Ahhh summer nights. I love night ball games with my grandkids. It’s easy going and fun to watch the kids try their best to win. The kids on each team come from different backgrounds with different stories. Some are sad as the kids have to deal with so many adult issues but at the game, all of that takes a backseat as they cheer each other on. it’s heartwarming to be sure.
It’s good to get out of the studio after a long day of class homework and enjoy summer. It comes with the smell of fresh mowed grass, flowers, fields ready to harvest their hay and more. I think that is why I love summer. Slowly we make our way to late summer and fall. Each season having its own activities to indulge in and also new smells. I love the transition and I savor these days before winter days are upon us.
Early mornings are my favorite. Often I bring my breakfast outside and eat with the birdies! Good morning world! Hello Summer!
Oh what a journey I have been on these last few weeks. The first month of 2021 was disturbing to say the least. My soul was crushed in many ways. My art and my soul are effected by many things that come across my path in a given day. Each day I am determined to find faith, hope and joy to carry on, even when the world looks so dark.
One of my main aims in life is to bring joy to children through my books and also my fabric designs. The little ones are my heart and soul. Why is that you might ask? Because children amaze me to no end. Case in point, little “Ruby“. I met her and her parents while on my walk yesterday. She was dressed in a sparkling and frilly purple gown. I said to her, “I spy a princess!!!” Her eyes lit up because in her mind she truly was a princess and someone noticed her! (Perhaps she really IS a princess! I love that thought!) Ruby held out a stick and announced, “This is my magic wand!” She was a breath of fresh air and made me laugh!
Earlier in the week I was in a conversation with my granddaughter. She wanted me to tell her a story. I began with, “Once upon a time there was a little girl who was afraid of dogs.” Her eyes got really really big and she announced, “It’s a true story!!!” She was afraid of dogs and thought it was amazing I was telling HER story. It was so funny to see her so shocked that I knew it.
Children are captivating. I can almost see little wheels turning in their heads! They are trusting and pure and joyful and eager to learn. Like little sponges they soak up the world around them. The thought of many of them suffering at our southern border (in the thousands now) or many of them being eliminated through abortion at the whim of a person sitting at a desk both astounds me and angers me. I have been told to, “Stop watching the news. You can’t change the world”… but that feels like a cold answer. Just ignore it? It feels so heartless. In order to retain my sanity I decided to look ahead to see what I might write and illustrate for our wee ones that brings a hopeful message that is loaded with joy….and hopefully one day the little ignored and forgotten ones in the world will be rescued. It is my constant prayer.
But where does Christmas fit in? It has to do with God, my Heavenly Father. In my struggles he brought me a surprise. I had been on Facebook when a free class popped up on how to use Adobe Illustrator to make a pattern. I jumped at the chance. I had been wanting to learn Illustrator in this specific way instead of my go-to, Photoshop. The class was a challenge and when I made my first pattern I was thrilled!! I danced around in front of my husband. He loved the pattern too. The free class was only the tip of what was taught in the full class which would cost a lot more. To my surprise and delight, my husband saw my excitement and agreed it should be something I moved ahead on. This 10 week class has been delightful. It has been “creativity to the fullest” and the other students are so inspiring. I believe one of the students is about 75 years old and chugging away undaunted by age. I LOVE that!! I can, and will, use what I’m learning in my children’s books and fabrics. I even helped my grandson create his first fabric design. (above) He loved it! I am still praying for our country and it’s treatment of children and women at the border and in abortion clinics. Talk is cheap. My action is to keep praying and to use my new skills to make the best books and products I can to bring joy to all their hearts and help brighten our world.
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