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