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Posted by Julia Monroe | Filed under Inspirational, words
On my refrigerator…
20 Saturday Apr 2013
Category Archives: Inspirational
Look for the sparkle
02 Saturday Mar 2013
Posted in All Sparkled Up, Inspirational, sparkling
I stood at the back door feeling trapped.
I stood at the back door and looked out to a place I couldn’t go.
Where we live, there is rarely snow so winter is just all dead. There is nothing there.
But I wanted there to be something there.
And then I saw it, just a sparkle.
There, barely visible, hovering above the table was a sparkle.
I looked closer. It wasn’t outside, it was where I stood!
A glittery rhinestone heart necklace that I had bought for myself.
It was my own heart that contained the only sparkle in the day. I just had to look for it. It was there all along.
The heart necklace was the only part of me that reflected in the glass on the dreary day.
The old bouquet roses have donned their jewels
26 Tuesday Feb 2013
Posted in All Sparkled Up, flowers, Inspirational, nature, sparkling
Their edges are a bit crispy and tattered and the Valentine Roses can no longer hold up their heads.
I’m not about to part with a bouquet if it has even a speck of life in it.
I placed the musty bouquet on the table outside thinking perhaps a little sunshine might brighten them for a last hurrah.
But there was no sun. Instead, the sky darkened and the rain came down in streaks.
Past their prime, these Valentine roses droop their velvety heads.
But these roses weren’t about to waste a good opportunity to glam up.
Like a group of aging women, they donned their crystal and went out one last time.
And I cheered them on.
Once vibrant red and perky, the Valentine Roses age gracefully in their queenly red velvet capes and dripping with jewels.
I’m approaching the age to join their ranks. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I plan on seeing it and, even more so, participating.
You’re never, ever too old to sparkle. Don’t forget that!
The Bell Tree and how I came to terms with all the metal in me
17 Thursday Jan 2013
Posted in Christmas, crafts, Inspirational, Scoliosis
Tags
Bell Tree, Bells, Christmas, Christmas tree, Displaying bells, DPChallenge, Scoliosis, vintage bells
I’m hesitant to pack away one of my favorite Christmas decorations… The Bell Tree.
It’s a little fiber optic Christmas tree, won at a company Christmas party years ago. We display it on a cabinet in the corner of the dining room. It’s not the fiber optics that makes it special, it’s the bells.
The Bell Tree
I’m not sure when I started collecting. There is the jingle bell from The Polar Express gift book set, a rusty bell from a box of junk purchased at an auction, a card of tiny bells from my Grandmother. Some bells I’ve had since childhood and I don’t even remember where they came from.
Vintage bells from a box of craft supplies that belonged to my dear Grandmother.
Years ago I bought the coolest set of bells from a local craft store. They are all wired together on one electric cord and at the flick of a switch, they play Christmas Carols. Each bell actually dings in harmony when an electrical signal is sent to the clapper, which strikes the side of the bell. Such sweet music! Real ringing bells! I absolutely love the bells, although my sons can only stand the music for a certain amount of time and then they tell me their ears ring.
In order for any bell to sound clearly, it must be hung so nothing impedes the vibration of the clapper on the metal. I decided the perfect place to hang my electronic bell set was on the fiber optic tree. Soon I added other bells to the tree and each sounds beautiful when rung.
This year, I finally got a piece of burlap and made a special covering for the cake plate on which the tree stands. This way I can hang the bells that are too heavy for the fiber optic tree branches. There is plenty of room for more bells. I’m now on the hunt for a titanium bell, if there is such a thing, which will be my all-time favorite. Here is why…
Three days before my scoliosis surgery (which you can read about here and here), it suddenly occurred to me that a lot of metal hardware would be placed inside me. I’m not sure why I never thought of it before. The thought was frightening. Metal is smashed soda cans in the recycle bins, rusted automobiles swallowed up in weeds. Metal is pots and pans in the cupboard, something hard and intimidating, scratched and dented. NOT a part of a human being.
I barely formed the unsettling thought in my brain when my Lord answered my confused fears. He reminded me of the scripture in the Bible that says:
And when he came near, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that comes in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. – Luke 19:37-40
If mankind stopped praising God, instantly the rocks would cry out. As I pondered this, it occurred to me that the molecules from which my metal hardware was formed could be capable of praising God.
