Let my love open the door to your heart

Since I last entered a post, I have been resting and saving what pain free time I have for my family. As we receive our internet from our local favorite coffee place, the Flying M, sometimes it takes me a while to get here and post. But here I am, six days before surgery, one morning after the hilarious funeral my girlfriends threw for the ovary that is going away (that's a good thing, at this point...but we are holding out for healing in any form God chooses!). One of the benefits of quieting myself between writings is that God gives me all sorts of lovely ideas to work on whilst reclined. The latest of these came when I listened to Sondre Lerche's version of "Let My Love Open the Door to Your Heart"...love this artist's version from the Dan in Real Life sound track. Anyhoo, whenever I hear those lyrics I think of how Jesus is saying the same thing to all of us everyday at every moment. I have struggled with my heart becoming slightly closed...you know...those moments where one feels like they've just had enough. Every time this happens Jesus puts these lyrics into my head and reminds me to keep up with the act of 'reclined creating' ;D rather than just lying down and giving up. Picutred here is the beautiful result. I see hundreds and hundreds of these being given to patients who are exhausted from days on end of pain...with notes of prayer inside from folks who are praying for hope & healing to those who are suffering. If you would like to become a partner in praying about and writing a note to someone in the hospital, please leave your address. I'll send you a little "door note" , which has an expandable inside note ready for you to write in. In turn, you'll send it back to me and it will make its way to a patient! How exciting is this!!!???

better late than never

it's late. i'm up and in pain waiting for the meds to kick in. this evening an dear friend arrived at my in-law's winery and called me out to say hello. she reminded me of how much has happened creatively since we had last seen each other. and i saw that despite all of this rediculous pain, God has produced so much growth. like a green shoot arising from concrete or reaching the peak after a long, difficult climb (you climbers know what i mean). i was able to receive a great deal of perspective while realizing that the only momentum i've gained couldn't have been pushed forward without the quiet of being saturated in prayer, contemplation on how the Bible applies to real moments in life and a whole lot of support. i have not been regularly blogging as sitting up has become difficult, but it needed to happen tonight. so, appropriate for the season, i am thankful for the ability to use the creativity i've been created with to...well...create...even if it's something as small as a paper bird.
what have i been up to the past six months? well, healing both physically and in every other respect...coming down with some large haematobic ovarian cysts plus preparing for what we really hope will be the last surgery to remove that ovary... and really trying to understand what it means when God's Word says that He promises to be faithful to complete a good work He begins (i.e. the hope+healing project) and that He promises to work every situation out for good. these words are no longer cliche's to me...they are very real and living. in the last six months over 50 paper birds have been created, i received beautiful photographs from mary spears which will accompany several paintings (a friend has graciously offered to adhere them to boards and hang the work for me until i am able to do more physically), applied for and recieved a wonderful spot to exhibit work on the art wall at St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise in March, and have been developing ideas for what the differing ages of children in pediatric hospitals might enjoy and be most encoraged by...paper bird mobiles for infants, paper flowers for caregivers, dolls for kids, small pieces of fine art and screen printed pillows for older ped. patients. all of this quiet has given way to a lot of inspiration. all of this quiet gives way to an openess to more ideas...plenty of which He wants to show us if we can be quiet for long enough to let them shine through. i pray that in the future i will carve out more moments of quiet without the need to be reclined in pain to do so. thank God for his mercy at present! :D

We've been busy!

