a new year

10 x 10, oil on canvas

Deepak Chopra says "babies bubble in bliss." And research supports this notion with the revelation that, unlike adults, the majority of a baby's sleep is spent in a deep, dream-filled slumber known as REM or rapid eye movement. Without the "noise" of language, infants have no labels, no judgments, and are never awake all night worrying about the future or regretting the past. Instead, a baby's world is filtered through the five senses. He learns to roll over, hold his head up, advance to sitting, crawling, standing. toddling--all in a matter of a few short months! With each stage of development, he acquires a brand new perspective --not just on January 1st, but in every moment, as each new situation becomes an opportunity for growth and discovery.

Children have so much to teach us about how to live and what is important, don't they?

~Wishing YOU

the innocence of childhood

fresh, new perspectives

with a dash of bliss,

And no matter what each new day brings your way,

may you find yourself wrapped

in a blanket of courage and hope,

blessings and light~

fcp

peace on earth

10 x 10, oil on canvas

as we welcome the coming new year, may we...

"have the opportunity once more

to right some wrongs,

to pray for peace,

to plant a tree,

to sing more joyful songs"

William Arthur Ward

Christmas Cheer

8 x 10, oil on canvas

"LOVE is what is in the room with you at Christmas

if you stop opening presents and listen"

Bobby, age 8

comfort and joy

6 x 12, oil on canvas

"He who has not Christmas in his heart

will never find it under a tree."

Roy L. Smith

Based on the above truth, wouldn't it seem logical to conclude that "he/she who has no Christmas in their heart January through November will never find it in December"? Or is it that the spirit/love/energy is just a little more "contagious" this time of year? Perhaps it is a case of "joy rising" as Oprah would say? Or yet another example of Jill Bolte Taylor's sage advice to "be accountable" for the energy we bring into each space (including the space in our hearts as well as that under the tree?)

Good Tidings

10 x 10. oil on canvas

"We who walk on this particular planet are dealt one 24-hour day at a time.

It is an arbitrary span,

like the opening and closing of a flower,

a time-lapse bloom of its own.

Creative people understand this temporary blossoming

and learn to take advantage of it.

Every precious day is yet another opportunity to serve--

to carry further wonder to the world."

Robert Genn

be a geranium

12 x 12, oil on canvas

I planted red, peach and hot pink geraniums in urns just before Derby Day this year (that's the first weekend of May to anyone not from KY). They were lovely all summer, and as fall approached they became much more magnificent and bountiful with the cooler weather. Still, I knew the first frost would zap them. But, slightly sheltered by the front porch, they not only survived Halloween, but Thanksgiving came and went as well. So this weekend, I said adieu and placed the last cuttings in a vase, again thinking they would quickly wilt--but no, they continue to remain beautiful and "posed" for this painting yesterday. I guess you could say they bloomed well past their season simply because they didn't "know" they couldn't. All of which begs the question...what if our children grew up in a world where no one spoke of perceived limitations and challenges? What if no one told them they were not good enough, wise enough, tall enough, talented enough...? What if we stopped telling ourselves those things?

What if we chose to be bold and joyful like the geranium, and flourish in all our seasons?

"Never limit yourself because of others' limited imagination;

never limit others because of your own limited imagination."

Mae Jemison

We Three Kings

We Three Kings

5 x 7, oil on canvas

"I'll tell you

how the sun rose

a ribbon

at a time"

~Emily Dickinson~