Homegrown Hospitality

Do Something

I came home with from Pennsylvania with this and never showed you...Shame on me.

Ahh yes, wool felt, a big brand new giant stack and typically, I would have ripped into this stack and started stitching away, but I have been looking at it now for 7 days.  Amongst the greens, reds and golds, the colors I normally migrate to, the colors I call my "Life Colors"...

I see Blue...and I feel blue.

My heart is still so full of emotion from the weekend,so much that it makes me a little weepy, no, really weepy.  I am going to show you a picture that will tug on your heartstrings, maybe harder than ever. This is Erik Rees.  Pastor at my church, daddy to Jessie. A photo that was taken a few month ago:

After witnessing our small community rally around Jessie through the 10 months of her fight, the love and tears shown during the days and weeks after her death, the immense desire to keep her hope of Spreading Joy to children fighting cancer and events like this past Saturday, I feel more empowered than ever before to help...as do my boys...In fact, when Ben got out of the car this morning, he mentioned he was wearing NEGU Blue (not knowing that I was typing this)

Our family is fighting, working, walking, praying and helping to Spread Joy in memory of Jessie, for the cause, for the families

for the reason, for this dad that smiles brightly in the midst of his pain. 

I look at that stack of felt and see blue...I see NEGU colors and I now know what my first project is going to be

because this family...needs a basket of happy & joy...in honor of their girl and the amazing work they are doing in honor of her.

We all have a God Given purpose and it is our responsibility to

so again, I challenge you to Do Something.  Whether it is for the Jessie Rees Foundation or something else, please get up and do something...because as Jessie's daddy reminded me, "We Are Better Together"

and hey... show your Team NEGU pride wearing shirts like these to spread the word...

and to remind others to NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Just Do It

The Cinco De Mayo Pediatric Cancer Run/Walk was yesterday and because I was sick all week, I had to bow out of the 1/2 Marathon. It was very bittersweet for me because I have been training for this event with my sweet friend Regina and because YOU have been so supportive in donating $$$ to the cause and because I was out there with many others running for Team NEGU.  

I was sick and there was nothing I could do about it but I still felt so disappointed to not only be out there next to my friend running, but felt I was letting down so many....Jessie, her family and Team NEGU...

After too many hours of "I am just going to go" to "I can't go" to "I will just walk" to "I don't know if I should go out" I thought about Jessie.  Her fight, her joy, her will and her "Never Ever Give Up" attitude and thought, GET UP and go walk!!!

QUIT WHINNING, just do it!

So that is what I did. Got in the shower, woke up the boys, bucked it up, joined the team and walked the walk.

Bittersweet again.

So many people out there, so many "Teams" representing the lil love bugs that are fighting cancer or have lost the fight.

1000's of people walking, running, riding, cheering on, raising $$$ and awareness...for little kids...and big kids. Bittersweet and plain ol' heart wrenching and the bittersweet makes me want to do more, fight more, run more..create more...for the cause and for the cure.  I want to challenge you to do more..for Team Negu or for a cause close to your heart.

Just do It.

Do what you can..when you can...every little bit counts...

A big huge shout out to Regina and all of the runners for finishing the race!!!  WAY to GO Friend..Way to Go Team NEGU!

A Whole New Doodle

 

Out of My Hands

I had about 7 minutes.

I was in between a big airplane and a small one.  

Going from two pilots, a full crew and complimentary drinks twice in the flight to Snoopy flying a plane, one crew member and an aisle between seats that was to narrow to have a service cart go up and down when I got the call...

and another and another and another..and then a text, and another..and another.

I started to feel my knees buckle and for a brief 100th of a second thought "turn around and go home" even though it was a very minor "issue"..very minor.   For a twelve year old that doesn't like when his momma goes away from home, the minor issue probably seemed HUGE and because when I was twelve and I did not like when my momma went away, I knew what he was feeling.

DEEP BREATH...

Outside the window, Snoopy was up on a ladder starting to spin the propellers on the plane to get the engine started when the call came over the intercom bullhorn that it was time to board....

Me being me, being a mom that is now across the country from home, has a phone vibrating in her pocket and is watching snoopy wipe the dew off of the plane window that is the size of a small fish aquarium, I had to pull up my boot straps, take a deep breath, walk out onto the runway to climb that ladder to get to the plane and just get to my seat all-the-while trying to ignore the buzzing of the vibrating phone...shoot..I needed to turn off my phone so snoopy could fly the damn plane (sorry for the language).

I got to my seat, buckled in, shut my eyes and prayed it away.

PRAYED THROUGH IT and GAVE IT AWAY.

Moral and lesson of the story = There was nothing I could do, but exactly what I did which was all I could do.

Let it go and let GOD have it.  It was out of my hands..and into His, like a hot potato.

whew.

Little did I know that the above story would be exactly what I needed to go through to be able to turn it into art for the prompt that Courtney was going to send me..

Always know that something you are going through is for a reason. You have to "Go through it to grow though it", challenges lead to growth whether you are 12 or 40 something, and as the book "The Seed" quotes on page 98:

Give it to God...HE can handle it...and get going on what you are supposed to be doing.

The Art of Being

Have I mentioned the book "The Seed" (just kidding) anyways..after life, work, swim meet and laundry, I sat down later-than-usual last night because I went to Aaron Brothers in-between one thing and another yesterday to get a new pad of watercolor paper to compliment my new set of  Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink pens. (Grove's carries the Distress Markers and they ship!)

I LOVE new pads of paper and I love markers...well, and I love that darn Seed book.

Here is what the book reads:

" Humans become confused, Dharma thought, because they have a desire to learn and grow.  It's part of their design.  They focus so much on learning and growing  that they forget the art of being.  They focus so much on striving against one anther that they forget they were made for loving one another" The Seed, Page 55  p.s Dharma is a dog.

