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Tag Archives: prayer

Hope

22 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by createdforjoy in Think

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Tags

garden, hope, prayer, spring, think

flowers01

I have had a creative, messy, rewarding week, although it wasn’t spent in the studio or kitchen. Instead of paint or cake batter, my preferred medium the last few days has been soil. It says something that I had to return my brand new pair of suede gardening gloves because I wore them to shreds in less than 24 hours. After all that hard work, our front yard is full of dozens of blooms and the rich, wet-forest smell of mulch. It looks neater and more loved than it has in years, and at this point, I’m sure our neighbors think we are about to put our house on the market. :)

But this flurry of activity is about something much more significant than curb appeal. It is a tangible, exciting picture of hope. The years of neglect our property suffered were born of a home so full of illness, complications, and coping that it would have been sheer folly to expend energy on something as trivial as pulling weeds. For many slow-motion months in a row, I survived from one moment of God’s grace to the next, through multiple hospitalizations and setbacks. I needed desperately to be assured that all that pain could legitimately be called growth, that it promised to bear fruit somehow. When catastrophic flooding in 2010 washed the last of our topsoil and mulch down the hill and into the Harpeth River, it was so metaphorically appropriate as to provoke disbelief. Upon encountering the same scenario in a novel, the reader would be warranted in grumbling, “Really? Laying it on a bit thick, aren’t we?”

That’s the hard, brilliant truth of this life: it comes on strong, in heaps and waves. Our trials don’t conveniently wait in line until the trouble before has been tidily resolved. There is much hope to be found in today, to be sure: my son’s exuberant teenage smile, full of braces and potential; the smell of Banana Chocolate Chip muffins baking; a homeschool math lesson finished without angst. But sometimes my soul needs a good power-washing, to have the doubts and fears blasted away by Something That Shouldn’t Be but is anyway.

All this playing in the dirt, raking and planting, planning and doing seemed impossible a few years ago. It certainly felt out of reach last summer, lying in an ICU bed without the strength to lift my own head. It never entered my small, unimaginative mind that my body would be restored to this extent. After four spinal fractures in two years and a suggested maximum lifting limit of ten pounds, here I am hauling around bags of garden soil and digging holes? Most people talk about back-breaking work, but back-broken work is an altogether different story. I am not pain-free, but I have mud under my fingernails and the promise of springtime. For me, that’s hope.

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Creativity

15 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by createdforjoy in Think

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Tags

art, believe, creativity, faith, hope, prayer, prison ministry, think

creativity

You will never hear a child say, “I’m just not creative.” That declaration is reserved entirely for adults. Why? I don’t think we really mean we are incapable of imagining or making something new. But sometimes it is hard to separate being creative from how others will perceive our creations. The older we get, the more we feel the pressure of measuring up, and the weight of such expectation can stop us in our tracks.

I am certainly not immune — if anything, it might be the opposite. I have always been the artsy type, but I still have to make a deliberate decision to be creative. It gives me pause every time I am about to hit the “publish” button on this blog or show someone my most recent painting. I can do it only when I remember that, for me, the value of creativity is found in processing, sharing, and encouraging, of putting joy above judgement. (If I had named this blog “created for success,” it would probably be empty. :)

And I still have so much to learn… the little tree pictured above is proof of that. It is made out of humble materials — a toilet paper tube, copy paper, a bit of recycled gift wrap and some glitter glue — but it is such a mighty statement about the power of creativity. It was made by an inmate named Shannon at the Tennessee Prison for Women. It encourages me so much to know she found a way to be creative with limited resources, in the midst of circumstances that could easily foster only anger and despair.

Shannon believes passionately in the hope and possibility that come from creativity, and she pursues that passion and encourages others in it, despite where she is. What a beautiful reminder that being creative is not about showing off, it’s about showing up. Shannon’s art proves that imagination and inspiration exist outside of our imperfection, and I am so grateful for that.

Gift Box

03 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by createdforjoy in Make, Read

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Tags

cardstock, cut and paste, gel medium, gift, holiday, make, mini scrapbooks, paper craft, pocket, prayer, read, winter

giftboxmain

As we get back to our normal work and school routine around here, I thought I would share one last holiday-themed project. If there was such a thing as Paper Craft Engineering 101, this would be the final exam. The 4″-square box, lid, and double layer of pockets inside are made from four single sheets of cardstock, scored, cut, and folded to form the structure and its contents.

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When you remove the lid and unfold the box, it transforms into four pairs of pockets. Each pocket holds a decorated, removable tag. The center forms the perfect hideaway for a miniature winter scene made from paper and gel medium.

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I made the gift box around this time last year; it was a promise to the recipient to pray for the items listed on the tags: peace, love, wisdom, faith, joy, mercy, hope, and patience. (I certainly needed and received all eight myself in 2011.)

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The template measurements for the gift box came from Outstanding Mini Albums: 50 Ideas for Creating Mini Scrapbooks by Jessica Acs. The rest of the projects featured in the book are more traditional scrapbooks, and this could easily be used as a keepsake album with pictures on the tags. It would make a fantastic birthday gift or present for new parents. You could also use the tags to record words of advice for newlyweds or wishes for a graduate.

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Projects like this one take time, but I value the focus and solitude of those hours. This is definitely one of those crafts where being a member of the Cut-and-Paste Club comes in handy, but don’t worry — even if you haven’t renewed your membership since kindergarten, the club officially welcomes you back with open arms. Go get your scissors, I’ll wait here. :)

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(Memory Makers: 2009; ISBN 159963032X)

Thankful

24 Thursday Nov 2011

Posted by createdforjoy in Think

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Tags

prayer, thankful, Thanksgiving, think

thankful

Just wanted to take a moment in the quiet hours this morning to say Happy Thanksgiving. I have so many reasons to be thankful every single day. I am especially grateful to be up and moving well enough to cook and share with friends and family. In both 2007 and 2008, I was too sick to celebrate this holiday at all, unable to walk unaided or breathe comfortably. What a beautiful, tender mercy it is that finds me not only alive and mobile, but also awake at 8 AM with a meringue in the oven and bacon sauteing on the stove. No, those things are not what make life worth living, but they are important to me and I am thankful. I am also thankful to all of you who read this blog and comment, who share my days with me and listen to what I have to say. What a blessing you are!

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. If this finds you far away from home or family, please know you are here with me in spirit and I said a prayer of thanks for you. If you’re the one responsible for feeding your loved ones, may your turkey stay moist and your pies never burn. If you have a relative coming that drives you crazy, I hereby pronounce them powerless for the day, unable to disturb the peace and joy of this moment. You are treasured.

Our Thanksgiving Menu
Smoked Turkey
Orange-Mustard-Thyme Butter Roasted Turkey
Apple-Sage Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Roasted Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Peas with Bacon and Onion
Broccoli with Lemon
Spinach Salad with Apple and Gouda
Custard Cornbread
Parkerhouse Rolls
Fudge Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Meyer Lemon Pavolova

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