Expect a Miracle

There are two ways you can live: You can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle. Albert Einstein
Don't leave before the miracle happens.

It is a miracle. It is a miracle to come through desperate times and survive; to be able to laugh again and to sleep without tears. It is a miracle to survive the storm with my sanity intact and a few more things I didn't know I had or could get, like strength, courage, increased faith and more friends I could ever imagine having. It is a miracle to look people in the eye, learn their stories and to share my own; to be comfortable with sharing my thoughts and art with any and everyone. I have a medallion given me on a special occasion that says, "I not only believe in miracles--I depend on them."

This painting is Cape Disappointment-- a light on the Washington coast, which I painted from a photo I inherited from my dad--it looks much different today. I didn't paint a stormy day but a sunny one, belying the name. Maybe we can call it Cape Miracle

Refocus

Cape Disappointment Oil 11 x 14

"If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price."

I reread my first blog entry, to remind myself of its purpose: to rebuild my life. In reading where I was on that day just over a month ago, I am surprised to note improvement already. However today my goals have shifted a bit, since I have a hip replacement staring at me in the face.

While taking care of my responsibilities and creating are still worthy goals, I need to prepare myself for this new opportunity-- mentally and spiritually; if I can shift direction in those areas, then everything else will fall into place. So some refocusing is in order. I will start with the following passage from The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron:

"Remembering that God is my source, we are in the spiritual position of having an unlimited bank account. Most of us never consider how powerful the creator really is. Instead we draw very limited amounts of the power available to us. We decide how powerful God is for us. We unconsciously set a limit on how much God can give us or help us. We are stingy with ourselves. And if we receive a gift beyond our imagining, we often send it back." 'Nuff said.