Simple Abundance - Joy

What a glorious weekend! My boys came home for Thanksgiving for which I am so very grateful. I miss them so as they now live in another state and so far from a mother's embrace. However, reunions are so sweet and there is Christmas to look forward to when they will again make the journey to return home.

They joined me for the holiday openhouse at the antique store where I showcase my jewelry and other mixed media creations....what fun! A perfect way to welcome the approaching Christmas holiday season. I am sharing a photo of one of the charm bracelets I had on display.

I have recently returned to reading "Simple Abundance" and would like to share this with you.

"I open the door. The gorgeous guest from afar sweeps in. In her hands are her gifts...the gifts of hours and far-seeing moments, the gifts of mornings and evenings, the gift of spring and summer, the gift of autumn and winter. She must have searched the heavens for boons so rare." Abbie Graham

December's gifts...custom, ceremony, celebration, consecration...come to us wrapped up, not in tissue and ribbons, but in cherished memories. This is the month of miracles. The oil that burns for eight days, the royal son born in a stable, the inexplicable return of Light on the longest, darkest night of the year. Where there is Love, there are always miracles. And where there are miracles, there is great joy. Gratefully we weave the golden thread of the sixth principle of Simple Abundance -- JOY -- into our tapestry of contentment. At last we embrace the miracle of authenticity, changing forever how we view ourselves. Our daily round. Our dreams. Our destinies, Days we once called common, we now call holy.

May your holiday season be filled with JOY!!

Diana

Forever Grateful

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost here and Christmas just around the corner....one of my favorite times of year. Just to catch you up on what I have been doing during the last few months....... My goal this year was to learn as much as I could about various mixed media art techniques and in doing so attended five art retreats. In October I had the joy of attending Art and Soul in Portland and taking workshops from such talented and inspiring artists as Misty Mawn, Ramona and Thomas Ashman, Sally Jean Alexander, and Jane Wynn. I am so very grateful to these artists for sharing themselves and their artistic expertise with me. I learned so many new techniques and had my eyes opened to so many new possibilities in art. It was great meeting up with art friends there and meeting new friends. The warmth and acceptance felt at these retreats and in the mixed media art community is so nurturing and inspiring. Thank you to all of you who have been so encouraging to me.....I am so very grateful.

Ten days after I returned home from Portland I left for southern California to attend a 3-day jewelry design retreat with Tracy Stanley. Tracy is just an awesome teacher and designer....such a delightful soul. I came home and immediately had to order all of my metalsmithing toys. To Tracy and her joyful spirit I am grateful.

I have been literally consumed with a passion for mixed media arts and just want to live in my studio playing all day and night. If it wasn't for my absolutely wonderful, supportive husband, I probably wouldn't eat.....I think I need therapy! I do realize, however, that it is important and necessary for me to put some balance back into my life.....which seems to be a constant challenge for me. In addition to my arts, I do have a body to take care of, a spirit to nurture, family to embrace, friendships to care for, home to tend, and a glorious world out there to explore and savor. For all this I am grateful.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~Melody Beattie

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving with your loved ones!

Diana