“If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse.” ― Walt Disney

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” – Ashley Smith

Beauty makes one feel the beginning of fulfillment, and seems to whisper to us: You will not be unhappy; the desire of your heart will be fulfilled, what is more, it is already being fulfilled. ~ Saint John Paul II

"We understand what is meant by not pulling up the cockle lest we destroy the good grain. And the complexity and diversity of the needs that Christ wishes to experience in men make us realise why it is that He uses such strange material for His purpose; why it is that lives which, judged by our standards, are tragic and frustrated my, in fact, be the most glorious. In this searching we become integrated ourselves. It gathers us together and makes us whole." The Reed of God, Caryll Houselander

Somehow it is difficult to believe that the Holy Spirit abides in people who are not picturesque. When we think of Christ in the workman, we think of Him in a special kind of workman who wears an open shirt and is assisted in carrying the burden of social injustice by a truly magnificent physique. We do not think of Him in the man who delivers the milk or calls to mend the pipes....Just as we cannot depend upon feelings to know that Christ is in ourselves, we cannot depend on appearances to know that He is in others. That which is true of the Host is true of people. We cannot discern God's presence through our senses, but faith tells us that we should treat one another with the reverence that we give to the Host. We need to bring to other people faith like that which we bring to the Blessed Sacrament. ~ The Reed of God, Carol Houselander

"Human nature - body and soul. That means so much more than the word "flesh" conveys at first hearing. It means flesh and blood, nerves, the five senses, the sensitive soul, thought, feeling, reactions to other people and to environment - intellect, art, poetry, genius. Although human beings smear everything they touch, they leave us touches of beauty wherever they go, too; evidence that the senses receive their unique gifts of grace, wonder, joy, and gratitude because of the beauty that is in their environment. St. Thomas says that the Being of God is the cause of the beauty of all that is. The Being of God, then, presses upon man. It is his environment. It sings to him in the winds. When he touches grass or water, he touches it with his fingers; he smells it in fields of hay and clover and in newly cut wood; he listens to it in the falling of the rain and the murmur of the sea. He tastes it in the food that he eats; he sees it in the flowers beneath his feet; he is clothed in it ..." ~ Thomas Merton

"For being made in God's image and likeness, man too must look upon the secret of his heart, made visible by the work of his hands." ~ Caroly Houselander, the Reed of God

"They say that when someone is sick and dying, with a heightened awareness that their days are numbered and few, they develop a new appreciation of little things. Things intensify and become special and precious. That view outside the window , that snowflake, that conversation, that kiss - each one could be your last. The trick is to incorporate this perspective into your healthy - though challenging - life. Drawing does that; you pay attention in a way you normally woudn't. Focus repels the distractions that muddle the experience. Every line, page, brick, unit of the thing you draw becomes essential. You're looking to catch each component in order to understand the construction of the object and therefore realize the beauty of it's balance, the necessity of each small part. You look and examine that thing with love. You desire to recognize every part to capture it in your drawing. You can feel security about your subject and at peace with recognizing the value of every little thing and moment in your life." ~ Patti Lynn Gregory

You Decorated My Life

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. ~ Mother Teresa

That which is static and repetitive is boring. That which is dynamic and random is confusing. In between lies art. - John A. Locke

Art is a half-effaced recollection of a higher state from which we have fallen since the time of Eden. - Saint Hildegarde

Great art can communicate before it is understood. - T. S. Eliot

The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul. - Wassily Kaninsky

"Beauty conveys an intelligibility that is not reducible to scientific properties. For example, to see a rose and appreciate its beauty is to know it. I may know nothing of what a botanist could share with me about the organic properties of the flower. Nonetheless, the knowledge of the rose that I have is genuine. In fact, if I had studied botany and knew all the facts about roses, but had never seen and appreciated a rose, my knowledge of it — albeit scientific — would be incomplete."

