The Artists Life - Christmas Wishes

   It's Christmas Day 2017 and as I write this, it's snowing a pretty good clip as they say here in Maine. My husband Dave and I celebrated and exchanged gifts with each other, our daughters, as well as our grandchildren at three separate times. My youngest daughter's two boys are spending the holiday as well their week's vacation this year up with their father. As a result, we visited with them earlier than expected last Thursday afternoon and evening due to an incoming winter storm that arrived the next afternoon and lasted into Saturday afternoon. We all had a grand time eating home-cooked food, engaging in play as well as heartfelt laughter.

   By Saturday morning, the snow had changed to rain as the temperature rose to 45 degrees - and promptly washed away all the snow we received the night before. This was good news for our oldest daughter as she had to finish up some last minute Christmas shopping. We watched our two oldest grand-kids for over four hours so she could get everything done, home and hidden. We decided to give our presents to those two while they were here with us. It also gave my granddaughter and I time to get creative as one of her gifts was, as she put it, a "whoppin' art can". It was good to create designs and art projects from the heart and the imagination. My grandson and my husband are "pretty tight" as my grandson puts it. While the women created, the guys went into our den and Dave pulled out his toy car collection. He'll be 55 in 2018, and he still collects these little cars. He's done so for the past 51 years. He's passed a good number along to all his grandsons as well as our daughters. It's part of who he is and I think it's one thing that helps him stay young at heart.

   The festivities kept rolling along on Sunday as Dave and I went to our oldest daughter's house for a Christmas Eve gathering and meal - because yet another snow storm was coming tomorrow. The adults exchanged gifts and the grand-kids laughed as Dave had to plow through God-knows how many layers of duct tape. Sometimes I think I have a really weird family, but it's our creativeness and uniqueness shining through. My daughter gave me a framed enlargement of one of her photographs of a Maine harbor in the fall. The photograph was absolutely stunning!

   The best gifts and times are from the heart. Give me a piece of yourself - your imagination, your creativity, of what's truly positive inside you. You can't buy that at a store or on-line. Stepping back a bit in time, I received my first Christmas card this season on Black Friday. Ironically enough, one of my neighbors gave us a picture of herself and her cat. What could be more reflective of the giver? Over the past few weeks, we've received dozens of cards. Some were comical, others more serious and spiritual, one was of a Christmas tree full of photos of the staff of one of my doctors staff down in Portland. That one made me laugh because it was personable and unexpected.

   Here's my heart-felt gift to you. Most who know me, know that I'm a flower person. I've always liked poinsettias and I was moved to create a doodle and paint one that was inspired by a card I received last week. Enjoy!

   Until next time, enjoy all the holidays!
   Jill

The Artists Life - Christmas Angels

   Over the past year, seeing, or more to the point, being able to see, has been my main focus (no pun intended). If you remember, I began this year almost blind in my left eye. Believe it or not, I didn't notice any real difference at first. Then one day, while drinking a cup of tea (which blocked the vision of my left eye due to raising it to drink), and reading a book, I noticed the words I was viewing looked like I was reading through a funnel. I finally told my husband a few weeks later, when it wasn't improving, that I thought I needed a new pair of glasses. My husband whom has worn glasses much longer than I have and a family history of eye problems, told me to make an appointment with my eye doctor asap... like now! He very rarely "tells" me what to do, so I knew he was extremely serious.

   About a week later, my optometrist confirmed a preliminary diagnosis and promptly made an appointment for me at an eye surgery center in Portland about a week later. The diagnosis - a small hole in my macular which is part of my eye that's beneath the lens. My doctor and surgeon informed me that surgery was necessary or I'll lose sight in that eye completely. He informed me that he would insert a gas bubble into my eye and the pressure from it would close the hole. Needless to say, I was speechless from this consultation. However, he put me at ease and informed me he had done over a thousand of these same type of surgeries. I would be fine.

   Fast forward a few weeks later; the surgery went off without a hitch and I healed up just fine. The only downside to this process is that it accelerates the growth of a cataract to an extreme level - like within six months I would need cataract surgery. Fast forward again to last week; I had my cataract surgery and again my other phenomenal surgeon took care of me without even "batting an eye". While I'll need a new set of glasses in the next month, I can finally see out of both eyes. All the better to create and paint, my dears.

   Yesterday I had the chance to deliver Christmas cards as well as carol with my sole grand-daughter. We had a blast! As we walked around my neighborhood, we didn't even notice the chilly weather we've been having for the past few days.

   The bottom line is, we all have special gifts and talents to share with others to make their lives a little less sorrowful and that much better. Be sure to give a hug, or a smile, or even a casual hello. Don't let "just because it's Christmas" as an excuse to do it - practice it all year round. Spend time with someone who may not have the chance to spend time with friends or family this season. Spread the love and become a Christmas Angel. It will do you a whole heap of good as well.