That thought was amazing and too marvelous for words. I stopped what I was doing and rejoiced that, theoretically, the hardware that would be placed inside me would be capable of praising God. I thought “I can do this. I can accept pieces of metal that are capable of praising God!”
Then I thought “What if… what if those molecules that came from the earth’s depths, forged into metal, fashioned into hardware that would be placed inside me were destined to help me from when the world was formed? If that is the case, then they belong with me! I am actually welcoming them home!”
From that instant on, all my fears of having almost three pounds of titanium rods, bolts and screws placed in my spine vanished. My surgery was simply a way to make myself more complete, a way to welcome the rest of me home. I am at peace.
And now, instead of thinking of metal as crushed cans or rusted cars, I think of it as bells, ringing and rejoicing bells.
The Bell Tree, displaying vintage and new bells. Some day I will find a titanium bell to hang on this tree.
Picking up the Carving Tools Again
27 Thursday Dec 2012
Posted in crafts, Inspirational, Scoliosis, woodwork
Tags
It has been months since last I carved.
I am slowly recovering from October’s grueling surgery. Most days I have to sit very still, my back held against a heating pad. But today, despite the pain in my back, I just had to pick up the gouges to work on the old spoon. Handling the wood and gripping the smooth handle of the gouge felt so right. I was comforted.
Grapes and wheat wind around the wood spoon handle.
The wood spoon was buried in a box for months, unfinished.
It felt good holding the wood, gripping the gouge.
Just because something is put away for a long time, even months or years, doesn’t mean it’s gone. When the time is right, it will happen. Be patient. Be at peace while you wait.
Scoliosis
05 Sunday Aug 2012
Posted in All Sparkled Up, Gilded Girls, Inspirational, Scoliosis, sparkling
Before getting into the Scoliosis part, it’s true: My life IS all sparkled up! Every day I’ve got bling going on.
Bling in the mail…
My amazing daughter surprised me with this package the other day, a Grace Notes box of gorgeous craft supplies from Gilded Life.
Grace Notes box of sparkling craft supplies, from Gilded Life.
Luscious velvet, beaded trims, pearl-studded flowers…
Oh my goodness, I don’t know what sparkled more – the rhinestone chain, sequins and velvet sheen or the tears in my eyes. She knows me so well! ♥
Bling at the dining room table…
My adorable granddaughter and I did some painting. I taught her how to carefully drop one drop of water into each pan of watercolor.
My granddaughter uses an eyedropper to place one drop of water in each watercolor pan.
Then we painted flowers and a blue river. We were all sparkled up in our spirits as we painted together on the page.
Flowers, painted by my granddaughter and me.
My craft table (which suddenly turns into a dining room table when we scrape off the thick layer of “studio” from every surface) is all blinged…
This bracelet was created from a Gilded Life kit back in February.
Valentine’s Bracelet, made from a kit from Gilded Life. I have the chain suspended from a cardboard platform so I can add the charms without it getting twisted.
You’re probably wondering why the subject is Scoliosis but the posts are all sparkled up. If I went to a website called “All Sparkled Up” I would expect the posts to be just that! But while all this blinging and sparkling is going on, I must confess I’ve got a serious back issue – Scoliosis that has progressed to the point of needing major surgery, not an easy undertaking for a 53 year old. The date is set for September 25th and I seriously can’t wait! But I am not my disease; Scoliosis is just something I have, not who I am. Sparkling is something I like to believe people can actually BE. And I like to think that nothing can stop sparkling, not even migraines or Fibromyalgia or Scoliosis.
I’ll be posting about my progress from time to time but only if the posts can be all sparkled up, through color or art, humor or joy, light and truth. I doubt the doctors can use rhinestone-studded bolts in my back but it’s a very nice thought indeed. Wink!
Calligraphy Aging Gracefully
31 Tuesday Jul 2012
Posted in art, calligraphy, Inspirational
Tags
acrylic artist ink, art, art journal, calligraphy, India ink, ink, migraine, old age, pen and ink
I’ve got a migraine with no med, and a back more curvy than this calligraphy. Life is lived in slow motion some days but never too slow to do something creative. Yes!
