes that is what my life is like. Maybe yours is too! And I've told Hawk "Just a minute" several times so I better get off. He and I are going to watch an episode of The Great British Baking Show (info on it is here). I don't know why we enjoy it, but we do. So, I'm signing off. Make this year a great one! And hey, Jesus really does love you.