As I sit at my favorite coffee place, the Flying M Coffee Garage in Nampa, Idaho, I am reminded how incredible community is. Over the past few weeks we've had stuff and fluff gatherings, a fund raiser, shops carrying dolls (The White Pine in Nampa and both Flying M locations in Nampa & Boise!) to raise funds for the project. I am grateful to CWC for new studio and production space! We have just moved all of our creativeness over to this space (picture coming soon), which is peaceful and perfect for creating several of the items we will be giving to encourage hospital patients and caregivers.
New to the project is a wonderful photographer, Mary Spears, whose photograph you will see soon alongside several paintings I worked on during the first three weeks of healing after surgery 6 months ago. (again, picture coming soon...maybe i'll take a picture of the pieces in the studio space :D) I was surprised by how emotional it was to view the vulnerable aspect of these pieces. They were taken to invite the viewer into a moment when the patient (that was me) was not able to control the environment and still convey the peace that God is in control in our most vulnerable moments and provides community to help during those moments...whether they be caregivers that we meet for a moment or friends who visit regularly during hospital stays...or a spouse who gives the patient a drink of water when she is unable to do that basic act for herself. In any case, we run into so many situations where we need that kind of saving...when our humanity is unable to function...which can happen physically, spiritually, mentally and in other ways. I invite the viewer into this experience with me, as we do not usually find ourselves sharing this kind of intimacy with a person in the hospital. It can reveal that vulnerable part of ourselves which we can all relate to.
Currently, I am filling out the many papers and forms involved in becoming a non-profit. I discovered a wonderful website in idahononprofit that has been very helpful in directing me to the correct forms and offers a wealth of information about what a non-profit needs to operate effectively. We will be at: marymakesart for the hope+healing project, 1004 4th Street South, Nampa, Idaho, 83651. If you would like to send any contributions, we would love to send you a beautiful handmade bird ornament, which will be described in the next blog to come!

Building Excitement

Here are two new dolls! I have had the best time screening over the past few days and these are the result! Next it's cutting fabric and getting friends together for a stuff and fluff party ;D We gave the first dolls to two patients and had a chance to say hello to their families at St. Alphonsus, Nampa. What an incredible opportunity...the father of one of the children had to spend a lot of time in a children's hospital when he was young. His reaction to being given a doll for his baby son was what this is all about...he was very touched and I hope that their family was encouraged during a very rough time. We hope the doll serves a a memory of God touching a moment in the life of this family...a knowledge that at this time they were covered in prayer. I am preparing to meet with someone at Seattle Children's Hospital who can give me advice on how best to present the hope+healing project to hospitals both nationally and internationally. I am full of excitement and possibility for what is happening! And I have much to learn...

oh happiness!

This blog is a continuation of "a stitch in time". As I look at the beautiful photographs taken by my friend David, I am struck by how they have influenced my color choices for the textile/crewel series. As I flipped through pages of a journal I kept as the hope+healing project began I can see all the colors for Appleton crewel wool I put on a wish list before I saw the Dave's photographs...they very much are the colors that Dave saw and captured during his time at Yellowstone. It is exciting to see these contemplative moments in nature be given another life on linen. I am looking forward to seeing what God does with all of these beautiful images and the effect they will have on patients and their families. As I create, I will post pictures on facebook and the blog. Oh happiness, there's grace...enough for us and the whole human race!

a stitch in time

as i begin this journey of embroidery/creweling work on the next series of hospital art...i am reminded of how it slows me down. each stitch brings me to a time when all the other things were stripped away--electronics, machine noise, etc. this hearkens back to days of bed rest when my body had been only weeks out of surgery. the pace of life changes and we are urged to look at one moment at a time. my friend dave says he likes the small, intimate moments in nature and that's why some of his nature-inspired pictures look like small abstract paintings rather than sweeping landscapes. these crewel work pieces are bringing that to mind...quiet moments observing aspects of creation...these works will be very organic. hopefully they will remind patients, their families, caregivers and loved ones to take the slow quiet moments and listen for what can happen during those times. in this sense, as i work with two ply appleton creweling wool, a needle and a piece of linen, i am reminded to pay attention to the details. then, when those moments of meditation pass, the larger picture can be looked upon as being made of a thousand small moments...which is what a contemplative life should be about...realizing that each moments counts for something which makes up a whole lifetime. i am a different person today because i have been given the opportunity to slow down--be it resting a knee after surgery or having to lay flat with abdominal stitches--and i can take those moments to reflect on the goodness around me. this is the life i am given. i hope that when the pace quickens, the part of me which is full of all those meditative moments, can apply what i've learned to every situation that comes around. i've posted pictures on my facebook if you'd like to see the progress and will post here very soon. thanks for taking time to slow down and read my thoughts. hopefully they have encouraged you somehow...

the kindest way to be crewel

After a lovely relaxing time in the mountains, I am ready to go! Our first fundraiser was a success and I am so thankful to all of you who helped!!! There is a lot in process right now...looking forward to new studio space, the possibility of going non-profit and creating a new series based on crewel work (a kind of embroidery)...12 new pieces all hand stitched! We have also finished the color book and are excited to have it available online soon! More to come this weekend with news about the second giving of dolls and color books in Boise and hopefully Seattle at the end of the month!