Today I pulled out an art journal. I first printed text as a guide using the charming The King and Queen font, by Bran, available at dafont.com. I dipped the pen in ink and did three lines of script before noticing I grabbed the wrong ink. I watched through pain-squinted eyes as the watery ink slowly seeped into the page, creating rough and warted lines, puddles of gray.
Calligraphy using Daler Rowney FW Acrylic Artists Ink, Black.
In slow motion, I thought Oh, it’s not me, it’s the ink. So I pulled out the bottle of better ink and did another line of script. Though the ink didn’t seep into the paper, the letters were still nonuniform, wavery and warted. And then I laughed. It’s not the ink, it’s old age! And pain. And just because it’s a very slow day.
Calligraphy using Daler Rowney FW Acrylic Artist Ink, India, Opaque, New Formula.
It’s ok to be wavery and warted and gray when you’re old.
Slow, gray days are much easier to get through with Courage and Strength.
And when Courage and Strength seem a bit shaky, try Generosity and Joy.
And when Generosity and Joy are too muddled, Thanksgiving never fails.
The Box
06 Friday Jul 2012
Posted in art, crafts, Inspirational, projects, woodwork
We’re excited about life. The pieces are all there. We have plans and everything seems straight and simple.
Construction gets under way. We’re moving forward. We know exactly what we want.
And then the Carver picks up an instrument and begins the work.
We hold tight. We think I can do this. It’s ok.
But then things change and we’re not so sure.
People are brought into our lives that make us uncomfortable.
The cuts get deeper.
Color pales and we get confused.
We watch as bits of us drop away.
We look down and see what is lost. We mourn what has fallen. We don’t want to part with things we think are important.
The Carver keeps the instruments sharp. Carefully honing the blade, we hear the swish of metal on stone and we’re afraid.
We no longer recognize ourselves.
There are strange steps. Odd bits of life, ragged and raw.
The gouges are deep.
We weep over the pile of loss from the past. We focus on what is gone.
What we don’t see is how the Carver’s hands firmly and lovingly hold us.
All we see is the pile of shavings that obliterate our view.
But the Carver sees. The Carver sees a beauty on the inside that we can’t see from the outside. The Carver whittles away, bit by bit, to reveal the treasure within.
We don’t understand the Carver’s dream. But we reach a point where we must trust. Even though we don’t understand, we let the Carver work. And we begin to let go.
We begin to trust that the Carver has a greater plan. It is too big for us to understand right now. But now we think I can get through this. It’s going to be ok.
And for the first time, we’re ok with it.
♥
To be continued…
Grow where you are planted.
22 Tuesday May 2012
Posted in gardening, Inspirational, nature
Sometimes we are where nobody else has ever been.
Sometimes the view is unexpected and we don’t have anyone to tell us what to do or how to do it.
Sometimes we don’t know how to put down roots.
Sometimes we are making completely new paths that have never been trodden before.
Sometimes we make paths that no one will ever follow. And it’s just a path for us.
And sometimes we’re scared.
But growth doesn’t stop. For now, grow where you are planted.
Grow where you are planted.
Word Confetti – U R Going 2 B OK
11 Friday May 2012
Posted in art, Inspirational, mixed media, projects, words
Tags
I’m taking an online class, Soul Restoration 2, by Brave Girls. One of the projects is making a vision board using words cut from magazines. I snipped away at the pages until the table was littered with word confetti. As I cut, I got a panicky feeling that I might not find all the words that represented me. My magazine stock was very limited and I worried about finding enough words. The stack grew much bigger than the canvas could possibly hold but I kept snipping away, feeling as though my entire life needed to be fully represented or my perfection-driven soul wouldn’t feel complete.
I paused, scissors in hand, and looked at the pile stretched across the table. There, in a little cleared spot, was U R Going 2 B OK. Nearby were 2 others – Life Matters and Good Enough. A huge wave of relief washed over me. It was OK!
It is OK to be someone that people don’t understand. It is OK to have big ideas and not be able to put them into words. It is OK to try to do your best and still stop right in the middle to smell roses.
I have this photo as my desktop today. Please feel free to save the image for your own use.
U R Going 2 B OK. Word Confetti. Please click photo to see the larger image.
All Sparkled Up 