From: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/true-beauty-satisfies-the-human-heart/#ixzz29nAwkgm

Do not depreciate your gifts

First, we must recognize that the true end of humility is not self-contempt (which still leaves people concerned with themselves). To paraphrase C. S. Lewis, humility does not consist in handsome people trying to believe they are ugly and clever people trying to believe they are fools. When Muhammad Ali announced that he was the greatest, there was a sense in which his pronouncement did not violate the spirit of humility. False modesty can actually lead to an ironic pride in one’s better-than-average humility. True humility is more like self-forgetfulness than false modesty. As my colleague Dennis Voskuil writes in his forthcoming book, Mountains into Goldmines: Robert Schuller and the Gospel of Success (Eerdmans), the refreshing gospel promise is “not that we have been freed by Christ to love ourselves, but that we are free from self-obsession. Not that the cross frees us for the ego trip but that the cross frees us from the ego trip.” This stripping-away leaves people free to esteem their special talents and, with the same honesty, to esteem their neighbor’s. Both the neighbor’s talents and one’s own are recognized as gifts and, like one’s height, are not fit subjects for either inordinate pride or se1f-deprecation. ~ Dr. Myers is professor of psychology at Hope College in Holland, Michigan ~ "'false humility' consists of deprecating one's own sanctity, gifts, talents, and accomplishments for the sake of receiving praise or adulation from others." ~

“If an ear is to grow or a flower blossom, there are times which cannot be forced; for the birth of a human being, nine months are required; to write a book or a worthy piece of music, years must often be spent in patient searching. This is also the law of the spirit… To encounter the mystery takes patience, inner purification, silence and waiting.” (Pope St. John Paul II; General Audience, July 26, 2000)

"You take it on faith, you take it to the heart. The waiting is the hardest part." ~ Tom Petty

“It was when I was happiest that I longed most…The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing…to find the place where all the beauty came from.” ~C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces

There is an obsessive-compulsion within our culture that is anathema to what our creative souls truly need. At times we need to be still, reflective, spiritually quiet, and meditative. For many people, these things are foreign. Busyness can become a convenient excuse for why we aren't further along on our particular journey. ~ Candace Long, Wired for Creativity

It is a gift to ourselves when we say 'no' to those old habits that dissipate our energy, 'no' to what robs us of our inner joy, 'no' to what distracts us from our purpose. ~ John Robbins and Ann Mortifee

I must say no to people concerning the vast majority of good things they invite me to, in order to be available to say yes to God concerning that small number of things He has truly called me to. ~ Randy Alcorn

Work to be done...

"You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream." ~ C. S. Lewis

Believe that your dream is possible. You don't need to know the plan from A to Z. You only need to know that God is with you. God doesn't ask you to figure it all out. He only asks you to BELIEVE.

"To be a creature means we cannot unravel all the mysteries of the universe, but we can live and work and rest in God." ~ Thomas Shreiner

Fall Leaf Coloring Page

I took a break from my big paintings to do some stress relief drawings which I turned into coloring pages. Here is one of them. You may print and color for your own non-profit use as long as it is not publicized or distributed online. If you would like to publicize it, please get my permission first.

People can tell you how they painted 'their' landscape, but they cannot tell you how to paint 'yours.' ~ Georgia O'Keeffe

"Finding satisfaction in your work is a gift from God. Don't let the enemy steal that from you." ~ Mary Lowman

"Look at Rembrandt and van Gogh. They trusted their vocations and did not allow anyone to lead them astray. With true Dutch stubbornness, they followed their vocations from the moment they recognized them. They didn't bend over backward to please their friends or enemies. Both ended their lives in poverty, but both left humanity with gifts that could heal the minds and hearts of many generations of people. Think of these two men and trust that you too have a unique vocation that is worth claiming and living out faithfully." #HenriNouwen THE INNER VOICE OF LOVE www.henrinouwen.org

Why it matters ...

"Write my prayers upon the sky. Let my joys, my fears, my visions, my gratitude paint their way into God's heart." ~ Beth A. Richardson

The rose and the thorn, the sorrow and gladness are linked together.

May God, not the gifts, be the center of our lives. May the gifts bring Him glory and draw others to hear His still, small voice and draw them into His Presence. In Jesus Name, Amen

No Beauty Without Ash: The Paradox of True Christian Art

"The prophecies of Jewish and Christian literature do not look BACK to a return to a pre-evil Garden, but FORWARD to a post-evil union of Heaven and Earth described in Revelation 22:1-5 as a NEW Garden that goes beyond the OLD one.

From :http://www.patheos.com/blogs/peterenns/2013/02/no-beauty-without-ash-the-paradox-of-true-christian-art-or-getting-ready-for-easter/

Everything in creation has its appointed painter or poet and remains in bondage like the princess in the fairy tale 'til its appropriate liberator comes to set it free. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Words from a friend.... "Don't give up on yourself. God never gives up on you."