Right Now.

Before I starting this post this morning or even knew what I was going to write about, I read Mel's newest blog post (and I suggest that after you are done here, you hightail it over there to be lulled by her amazing writing....) then I opened up "The Seed" to this highligted excerpt (remember, I told you I highlighted most of the book...) and knew what I was going to write about.

Don't miss what is all around you right now....because of the muck, the mess and the fear. Please open your eyes...

It was dark when I arrived in PA on Thursday night and this is the first thing I saw Friday morning as opened the curtains from my room in Pennsylvania.

Maybe you will understand it, or maybe you won't...but it made me gasp, I think my heart skipped a beat..and I KNEW I was right where I was supposed to be and had I buckled in fear, I would have missed this sight.  The dark sky, the bright barn, the rusted roof....the green life all around....Do not miss the life all around you right now.

A Rewards Program

A little reminder...

Amazing things come in all shapes and sizes...

sometimes as simple as rocks in the shape of hearts when I feel like my physical heart is working overtime and questioning my body "Um...why, what in the world and where are we going???"

sometimes in the form of a clothesline of long-johns, handkerchiefs and socks when my spiritual heart starts to beat with calmness and peace because of the visions of beautiful green country roads that are pulsing with life, abundance and simplicity

and sometimes at the moment the falling sun meets the rising moon, when you not only feel but are the farthest away from home, but you feel like you are exactly right where you are supposed to be....

The rewards are amazing and are availble to you right now.

It is simple, no written application necessary and no little card to attach to your keychain...

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" Matthew 7:7 NIV

Home is Best...

..but Pennsylvania is REALLY GOOD...and I dream of living, creating and growing old here  (or something similar)

and walking down to the road to pick up handwritten notes from my friends..(friends, you will write me, right???)

On my way to PA, I read a book named "The Seed" by Jon Gordon that my sweet friend Cori brought me and it was the perfect starter to an even more perfect long (yet super quick, too fast) weekend.  I highlighted a quote and/or passage on almost every page and you will see those words come to life via pen and paper.

During my Saturday class, I brought up the book, The Seed, and as I was talking about how much the book spoke to me, my friend Pam approached me with a little gift...a new coffee cup and look what it reads:

These are the things that confirm my purpose and that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing...

Thank you PA, Staci & Jeff and the Shuck Family and all of you who joined me on Saturday, to Kim, Lisa and Tracy for driving me to "The Valley" (Kim..YOU WON!) .....more coming tomorrow..nned to get back to laundry!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE PA????

On My Way...

Supplies have arrived in PA, a detailed "who-goes-where-when" is plastered to the refrigerator, soccer uniforms are washed and socks are ready...cookies are baked and packed, I am all checked in online and I am on my way to PA..."My Home Sweet Home away from Home..."

Be sure to follow me via FB as we venture to Amish country on Friday

and get crazy messy creating on Saturday morning...

and then stitch our way thorough the evening

Be home soon...oh, and say some prayers for me so that the home sick goblins stay away...

So far, so good!

PA..here I come!

Be All YOU Can Be, Part 2

There were so many comments based on yesterdays post about "Living Life with Purpose" that I am going to give you my two cents as a response to some of those comments....along with some photos I took this morning as I was packing for Pennsylvania that illustrate what I am going to tell you (LOVE how that happens..I took the photos BEFORE I read the comments.  God talked to me through tangled and knotted Embroidery floss..just read, you will get it... )

Here is part of what Mariam said: I am still searching for my purpose in life, and I hope I will find it someday. 

My suggestion is to NOT SEARCH like you are looking for a hidden treasure (even though it is a treasure!) Searching would be like looking at this trying to find the end of the string and that is not only aggravating, but exhausting.

WHAT A MESS (and guess what, I created it)

Instead of "Search" maybe "seek" and just plain ol' ask. Personally, I spent a little too much time in life thinking (and believing) that "I did not know what I wanted to do" in terms of career, college, etc. and spent 10 times more time doing what I wanted to do, instead of paying attention to my individual skills, abilities and talents, which caused the knots and tangles which lead to anxiety and frustration.

Dang it! 

Here is what I do now..

Ask, Listen, Pay Attention and remember that the answer may not be or look like what you want it to be. It may not look exactly like this, all neat, tidy and safe, BUT, the answer you are seeking will work a whole lot more smooth. 

When you give up searching and starting seeking, it, your purpose, is going to become clear and then things are going to start to make sense.

It is like an Oprah "ahhh" moment...and in my lingo, it is like a giant, "duh".

Okay..going to continue answering some of those comments (go read some of them) and then back to packing..have a GREAT day!

oh heck, here is another response and it is more like 5 cents...

Aubien said : Someone I know has been telling me for a few years now that they can clearly see my gift...my purpose. I can't see it yet. Not from not wanting to... I want to...but I can't see it and it's hard to embrace it when you can't see it.

Here is my response in 500 words or less!

Remember that it is just like FAITH. We cannot see it. but we believe it. 
Sometimes (no, most of the time) we create ideas in our head of the way WE "think things should look" and we are not paying attention to the way things are because we have confused our ownself. (me raising my hand!)
I am so like this, and I believe that it is natural because of the manic crazy life we live and the dang snake in the garden.
FIRST THINGS FIRST...
Just stop. stop stop stop. Put your foot down and just say enough. I say that because I got myself into that same "looking looking looking" and I was going so fast and furious that I could not and did not see anything. 
I got so frustrated, confused and mislead by my ownself that I just gave in....not give up..just gave in to thinking I had everything under control and was doing what I was supposed to be doing.
Just stop, breathe, focus and pray and open your heart to what is waiting for you.