I'm just sayin'...

Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.

~William Barclay

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/

perception...

What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.
~ Lao-tzu

Ah, how we perceive the world so colors our journey.

And can we alter out perceptions with attitude?

I think so. It is, in fact, the only thing that we hold

any real sway over in this life.

Perhaps I do not choose my path, but I do choose

the song I sing as I go.

life goes on...

No matter what, life does indeed go forward.

Today has been a day of reflection.

I am thinking of Tina's family and how they are coping

with their unimaginable loss.

And I am considering how important it is to live your life well

and fully and to be in a state of appreciation

for each day. All of our experiences bring us

to where we are at this moment. Regret is futile.

I am grateful for my life, for the sad and joyful moments

and all of the uneventful days that are a joy themselves

with their beautiful, reliable ordinariness.

And I am grateful for the people who touch my life.

Life goes on~ as it should, boldly and recklessly, reverentially and with predictability.

It goes on, unfurling before us like a pathway in a dark forest

or a wide swathe of beach that skirts a turbulent sea.

We have no other way to go, except with open hearts,

forward, always forward.

Farewell, dear one...

Tina Wright, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, friend and artist passed away early this morning after a brief, fierce battle with cancer. Tina was a precious person, so full of life and joy. It is nearly impossible to imagine her gone from this earth. If you are a praying person, please remember her family at this time.


And, when he shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of Heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night And pay no worship to the garish sun. ~William Shakespeare

back to reality...

So the holidays are basically over and soon we return to real life. My kids have Monday off of school, so they are still in the laid back mode. Christmas is packed neatly away and my new studio space is almost ready. And it is January, my least favorite month. But, I am no longer a person who hates winter. I have decided that it is absurd to despise an entire season, so I will look for silvery shadows and the stark beauty of bare branches against a winter sunset. I will move my studio and fix it just right. And before you know it the trees will get that sweet, fuzzy look and the days will grow longer. Spring comes early in Texas. Thank you, Mother Nature!
Hope 2010 has begun well for you. Stay warm and dream sweet flower-filled dreams.
xo~Dale

au revoir 2009!

Well, this has been one helluva year! It has been chock full of good times and trials! I lost several months to a broken kneecap. Creatively, it has been a good year, but I have high hopes for 2010 to be even better! My new studio space promises to be an inspiring place for me to create!
I have made a tentative peace with winter, so the next few months should be more bearable and, as always, I look forward to warm days and I swear by all that is holy I WILL be at the beach this year!!!!!!
Have a fun, safe New Year's eve and may 2010 be a bright, new adventure for all of us!
xoxo~Dale

contrasts...

I am a lover of sunshine, of aqua seas and swaying palms. I love warmth and sand and azure skies... but I am making peace with winter. Even I must admit that a less vibrant landscape also has a certain beauty. Winter is quieter, slower, all tucked in, waiting.

I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show.

~Andrew Wyeth
I cannot say I prefer winter, but I am appreciating the merits of this season of reflection.

And of course...
O, wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
~Percy Bysshe Shelley

and a good time was had by all!

Christmas was marvelous, sweet and WHITE! Yes, here in north Texas we had S*N*O*W!!

The storm arrived just after midday on Christmas eve and it snowed all afternoon and evening.

While I am not fond of winter so much, it was pure magic to have a white Christmas!!

Now several days later a few white spots linger... waiting for more, perhaps, as the old wives' tale says? Our forecast hints of ice on Tuesday. We shall see...

I have had a lousy cold and have yet to rip down my decorations as I am prone to do right after Christmas. I may start in a bit or leave them until tomorrow. I am not one to leave them for long after the holiday has passed, but this cold has me feeling a bit listless.

Hope your holidays were magical!

Stay warm! xoxo~Dale

"Art is running away without ever leaving home."
Twyla Tharp