Humility comes from a realistic view of oneself in light of the grace given us in Christ. The word originates from the Latin “humus,” meaning “earth, dirt.” It is knowing and embracing the reality that we are dust. Connected with humility is a confidence in one’s vocational calling and identity. A confident leader finds their identity in Christ, seeing themselves as a child of God, deeply loved and called to His mission. We’re loved dust. This Christ-based identity allows His love to foster a confidence in Him, knowing we are created in His image and any gifts, strength or opportunities we have are a demonstration of His grace in our lives. ~ Joel Mayward

Pope Francis' August Prayer Intentions ~ For Artists

The arts give expression to the beauty of the faith and proclaim the Gospel message of the grandeur of God’s creation. When we admire a work of art or a marvel of nature, we discover how everything speaks to us of Him and of His love. That artists of our time, though their creativity, may help us discover the beauty of creation. ~ Pope Francis

"Deep and mature friendship does not mean that we keep looking each other in the eyes and are constantly impressed or enraptured by each other's beauty, talents, and gifts, but it means that together we look at him who calls us to his service." ~ Henri Nouwen

When many think of an artistic calling, they imagine one struggling, tormented in soul, crying to be heard, living a bohemian life, consumed by his craft. This is not the picture of a Christian artist. Our craft is handiwork, an offering of worship to the God whose image we bear. We create because He first created and as Imago Dei, we bear His creative mark within us. ~ Craig Pitman

In our modern, scientific world, we often reject imagination as the opposite of rational thought and reasoning. Such is not the case. A creative imagination well regulated by reason and rational thought, is a critical element of the life of faith. As such, our imaginations provide one of the primary ways by which we encounter God. ~ Alive Now, July/August 2009 (Upper Room Ministries)

When we discount the imagination, we cut ourselves off from the riches that can fuel our creativity. We limit the ways we can view the world and our own experience. There is much more to life than can be contained in rational philosophy. ~ Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

This song always warms my heart and makes me smile.

If

Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together. ~ John Ruskin

"You are loved and accepted and forgiven for all your faults. You are also important, but not because of your looks, intelligence or great singing voice. You are important in an intrinsic and essential way that is based on the deeper you-ness that does not need talent, looks, power or success to justify itself. You are alive in this time to do something that matters in the eternal scope of reality. Everything you do — everything you do — matters. Instead of trying to please people, which is the equivalent of, as Jesus said, building your house of sand, realize that you do not have to earn the right to exist. You have a right to be here because you were put here by the same God Who made everything, everywhere." ~ Rebecca Hamilton

Resist Comparison

(I originally wrote this on July 7, 2010)

BEING an Original

Have you ever met another artist whose work you consider better than yours, and they in turn consider your work better than theirs, and you are faced with this connundrum before you where it's as if you are looking in a mirror, and this mirror makes you laugh for a minute at the absurdities of comparison? We can admire and imitate others, but no matter what you do, you are still going to have your own unique twist on it because we are all one of a kind originals ourselves.

We have something in common though. We are all like jars of clay. But the shape of each pot is different and unique and will never be repeated in all of history. God is telling a unique story through the medium of each of our lives. What happens when you start resisting the shape that you are being molded into and being envious of the pot on the wheel on the other side of the studio? You fall apart. You lose focus on yielding yourself to the hands of the Creator, and forget to see the unique gifts that are in your life and you fail to appreciate them.

We don't have to strive to be an original. We come into this world an original. Look at siblings in the same circumstances raised by the same exact parents and they still divurge into their own patterns and ways of reacting to their environments. So, a basic instruction by our parents is necessary, but they have to let go and let you unfold in our own unique way, which may not necessarily follow a linear pattern or strict set of rules. Many artists can have the same art teacher and may be doing the same lesson, but the artworks they create will still have it's own unique flavor to it.

Do not berate yourself over your unique qualities. What you consider your weakness, may be the exact place where God is at work. Berating yourself has nothing to do with humility. It comes from a spirit that is not of God. That is an insult to the one who made you. Call no one Master but God. Even the artists we call 'The Great Masters' are dependent on 'The MASTER' whether they realize this or not.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." - Psalm 139:14

Today I watched an old silent movie called The White Sister. It was so very sad. I forgot it was a silent movie because I got so into the story. I wonder if my Grandmother or my mother once saw this movie?

