I am so thankful for the reason for this holiday and the traditions I have been able to maintain. There are so much love and gratitude in my heart and in my life. I can really see it and connect with it around Christmas time, which makes me so happy.
I hope that you can find things to cherish and remember God’s love for you this Christmas. Have a merry and bright holiday.
Want More?
If you would like to keep more up to date with what I am doing I am on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. I have been keeping my Instagram account pretty updated with Christmas cheer lately. You can also read about my life in my series God Shows Up or in the category “Life.”
This is a simple and small square painting I did in 1 session early in 2020. The background has gold paint mixed in with a lighter tan paint.
This painting itself is focused on the idea of romance and marriage. The two different halves are different but fit together. They both blend into the other and of course, the heart itself represents love. When 2 people or in this case 2 colors join together they can create something more dynamic than if they were alone.
Another thing I found interested while painting this painting is that I noticed if these 2 parts of the heart were alone they would be tear shaped. However, together they are the symbol for love. It helps bring out the fact that pure love relieves the tears.
I’m a big believer that having a grateful attitude in life will help you have a more positive life. When you practice being grateful, you look for things you can be grateful for. This makes you look at and for the good in your life. Even if the only thing you can see at first is the fact that you are alive, that is a wonderful start.
If you follow me on social media or here you know that a few weeks ago I posted a list of journaling prompts I go through almost every day. One of those prompts was to list things I’m grateful for. Some days they are profound and deep. Other days I list things like coffee, tea, pens, and my bed. Those are still good things that I am thankful to have, and that is really what it’s all about.
Now I want to share with you a few things I am currently grateful for as examples and also to simply share my gratitude with others.
I am currently grateful for:
Connections I’ve been on social media and online.
My Church.
Those I call family and friends.
My ability to express myself.
Want More?
If you would like to keep more up to date with what I am doing I am on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also read about my life in my series God Shows Up or in the category “Life.”
I learned about superheroes in middle school or high school. They fascinated me, but at the time it wasn’t something that went beyond watching cartoons. There was an X-Men animated series that aired from 1992 to 1997 that I watched. I loved Wolverine even before the movies came out. For the longest time, Wolverine was my favorite superhero.
Once I found comics in my adult life and superhero movies came out, they introduced me to an entire cast of other heroes to root for. However, Wolverine always held a special place in my heart. Yes, I love Squirrel Girl and Laura/ X23, but it was tough for a replacement to come along. Laura was a very close second though. Starlord, Thor, and Iron man were great, but they weren’t Wolverine.
It wasn’t until SHAZAM came out that I found a new favorite. Yes, Wolverine will always have a special place in my heart, but my current favorite superhero is SHAZAM. He is just so fun.
Squirrel Girl is a very close second. I love her as a character and she is such a random hero. Her comics are fun, but for my favorite superhero, I have to go for one with more power. If they were in the same universe, I bet they would be friends. They both are lighter and humorous characters.
Want More?
If you would like to keep more up to date with what I am doing I am on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also read about my life in my series God Shows Up or in the category “Life.”
This is a throwback post to an older piece of poetry for me, called The Sea. I originally wrote this in college. It was for a class that I took I believe in 2007. I then edited in 2013 and again in 2016 for both editions of my first poetry book, Growing Poems.
In Feburary 2019 when I wanted to get more serious about promoting my writing and art I recorded the poem as a poetry reading. I never posted that reading here, so in my efforts to make sure everything I do is on this site I am sharing it with you today.
I do hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think.
I was on the ball with last month’s video update. I had it published before the month actually ended and was happy with how it came out. I then forgot to publish the post on this site. I guess we can’t win everything. Thankfully it is only a few days late.
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If you would like to keep more up to date I do post often on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also read about my life in my series God Shows Up or in the category “Life.” If you’d like weekly updates check out my Patreon page. I do weekly updates for all my tiers and they start at $1/month.
In times of sorrow
hold me near.
In times of joy
show me you care.
In times of worry
protect me from my fear.
In times of peace
help me stay aware.
In all times, in every way
show me your love, my dear.
This year I attempted NaNoWriMo, which is National Novel Writing Month. It is when a bunch of writers attempt to write a full first draft of a novel in November. I had been working on the background work and outline for a new project. The project will actually be a series of short books, so I figured it would be a good way to start. The project is Royal Memories.
