Discover Joy - Altered Book Spread

This is a fun spread I worked on earlier in the year and ended up adding some additional touches to it to give it more pizazz. Lots of goodies on the page - paint, stenciling, doodling, washi tape, ribbon, photos and cut-outs.

Discover Joy Altered Book Page

Another altered book page that I just finished.

Sorrow for Joy - Spiritual Sundays

"Maidens will dance and be glad."

http://www.vhdance.org/

“Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.” Jeremiah 31:13

I want to have the freedom to record the realities of my life, to remove the mask and open myself up to at least myself and also to God. But that is a pretty scary proposition. People, even the church, can be so judgemental and unforgiving and eager to gossip, that it makes me want to just curl up into a ball and ignore the outside world. I need a safe place to be me and to share my struggles. I wonder if others feel the same way.

In many ways, because of all the hurt and dysfunction in my growing up years, and in my subsequent  adult life, I have a heart for the hurting and can be very accepting of the hurting and the downtrodden. This is a blessing. But the curse that often comes along with that is the propensity to be easily hurt by others. And I can often be quite judgmental of those who have, or pretend to have, it all together. I am also quite judgmental and harsh on myself, accepting too much responsibility for what happens and kicking myself when things don't turn out perfectly.

Ughhh....this is the "me" I have come to know. I am trying to learn to trust in God's love for me without condition or performance. I have it in my head - now to get it transferred to my brain.

Hopefully, someday I'll be able to take off the mask.......

I am linking up with Spiritual Sundays today. You can stop by the site and check out other posts for today. 

Cultivating What Gives You Joy

 This is a journaling prompt for today:

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. - Goethe

Cultivating what gives you joy
The easiest way to identify what our heart wants is to examine the feelings that surface when we relate to that subject. Do you find solace when picking up your journal to write a daily reflection? Does time spent with your family thrill you to tears? What feelings arise when you chase down the things that make your heart flutter? True happiness comes when we routinely engage in positive activities that we love. Take a look at your life as a whole. Pursue the things that make you feel alive and fill you with joy and healthy.

This is a very important aspect of life that we should all take the time to monitor, so that we spend quality time doing the things that inspire us and make us smile. Too much of life is made up of "have tos" and "should dos" and "can't dos". Then, at the end of another day, we are feeling like some of the most important things in life were left undone.

For me, spending time with my family is one of the things that brings me great joy. When we get to sit down around the dinner table and share about our lives, it brings just an unbelievable feeling. I am truly blessed right now to have all three of my children close enough that we still eat together several times a week. It is great hearing my two daughters laugh until they cry over some silly movie quote - or laugh at their Dad and his silly antics. Also, I love hearing about my son's day from teaching at his job. He is truly making a difference in those kids, even though he often doesn't feel like it. 

 

Ryan, Grandpa Leng, Ron, Kate, Me, Jess and Grandma Leng

Well, another thing that brings me joy is going into the studio for a few hours and making art or going down to the sewing machine and creating something useful. I love spending time thrift shopping or garage-saling looking for something to incorporate into my next creation. (Now if I could just find a way to neatly store all my "treasures". Ha!)

Spending time with my best girlfriends and talking over the problems of the day/week/year - and talking and crafting, and talking and cooking, and talking and lauging, talking and crying...... You get the idea. Closeness, understanding, trust, laughter,  shared life experiences, empathy - ahhhh - great times together. 

 

Diana, Brenda, Kate and Anastasia

And recently, I have been able to re-unite with some of my bestest old friends from long ago via Facebook.  Whoever invented that was a genius!

 

Mitzi, Me and Susan D.!

Listening to my son play his music! Now that brings me joy. But I don't get to do that nearly often enough! He is one talented guy! 

 

And I can't forget having fun playing in the snow, sailing and hanging out at Long Lake!

 

There are so many other things that bring me joy! I am one blessed woman! Well, for now, I think I'm gonna go and make some art! 


But think about it! What gives you joy? Make time to do whatever it is this week. You will be happier for it. And - No Guilt and No Regrets!