"Draw, Anthony. Draw, Anthony, draw and don't waste time." That's what Michelangelo said to his apprentice. Good advice for us too. ~ page 73, The Creative License, by Danny Gregory

"Whatever you do with your life--whatever you end up achieving or not achieving--the great gift you have in you to give to the world is the gift of who you alone are; your way of seeing things, and saying things, and feeling about things, that is like nobody else’s. If so much as a single one of you were missing, there would be an empty place at the great feast of life that nobody else in all creation could fill."

-Frederick Buechner

Paint the flying spirit of the bird rather than its feathers. ~ Robert Henri

What we need is more sense of the wonder of life and less of this business of making a picture. ~ Robert Henri

Don't worry about your originality. You couldn't get rid of it even if you wanted to. It will stick with you and show up for better or worse in spite of all you or anyone else can do. ~ Robert Henri

A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament. ~ Oscar Wilde

(I found this in my facebook memories from six years ago today. I don't remember writing it but I like it.)

Abstract art to me reminds me of how God calls us out of the known and asks us to trust him entering into the unknown, as a lamp unto our feet, not a crystal ball unto our future, and he gives us only as much forsight as we need, which is usually where our feet are going at that moment. The future is a mystery, the past is dead, and only today can we hear God's voice, here in the moment.

Yesterday I was in so much pain from my fibro that I couldn't move and decided to watch Hallmark movies, since I was gonna be laid up on the couch with my little puppy companion who helps me through these days. And God met me in one of the Hallmark shows with profound messages. And I probably would not have heard them had I not been miserable enough to just lay there and just watch the show. And it was a show about an artist who people were judging because he wasn't rich or pedigree enough for them. And he ended up NOT being represented by them afterall, but represented by a simple flower shop owner. It wasn't as fancy as the world would think he needs, but just enough for him. And that was enough.

(The movie called "The Art of Us" will be airing again on the Hallmark channel again tonight.)

We were born to love God and love one another and to bear the fruits of the Spirit and to do good deeds that God prepared in advance for us to do. We were born not for bread alone but for every word that comes from the mouth of the Father. Our natural gifts are temporal, but use them to the best of your ability and leave the rest to God. Faith, Hope, and Love will remain throughout it all. Whatever you do, do it as if you are serving the Lord and not men. If you feel connected to God intimately when using the gifts He has given you, that reason alone is enough. No one else has to even approve of it. As long as your Father in Heaven approves and is smiling down on you saying well done good and faithful servant, then that is the only audience that you need. And remember, God loves you for who you truly are, not just what you do. Let what you do be an overflow of who you truly are. And most of all, we were born to be loved by God, who loved us first, and that is why we love in the first place.

Your sister in Christ
Dawn Maureen

"How you spend your days matters much more than how much it pays."

from "The Art of Us"

“Remember He is the artist and you are only the picture. You can’t see it. So quietly submit to be painted—i.e., keep fulfilling all the obvious duties of your station (you really know quite well enough what they are!), asking forgiveness for each failure and then leaving it alone. You are in the right way. Walk—don’t keep on looking at it.” ~C.S. Lewis, The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis

"An intellectual is a man who says a simple thing in a difficult way; an artist is a man who says a difficult thing in a simple way." Charles Bukowski, writer

If Thou the Spirit give by which I pray:
My unassisted heart is barren clay,
That of its nature self can nothing feed;
Of good and pious works Thou art the seed,
That quickens only when Thou say’st it may;
Unless Thou show to us Thine own true way
No man can find it: Father! Thou must lead.

~ MICHELANGELO

No art or beauty, no strength or riches, no genius or eloquence, are of any worth to you, O Lord, unless accompanied by Your grace. ~ Thomas Kempis

"As a creative being, you will be more productive when coaxed than when bullied." ~ Julia Cameron

Have you ever not pursued something because it had to be perfect? There is a fine line between doing things with excellence and being a perfectionist. Perfectionists become argumentative with God. They refuse to step out in faith and obedience because they care too much about what others think if the results don't turn out perfectly. ~ Os Hillman

New blog. Haven't put anything in it yet.
quietheartphotography.blogspot.com/

“A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl.” – Stephan Hoeller

Honest art moves us closer to the truth. And those who are willing to be honest and vulnerable are the voices with something to say. I hope you embrace the fact that you are a wonderful work in progress but still fragmented at the core. And I hope this compels you to make things the world has never seen. Things that are wonderful and true and, yes, even a little sad. Maybe in doing so, you’ll lead us into a deeper story. ~ Jeff Goins https://goinswriter.com/sad-art/

