Art-Full Gratitude

My days are filled with gratitude. Gratitude is a big part of every day, whether I’m spending my time in the studio or out. Recently, I decided to go on a gratitude rant about my life as an artist and generate a list of many of the reasons I feel so very thankful. I’m sharing 30 of those here today.

1. Thankful for the exhilarating joy and wonder in the amazing gift of being an artist in this lifetime.

2. So very grateful to have my own studio… a designated place to create.

3. So appreciate that I can leave the studio as it is, with anything in process at the end of the day and not have to clean it up.

4. Thankful for the art materials and supplies that surround me, accessible for my use at any moment.

5. Thankful that I saved some materials, years ago, that can now be used today.

6. Thankful for all the storage space to store all these materials.

7. Thankful for that “mistake” on the canvas that has led me to creating something I never would have created without that wonderful “blunder.”

8. Thankful for feeling this joy and delight in the process of creating.

9. Thankful for the gift of having the time to create.

10. Grateful for the clarity of how to proceed with any painting I’m currently working on.

11. Grateful for the continuous flow of ideas that light me up and call to me.

12. Grateful for the experience of being in the creative flow.

13. Thankful for the images that come to mind of a new painting to create

14. Thrilled and thankful for the idea of a new way to use the cloth in a painting… one that I had not thought of before.

15. So thankful for the funds to buy the paints and canvases I use in my paintings and to be able to replenish whatever I have used.

16. Gratitude for having mixed up yummy and luscious paint colors.

17. Thankful for the feeling I get just by walking into my studio, even before beginning to create.

18. Thankful for all the creativity that happens in my mind when I’m away from the studio.

19. Thankful for the tremendous world of inspiration that occurs anywhere and everywhere.

20. Thankful for the immense feeling of love that fills me up when I’m creating.

21. Thankful for the vibration of energy I feel throughout my arms as I write about my gratitude for all these creative gifts. 

22. Grateful for my hands and my ability to create through the use of my wonderful hands and fingers.

23. Grateful for the opportunities I have to show my work.

24. Grateful for the beautiful people that show up for the events when I am sharing my art and process.

25. Thankful for those who connect with my art and appreciate what I have created.

26. Grateful for those who choose to give one or more of my works a place in their homes and their hearts, or to give my work as a gift to another.

27. So thankful for the feeling of love that is present (between me and a buyer) when my art is purchased.

28. Thankful to still feel so good about the work I did years ago… even after much time has passed.

29. Grateful for the love and support I receive from my family around my work as an artist and for me being me.

30. And… always grateful for another day to create.

What are you grateful for in your life? Want to do your own gratitude rant? Let me know if you do. It’s an activity that leaves you feeling so very good!

Gratitude in any Moment

2020 is a year when goals have been disrupted and plans have been tossed. The trajectory of our lives has either placed us on hold, offered up challenges, or altered our life’s course. Most of us are not the same today as we were when the year began. No matter what our personal difficulties or how numerous the challenges, there is comfort in reflecting on all that we do have and all that is right in our lives. You can shine the spotlight of Gratitude in any direction and find something to be thankful for.

Gratitude is the Super Power that each of us possess. And in a year such as this, it is vital for our well-being to have a tool that helps us to feel uplifted in any moment we choose.

• Gratitude is the ability to see what is right before you - it is a feeling, an experience in the here and now, in this very moment. And that feeling, when viewed through the heart, turns up the power of gratitude within us.

• Gratitude is a NOW experience. It resides in our feelings of this present moment, without the tug of the past or the focus on what the future may hold.

• Just as the sunlight streams through the leaves of a tree at just that exact angle, in that precise moment, gratitude happens in the moment as well.

Gratitude is not only a way of connecting us to what is good in our lives, but it creates a link to the present through an experience of the heart.

Wishing you the gift of embracing the many moments of heartfelt gratitude today and everyday.

Losing Both My Parents

My parents holding hands during one of my mom’s visits to my dad’s hospital room. The wonderful hospital staff helped make sure they visited one another every day.

Two months ago today, my dad died in a hospital room, at age 94. Exactly one week later my mom took her last breath in a similar room just a few rooms away. She would have celebrated her 90th birthday a few weeks later. After 70 years of marriage, they were still choosing to do everything together.

I’m finding that in order to move on and begin to share art related posts again on this blog, I have the need to first share this loss. The experience of watching both parents slip away was powerful and the loss is life altering. I can already see changes in the way I approach my paintings and my life. In recent weeks, I’ve needed time to hibernate and step back from “life as I knew it.” I’ve been taking one step at a time and easing myself back into the world. In writing this today, it is a step forward.

Helen and Ruby on their Wedding Day, 1949

I was so very fortunate to have both parents in my life for so many years. I so appreciate the abundance of love and support I always received from them. Their enthusiastic response, anytime we shared details of new ventures, accomplishments, possibilities, and experiences, was a continuous gift to the whole family. They made it easy and joyful to share anything and everything with them.

And how they loved each other!! I believe they lived as long as they did because of their commitment to one another. And being in their presence, you just could not help but be drawn into the vortex of love and gratitude vibrantly operating between the two of them. It’s no wonder they seemed to have fans wherever they went… and of course, they always went together.

For years, my brother and I hoped that our parents would somehow be able to leave this world at the same time or shortly after one another. We knew it would be too painful for either of them to be left behind without the other. They orchestrated their exit pretty well. They were miraculously admitted to the hospital on the very same day, for different reasons. During their final days, they were surrounded by loved ones and managed to visit one another each day. When they were able, they held hands, blew each other kisses, and continued to touch the lives of those around them.

We witnessed and experienced a whole lot in those weeks, including many precious moments. I know I will miss them deeply, but I am so glad that neither of them has to continue life without the other. Their love story continues.

What a gift it has been to have had so many years with my loving parents and to have been a witness to their love and commitment to one another!

Mom and Dad doing what they loved most - sharing a meal with their family. 2016

Grateful

Today is Thanksgiving and I wanted to wish you all a day filled with gratitude and appreciation for all the beautiful, wonderful, and good that fills your life. May every day be a Thanksgiving day.