exhale.

every autumn, i look forward to attending our church's women's retreat.  a few of them have been beautiful.special to me.  quite moving. this latest one was another one of those... when a group of women pray over an event, and all comes together in beautiful harmony, and God's Spirit is present around every bit of it.. i feel myself exhaling from all the tensions of my world, and resting.  this year's theme was focused on our scars, and God's grace.. though you could certainly flip the wording and have it say, His scars..which become our grace.. 2 sides of the same coin.  Our speaker, Lisa Deam Christian spoke to us through Art History and the scars of Christ portrayed in Medieval artwork.. It was fascinating.  Among others sharing their stories, there was also time to inhale and breathe in quietness from a busy life.

storytelling by the lovely author, writer Wendy Irons Blanton

Rachelle Sartini Garner made these for us.. and was my roomie for the weekend. :)

a work in progress of mine... painting is becoming a necessity for me..

i always look forward to leading the ladies in some form of art exploration that has some connection to the theme.  and i was thrilled to help them explore with mark making and painting with abandon on canvas boards.. sadly some had not touched a paintbrush in years, but what joy it was to help them unravel with childlike wonder again, without fear of judgement and expectations.. bliss.

a friend's journal entry.. her question had been answered. :)

have you heard of Kintsugi?  a friend and i made these for the committee .. it was painful breaking the pieces, but glorious in transforming them with gold... pottery glue, then a gold leaf paint pen. :)  

and THIS IS BEAUTIFUL...