“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“In our life there is a single color, as on an artist's palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love.” ~ Marc Chagall

No one has ever laughed at a pun who did not see in the one word a twofold meaning. To materialists this world is opaque like a curtain; nothing can be seen through it. A mountain is just a mountain, a sunset just a sunset; but to poets, artists, and saints, the world is transparent like a window pane - it tells of something beyond....a mountain tells of the Power of God, the sunset of His Beauty, and the snowflake of His Purity. ~ Fulton J. Sheen

A photo that I took today at the Smith Oaks Rookery of an old window of an old broken down abandoned building near the entrance. Taken with my cell phone.

"The experience of colours proceeding from darkness and of music sounding through the fabric of silence, can be likened to the experience of words arising from the natural silence of meditation." ~ from the book "Silence, Music, Silent Music"

God has bestowed upon his people the gift of song. God dwells within each human person, in the place where music takes its source.

Indeed, God, the giver of song, is present whenever his people sing his praises.

Music arises out of silence and returns to silence. God is revealed both in the beauty of song and in the power of silence. ~ from "Sing to the Lord"

St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Grand Coteau, La

Beau and I contemplating the train here in Pearland after picking up Cameron from school.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6dJWhbOAU31WGphdW5CbWRqUzQ/view?usp=sharing

"Learn how to meditate on paper. Drawing and writing are forms of meditation. Learn how to contemplate works of art. Learn how to pray in the streets or in the country. Know how to meditate not only when you have a book in your hand but when you are waiting for a bus or riding in a train." ~ Thomas Merton

This morning I rescued two cute but battered end tables from someone's trash pile and I am going to paint them and make them like new again. There was a dresser and bed headboard and footboard too but to heavy for me to pick up alone. Someone beat me to the punch and scavenged the handles from the drawers.

St. Thomas Aquinas, the angelic doctor, maintains that the love of beauty is a natural good that brings peace and harmony to the human soul. The pursuit of beauty, albeit one of the highest of natural goods, can, however, be perverted and turned away from its proper end. St. Thomas, again reminds us, that even though "Every one loves beauty, spiritual people love spiritual beauty and carnal people love carnal beauty." (Comm. in Psalmos, 25, 5) Whereas spiritual beauty is ultimately found in its Source, God, carnal beauty can, and often does, lead away from Him. From the very beginning the pursuit of beauty has had its dangers and pitfalls. “And the woman saw that the fruit… was fair to the eyes and delightful to behold.” (Gen. III, 6) http://agdei.com/Art&Beauty2.html

"...we can also miss the deep-down Christ-pattern of reality because of its sheer elusiveness. God's presence in the singularity of created objects - the infinite housed in the finite, the shoreless ocean absorbed in a sponge - can be glimpsed but never held for long. It flashes before us like lightning, illuminating everything for a brief second before vanishing again. As creatures with finite rational powers, we find it impossible to hold in our minds the spiraling depths of inscape in a bird feather or fish scale. "Our vision fails, our thought fails, we cannot follow it home, we cannot reach its littleness or its vastness, for the end of both is God." We must be content with the realization that "God's way with us [is] to hide and reveal Himself at the same time" - not because God is coy, but because we can only take in so much." ~ from The Art of Dying and Living, by Kerry Walters, Lessons from Saints of Our Time

Images help us know when our sense of self, our relationship with God and others is distorted. They invite us to see and acknowledge unresolved feelings around hurt and forgiveness, as well as the blockages of pain and suffering. Above all, where can the healing and transforming power of images be experienced more effectively than in the space of a person's encounter with the divine source of healing and transformation? In the gospel story of the Samaritan woman, imagination may draw us to see the jar which she lowers into the well as an image containing her feeling responses and reactions to Christ challenging her in conversation. As she metaphorically raises draught upon draught, the Samaritan woman seems to reach down into the depth of her limited image of God, self, and other to encounter the transforming power of Jesus who mirrors and exalted image of God and the human person. ~ Art, Containment and Language of the Soul, Renate Dullman

Whenever we create or ponder images in a space set apart for silent, meditative and reflective experience, something will be known and understood about our inner feeling responses and resistances to new awarenesses, insights, and the kind of exchange which transforms into the 'image that we reflect' (Cor 3:18). Most importantly, images we make or contemplate in the context of prayer can enshrine moments of peak experience, which are thus held and remembered in visible form long after the experience has faded. ~ Art, Containment and Language of Soul

