RAGING PEOPLE

Last night I had an interesting encounter with a woman. She rudely challenged my personal integrity and I was so shocked that I paused in silence for a long period of time. This took place in a meeting. I paused to gather my thoughts and to release any anger and then I defended myself. I am still upset about the encounter because I want to live in peace. How is it that someone can be so rude to someone else? I've never liked this woman because she whines a lot and acts aloof - not the kind of person I like to be around, but she is in my group and I tolerate her. I've just never had anyone challenge me in such a direct way and with such rudeness and presumption.

We as a people have to learn tolerance of other individuals, even if they don't agree with our viewpoints. This was an experience that brought home to me the meaning of peace and also personal validation. I knew that I was okay about myself before her challenge came forth, therefore I was able to approach this in a wholesome manner. I wish none of it had happened, but it did. It was sort of like road rage in a meeting. I had to decide if I was going to be a part of it or not. I kept in my lane on my little side of the road, but didn't fight back.

Peace is right here where I live in my own little personal life. That is what peace is about - exercising the right to remain peaceful in a raging world.

MAKING A COAT TREE

I'm making an early Christmas present for my husband. He wants something to hang his sweaty clothes on to dry after working out, so I'm making him a coat tree. He wanted something colorful so I've decided that since most trees are green, I'll make this one green. It has been great fun figuring out the pieces and hardware and now painting it and adding a finish. Sometimes store bought just isn't better.

I am so amazed!!!!! I took a workshop this weekend from Colleen Cavin on alkyd finishes for calligraphy. The glazing method offered in this class was so different from other techniques that I have used. It allows one to erase mistakes easily and to create layer after layer of writing to create an abstract that still includes lettering.
Another development in our life is schooling for Bob. We are now unemployed by choice. It is a very different part of our normal scheduled life and we are actually looking forward to it. I'll have lots of free time to do art and am very excited about that as well as the free time to pursue my writing.
One knows when growth occurs in life, because it is always accompanied by change.

SLOW DOWN

I'm an all hands kind of person. I cook, I do art, I write, I knit, etc. That said, my left hand is in a cast and my thumb is out of commission. In reality it isn't all that bad, but I have slowed down what I do. The great thing is that I am mostly right handed and I have time to do all kinds of art now. Hooray!

HAIR

Who would have thought about the insulating properties of hair! I didn't notice it so much in the summer when the days and nights were warm, in fact it was nice to have a cool head. However, once winter set in and the nights became warm and the furnace kept it at barely the temperature on the thermostat, I quickly noticed that bald head plus cool air equals very cold human. Hats became my constant companion. Once Chemotherapy was completed my hair began to slowly grow back. When I returned to the doctor for my three month followup he mentioned that my hair was growing back very slowly. Well, that didn't discourage me one bit, because I had noted that even though my hair was pretty short, I was beginning to feel the insulating properties of hair again. Hair is like a sweater for your head, even if it is only 3/4 inches long. I still wear hats outdoors, but I am once again a little warmer. Thanks be to HAIR!

Thanks be to Chemo and to God, as my tumors have all disappeared!

I've been doing abstract acrylic paintings lately. The first set of canvases that I did were an excercise in minimalism: I used only one color and white or matte medium and one brush. It was amazing how this stretched my abilities as I am a color-holic. It made me really reach inside to find my own emotions to put onto the surface. By the time I had done four paintings I was really sick of that color, but really awed by the variety it provided. I think that perhaps future paintings with color will be more expressive than before. Now I'm working on what I call the "Rock Series". I found some really neat rocks at the beach that have possessed me and I want to paint the feeling that they have created within me.

I have said for a long time that my goal in painting or calligraphy is to evoke emotion within the indivicual. Perhaps the emotion will be of a long forgotten event, or of something that is a twinkling of a remembrance, but I want to be able to bring out the deep emotion within human beings. I think we are all made of and react to emotion in our lives and to tap that inner resource is my goal.

Who would have ever thought that my writing life would come to a point where I have three books cooking on the fire. I have been writing on a regularly scheduled basis and I continue to add pages every day. This is a new first for me.

As an aside, our friend Harry was visiting town on business and called to say hello. We ended up going out to dinner with him. A spontaneous and spirited dinner discussion ensued and we enjoyed it so much.