Dandelion Spirit (new picture)

When I was about in the 2nd grade, someone told me I could wish on dandelion seeds.

I was a horribly skeptical child, and scoffed at the idea. But one day, I really needed a miracle. But, wishes were for children, and I, at the grand age of seven, was certainly not a child. But, miracles...Jesus did those. Maybe, just maybe, if I plucked one of those weeds from the ground, pursed my lips and sent my need out into the world, like a prayer without words, he would hear me.

So I did it. My first silent prayer was sent out on the seeds of a weed, straight into the smiling face of Heaven, and miracles followed prayers.

Pluck a dandelion, close your eyes, and pray with all your might. Wishes and prayers, sent out on fluffly little seedlings or not, are all heard by Him.

Tide Pools (new picture)

A long time ago, there were Saturday mornings I used to look forward to very much. Jagged red clay rocks poking my feet as I walked toward the surf...Maybe the rocks weren't actually red, but they blushed under the light of the rising sun. My sister and I would rush toward the glittering horizon, but the water was not our aim. We were interested in a much smaller wonder.

The microcosm of tide pools fascinated me as a child. Teeming with life and color, everything moved to the rhythm of the larger ocean, in and out with the same breath, but here, I could touch and see and feel and be with the mysteries of the ocean. Starfish and little crabs, algae and small fish, everything was there, at my fingertips, big in spirit and little, like me.

Today is a day to be filled with wonder. to relate to those like you and realize that we are all equally worthy of interest and love. Each person is a small tide pool, filled to the brim with happiness, fear, anger, and peace, all echoing the tides of the world.

Touch someone close to you, look at them with new eyes. Let yourself be amazed by your child, your friend, or your lover. Little big spirits are everywhere. Look for them.

Finding my way by Moonlight

When I sit down in front of my paper with brush in hand, the ink beginning to drip onto my desk, I enter another world altogether. Time slows down. I speed up. The music wafting through the air settles in my chest and rises to my head, quieting my brain, stirring up my heart.

It's rare that I actually ever sketch out what I am about to paint. I don't "see" it in my head, either. I have no plan, I just feel. I just know how I want you to feel.

My paintings do not come from meticulous planning, over-analyzing, or from three critiques and a slap on the wrist for making the same mistake, again. They come from wanting to breathe. To participate in that inspiration, that respiration that unites us. We often fear just letting go. I know I do. But when I pick up my brush...it's different.

I don't know if my paintings necessarily reflect this. But, I do know that when I painted them, I enjoyed every second of it. 

So, I invite you, dear friend, to lose yourself today. In a prayer, in a song, in a dream, in the eyes of a loved one. 

Finding your way by moonlight means trusting your instinct, your intuition, your hands and your feet. Make mistakes, pick yourself up, laugh about the fall, and move forward.