"What is done in love is done well." ~ Vincent Van Gogh

A demostration of how I can paint ambidextrously (equally well with both hands). I don't normally switch back and forth as quickly, but only did it here to demostrate. On right brain left brain tests I come out either dead center or only one degree to the right, which means my hemispheres are balanced. I've always been fascinated with the mind like that. ha ha... It's the psychologist in me

On the easel tonight...painting in progress

Saint John of the Cross', Dark Night of the Soul (work in progress)

"This world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair." ~ Saint John Paul II

"...faith-filled and faithful memories allow us all to the enjoy the moment and love forward to the good things to come." ~ Bishop Jaime Soto, Joy and Hope

Quote: "Our study has shown that nostalgia serves a homeostatic function, allowing the mental simulation of previously enjoyed states, including states of bodily comfort; in this case making us feel warmer or increasing our tolerance of cold. More research is now needed to see if nostalgia can combat other forms of physical discomfort, besides low temperature."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121203082050.htm

This morning I was looking at some fluid art in a group on facebook called "Let it Flow" with the swirly paint that forms into these cells, and I remembered seeing this sort of art as the backgrounds for some of the sheet music in chorus in about 1982 and I loved chorus class and looking at that art. And for some reason the only song I remember from that book was one on the page with the purple and white swirls and I looked up the song on You Tube and found it. We spend so much time practicing this song. And I had never heard this one before or ever again after that class. It's funny how some things seem to sing deep into the memory of the heart more than other things. This memory gives me a warm fuzzy feeling like my heart is lighting up and saying 'pay attention'. It was written by a songwriter named James Zimmerman and the song is called "Orion is Arising."



Some other people looked up the song too:

http://orionarising.blogspot.com/2008/03/song.html

https://redforkhippie.wordpress.com/2008/02/07/folk-thursday-orion/

http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=104784

Orion

By James Zimmerman

Orion is arising
You can see his stars ablazing
Way out here in the middle of a deep blue country sky.

And still what is amazing
You can see his stars ablazing
Way out here where nothing hides it from my eyes.

And sleeping outside in a bag as a kid
It seems like the best thing that I ever did

And chasing the shadows
and the tracks in the snow
Don't you know?

The world is getting older
and I really start to wonder
why we're clouding all the country skys to gray

The world is getting colder
I can hear it in the thunder
and the rain may come and chase us all away!

And sleeping outside in a bag as a kid
It seems like the best thing that I ever did

And chasing the shadows
and the tracks in the snow
Don't you know?

The moon is on the wane
And it looks like it might rain
Or maybe snow.

And how are we to stay here
When there's no room left to play here
Or to grow
Don't you know? Don't you know?

This song was published in the 1974, 1978, 1981, and 1985 editions of the school music program Silver Burdett Music, Grade 6, published by Silver Burdett Company. "Orion" is Part 1 of a musical composition entitled Orion Suite, which was written by James Zimmerman.

And here is the author James Zimmerman's profile page:
https://artswestchester.org/profile/jkzpoet/ And I found it on Amazon, and ordered the book to keep with the rest of my music book collections.



UPDATE: I got the book in the mail, and the song is not in this edition from this year, and so I am still on the hunt for the particular book that I remember from school.

Another update: On today I found the author doing a reading at St. Francis College with another poet Nina Tassi:

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." ~ Vincent van Gogh

“We always make the fatal mistake of thinking that it is what we do that matters, when really what matters is what we let God do to us. God sent the angel to Mary, not to ask her to do something, but to let something be done. Since God is a better artisan than you, the more you abandon yourself to him, the happier he can make you.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Seven Words of Jesus and Mary)

Every GENUINE art form in its own way is a path to the inmost reality of man and of the world. It is therefore a wholly valid approach to the realm of faith, which gives human experience its ultimate meaning. That is why the Gospel fullness of truth was bound from the beginning to stir the interest of artists, who by their very nature are alert to every "epiphany" of the inner beauty of things.

http://www.catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/documentText/Index/2/SubIndex/20/ContentIndex/78/Start/72

This definition in the dictionary is what I feel they mean by being genuine.
free from pretense, affectation, or hypocrisy; sincere: a genuine person.

God's mirror, examination of conscience

I thought this woman's thoughts were interesting. It's about being real, examining your inner motives, being honest, and not posturing before God or others. About true intimacy.