During the month I wrote a lot and learned some stuff. I didn’t finish the 50,000-word goal, but I got halfway. My final count was 25,451 words. I am not halfway through the story, though. I know that I have a lot of editing and writing still ahead of me. It is a great start, though. I didn’t write every day. In fact, I wrote about every other day because of my schedule.
There was a bit where I didn’t even write every other day. That was because of overdoing it the first week. I then got in a rhythm of writing and painting that worked for me. November was a wonderful month for me.
One Thing I learned
Doing NaNoWriMo also showed me that at least one lesson I keep hearing holds true. I heard a few authors say to read and review what you wrote the day before at the beginning of your session. I didn’t do that for most of the month and now I’m lost. The story seems to be dying. There is a fix though, I can go back to what I already wrote. As I’m reading it, I can edit it and build on what I have. I have done that a couple of times now and when I do I have added a bunch more words.
Right now the Royal Memories series is just a bunch of bones and bone fragments on a table. By going back and reviewing, I can find more bone fragments in the mess and make them into actual bones. My next few drafts can focus on putting the meat and skin on the bones.
I am glad that I attempted to write an entire book in a month. I found that I could do more than I thought I would be able to and may even get the first book in this series done before I was expecting.
Pictures from the Month.
I used dice to decide on a few things and make the story more interesting. Most of the time it caused the characters to have difficulties with what they were attempting to do. I also had a few fight scenes, which the dice made more interesting. Using the dice also me write quicker, because if I got stuck I was able to roll a die to get unstuck.
When I got to 10,000 words I wrote an Instagram post. I was proud of myself to reach one of the first big milestones. I was planning on taking other pictures at 20,000 and 25,000 words, but that didn’t happen.
Want More?
If you would like to keep more up to date with what I am doing I am on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also read about my life in my series God Shows Up or in the category “Life.”
I love journaling. It is a great way I can start my day mentally organized and with my feelings in check. Writing down things helps me get the day off on the right foot.
Part of my journaling time is spent bullet journaling, which is basically making lists. I love making lists, so this is very helpful and enjoyable. My lists also charge me up and put a positive spin on my day.
The topics/ lists are:
Dreams/ Ideal Life
This is where I will list out the things I want to happen.
Why I’ll Make It
I was feeling discouraged a while back and had a hard time believing my dreams and goals would come true. I wanted to change my outlook, so I listed out reasons I will achieve everything I set my mind to. This list recharges me each time I write it. It is interesting to see how my reasons change from day to day.
Woo-hoo Moments
I tend to look to the future and forget that I am doing good things now, as you can tell by the first two bullet journal ideas. Writing lists about good things I’ve done the day before helps me stay present and reminds me to look for the good stuff in the day ahead of me.
Gratitude
I think this is self-explanatory. I list out things I’m grateful for, whether it’s the sun shining, a good cup of coffee, or an answered prayer. It’s important to make sure you take time to be thankful for what you have.
Prayer
I like to journal out my prayers to keep track of them. Also, I pray out loud and in my head. If I do pray out loud it’s easy for me to lose track of the prayers. When my prayers are jotted down on paper, then I can refer back to them and know God answered a prayer.
Shema
Shema statements, as I know them, are brief statements that reflect your love and commitment to God. The practice of journalling them is so I can practice different ways that I could bring up my faith to others. My theory is that if I am continually looking for ways to say I love God then when I have a chance in public to do so I won’t have to think of the words to say. I’ll already have them in my head because I’ve journaled a bunch of different ways.
I hope my journaling prompts help you or you at least found enjoyment and insight from them.
Want More?
If you would like to keep more up to date with what I am doing I am on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also read about my life in my series God Shows Up or in the category “Life.”
Dreams Fighting Reality is a poem I wrote a while ago. I recorded it as a poetry reading back in 2014.
Dreams Fighting Reality
My dreams danced away together
from my very own reality.
Like ballerinas trapped within my mind
They danced away
so I could not find the love I wanted;
The love I wished was mine.
Yes, my dreams slowly danced away
when reality told me
he was here to stay
But he seems to have strayed
because here comes my dreams
on this new day.
My dreams once again dance near by
as I force my reality to be mine.
Because this fight for what is right,
what is fair and what must be
has left a hole deep inside of me
so I fight to keep my dreams
and I fight to change my reality