   Until next time,
   Happy Holidays!
   Jill

The Artists Life - Wonder

   As the Christmas holiday quickly approaches, I am filled with a quandary; it's not a question as to whether to shop online or not, or what gift to buy, or just who to send cards to this year. I am swamped with mixed emotions. I realize that I'll never have the Christmases of my childhood back. In all reality, my childhood wasn't as bad as some other kids I knew, even though I lost my biological father at age five. Even at that young age, I had discovered art - I hadn't realized yet that it was an emotional as well as a creative outlet, but dang, was I having a blast! Looking back further, I never thought I would miss the loud, crazy chaos of a big family gathering. I'm a quiet person. So - what's my problem?

   I look out among the elderly people in my neighborhood and I know they won't be spending Christmas Day with anyone and I get instantaneously depressed. And I'm not even living their life. The days of having my own children to dote on are long gone. My youngest daughters kids are going to their fathers house for the holidays as well as vacation, so we'll be celebrating with them early. While I'll be celebrating Christmas Day with my other daughters family, her two children don't believe in Santa Claus anymore. We were all at a Christmas open house last weekend at a local transportation museum (which both kids love) and Santa arrived via a Cessna airplane. Even with all that hubbub, my granddaughter said to me afterwards, "I'm sure that guy who played Santa was good for the little kids, but he doesn't do it for me anymore." I wanted to cry. Our grand-kiddos are growing up, and it's getting a great deal more difficult to pull any wool over their eyes.

   The past is gone and the future hasn't arrived yet, so I wonder what this season will hold for us. I know it will contain the annual parties at several friends houses, church services and events, as well as visits with family and friends galore. However, my granddaughter said it best; "I just want to make people happy."

   One day at a time. I make myself happy with love, self-respect, and faith. I have to love myself before I can love anyone else. Note I didn't say "in love", but "love". If I was "in love" with myself instead of "loving" myself, I'd be a self-centered, egotistical bitch. Not fun. One way I made myself happy this week was continuing to dabble in my doodle series of works. I am happy with the results. Next month starts the sketchbook project that will end up in New York. I'm excited by the anticipation that I'm feeling now.

   As for another right now, since I've finished writing this weeks blog, it's off for a walk in the season's first snowfall. Fresh air, fresh snow, and fresh ideas for art works! Can't beat that!

   Until next time, may the small things that are ordinary bring you joy,
   Jill

The Artists Life - Windows To My Soul

   I just finished reading the book, Five Wishes - How Answering One Simple Question Can Make Your Dreams Come True, by Gay Hendricks. The author is at a party schmoozing, but he hates making small talk. He meets a fellow named Ed who asks him to "...imagine you're on your death bed, tonight or fifty years from now. Was your life a complete success? If you're life wasn't a complete success, what would be the things you'd wish had happened that would have made it a success?"

   Wow! How do you answer that? However you answer this pondering thought, this question penetrated to the heart of an issue he needed to face; What am I really doing here on this planet? What is my life purpose? Do I have a sacred mission? The author's first wish was for a long term loving relationship, which thank God, I have. Going on 33 years and still strong!

   Now take whatever wish you thought of and turn it into a goal, then bring it into the present tense. Right here, right now - as if it's happening at this moment. In the author's case, he could take that wish and say, "My life is a total success because I am enjoying a long and happy marriage with a woman I adore and who adores me. I'm enjoying a lifelong blossoming of passion and creativity with her." His wish did end up coming true because he decided to make a commitment to the woman he was with. He allowed love to grow. The experienced the same result with his second as well as his third wish, which was about totally completing tasks 100%, as well as completing a written record of everything of significance he learned while on Earth.

   Concluding his wishes were to feel the presence of God all the time; to know what divinity is and how the universe was created in addition to have the gift to truly savor life. He wanted to go beyond being here here now, for the magic of life happens in the now. Take it easy... breathe...

   For me, I can honestly say that I am content and successful in my day to day living. I've learned to call on God first everyday and meditate and I have my true soul mate. I've cleared the wreckage of my past, and I flow in the river of love daily. I continue to work at being genuinely happy and doing things for my own personal development. Still being able to create art after all these years, sharing it with others, as well as making a few dollars from it is just gravy in the grand scheme of things.

   "From the perspective of your death bed what matters in that your final breath comes in with the sweet satisfaction of a life fulfilled and goes out with the blessing of a life complete. Even in the perspective of right now, what matters is that your next breath energizes your intention to fulfill your destiny." The challenge is to change one's life. I was fortunate enough before it was too late to realize to take the action to change mine.

   Until next time,
   Jill