No more lies

When I view this video I see the woman as sad because people are putting forth images that are of trivial things or not honest or are a distraction from true connection or intimacy, and she doesn't even have the words for the sadness. But the tear itself that she cries is the true art. And God sees. But forgiving the falsity and bringing it to God to transform the pain can bring healing and connection that way. Because where there is love, there is true connection. Forgiveness is an act of love and mercy that reflects the Father's love. And even if she doesn't have the words to speak it, and can only cry it out, God knows. He knows before you speak or paint or illustrate or explain. Just come to Him and Be in His Presence and let all that is false burn away knowing that He knows the real you, he knows other people's real self too, the part we don't see, and that He only comes to forgive and to save and not to condemn, and he knows what to remove that is obstructing who you are in Him.

Art, Window to the Soul ....

If you were just interested in learning to look at art, we could stop here. If this is to be a prayer experience, we need to go further. To begin, think about how we detect the presence of the artist in the artwork. First of all, we note the expression that lives on in the piece. Art is essentially a container which embodies the expressions of its creator. We also say the artist has spoken to us through the work. In addition, we talk of the artist having a characteristic style, which enables us to immediately recognize a Monet or a Renoir for example.

As creations of God, each of these three aspects of art can apply to us: God's expression lives in us, we are containers who embody the spirit of our Lord; God speaks through us; and we can say God has a characteristic mark or signature, which we are able to recognize - as Jesus tells us: "My sheep hear my voice." Each of these realities enables us to find God in each other.

To find God in art, we are joining these two premises together. God speaks through the artist, who speaks through the art. We are already accustomed to understanding this connection as we discover God in written words, especially scripture, but other sources as well. We listen for God in sermons, in hymns and music, in ritual and dance, and we listen for God in the visual arts. This Presence is detected easily where goodness and love are expressed. Elements of hope and beauty (as in Henri Matisse's "The Tree of Life"), justice (as in Mike and Doug Starns' "Lack of Compassion") and mystery (as in Mark Tobey's "Edge of August") also reveal God to us. God may be sensed as the source of life and energy (as in Vincent van Gogh's "The Starry Night"). Additionally, suffering and darkness (as in Pablo Picasso's "Guernica") may bring images of Christ to our minds.

As you look, be aware of this hidden voice of the Spirit in all of its varied manifestations. You might gain new insights or a broader view of your faith. You will certainly have many opportunities to increase your awareness of the inner realities of your fellow human beings as you listen to their stories from their viewpoint and know their joy, hopes and sufferings. Art allows for a special kind of window into the private, emotional world of another person. It is difficult to be truly intimate with others and not find God, since it is in the center of our being that God lives.

From Drawing to God, Art as Prayer, Prayer as Art, by Jeri Gerding

Jeri Gerding is a Roman Catholic adult mental health counselor, is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, and received a master's degree in social work from the University of Illinois-Urbana.

God's expression lives in us, we are containers who embody the spirit of our Lord; God speaks through us; and we can say God has a characteristic mark or signature, which we are able to recognize - as Jesus tells us: "My sheep hear my voice." Each of these realities enables us to find God in each other.



Information on the Real Presence: (It has everything to do with all of the above) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6SH93arrIE

Quote from GOD OF SURPRISES, by Gerard W. Hughes: "Hidden in our moods and feelings, thoughts and daydreams, experiences and hopes is our inner life. Father Hughes says: “God is in all things, so there is no particle in creation and no experience of yours in which God is not with you.” The author provides ways to clear the inner chaos and find the treasure within."

Pablo Picasso Quotes:

It is not what the artist does that counts. But what he is. Cézanne would never have interested me if he had lived and thought like Jacques-Émile Blanche, even if the apple he had painted had been ten times more beautiful. What interests us is the anxiety of Cézanne, the teaching of Cézanne, the anguish of Van Gogh, in short the inner drama of the man. The rest is false.

Who sees the human face correctly: the photographer, the mirror, or the painter?

Are we to paint what's on the face, what's inside the face, or what's behind it?

Creativity flourishes when we have a sense of safety and self-acceptance. Your artist like a small child is happiest when feeling a sense of security. ~ Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way

"Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being. You’re a perfectly valuable, creative, worthwhile person simply because you exist. And no amount of triumphs or tribulations can ever change that. Unconditional self acceptance is the core of a peaceful mind." — St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622), Patron Saint of Journalists

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