daily bread: good quotes no. 12

The events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in their significance to ourselves, they find their own order . . . the continuous thread of revelation.

Eudora Welty

daily bread: good quotes no. 11

You need to claim the events of your life

to make yourself yours.

Anne-Wilson Schaef

Journey With Grief Fall Support Group for Mothers

if you or someone you know could benefit from this group, please pass along this information. peace be with you. peace.

creativity circle registration is open!

you've expressed energy and excitement, said the time is ripe, and now it's time to commit to the journey. are you ready to explore your creativity among a group of kindred spirits?

third tuesdays*, beginning october 2010 from 9:30-11 a.m.

in the artist's studio, 2nd floor

Lewis Ginter Recreation Association Building

3421 Hawthorne Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222

street parking is available

*december 2010 will be second tuesday.

are you as excited as i am? themes in the first three sessions include: safe places, strengths within, and centering practices. we'll create art for the every day and you'll have the experience of art and the art itself to carry home. each monthly session is $25, which includes use of art supplies, art materials and coffee, hot tea and a light snack.

as a SPECIAL for those who register for the creativity circle through 2010, you can receive 3 for $50 and a special creativity kit. you need to register by october 15th for this treat. i believe in this space and the incredible work that can take place. i want those who feel a stirring to come, experience, and create.

as a creativity circle participant, you'll be able to attend the open studio times during the month where you can be in the studio with your own project and create among others.

the creativity circle will continue into 2011. much is in store! there will be art+spirit workshops, holiday gift making workshops, and 7 week art+spirit sessions (meeting weekly). as these are scheduled, i'll give you the heads-up.

to register, simply email me and we'll go through the process. i look forward to hearing from you! space is limited.

daily bread: good quotes no. 10

*you've seen this image before, but it's one worth sharing again. especially in the context of these good quotes.

Handmade Goodness: Back Alley Art Show, RVA

Fall brings art shows for the holidays. I'll be posting them here, and including a fresh list on the silvertreeart.net site.

10th Back Alley Art Show

Richmond, VA

(behind 17 S. Shephard Street)

Saturday, December 11, 2010

11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

daily bread: good quotes no. 9

When I am operating at my best, my work is my prayer.

It comes out of the same place that prayer comes out of - the center, the heart.

~Matthew Fox, PHD

hello, autumn

happy equinox! enjoy these images just as i do of falls gone by. each has a story of our family traveling in the mountains or around our block to behold the goodness that fall brings. the

crispness in the air, of tree silhouettes.

i look forward to using the fresh apples presented to me yesterday, a true taste of what's to come when we go and pick from the tree. i look forward to lots of running and walking on this good earth. i especially look forward to the new colors and changes within our daily steps as we create new paths, new rhythms as a family.

hello, autumn. welcome.

life stories: weekend camping

snapshots of our time at play among friends camping over the weekend.

the dock became a favorite space for dangling toes

in the water, walking, and fishing.

the pond was beautiful. with the campfire near,

it was a special space where fire, air, earth, and water

met many a story shared.

singing, laughing, sharing tales.

behold a roaring blaze where marshmallows roasted and s'mores eaten.

always time to stop and appreciate a little moss,

especially this beautiful growth.

and always time to recognize the sacred circles among us,

and tree growth is so lovely.

a fish admired from a fellow fisher friend's catch.

his own trying, barefoot and in wonder.

busy feet.

paddling feet.

glimmers of light shining, pure worship

as we created memories together.

life stories: {this moment} stepping into myself

there is power in naming. there is movement within each step, however small.

once upon a time i didn't call myself an artist. during that time i would say i was creative, yes. but mostly i let others name me. i listened to my friends talk about how creative i was and sometimes i was able to say thank you rather than just passively listen to their good words. it was hard to hear. sometimes compliments are.

as i was listening to the shared story of a kindred spirit, i was hearing her struggle with naming herself as an artist. i hear you! her words took me back to the days that i was wavering in my own definition of who i was.

another friend has commented on her desire to be free to just BE, letting go of what others might think of her. to be present in the world without that restraint would be freedom for her.

as i walked this morning, these two conversations met in my reflections. i let my mind wander and i began to remember those voices calling my name as artist before i did. i remember those dear souls who called me a pastor and a preacher before i ever did. their voices and impressions of me made an impact. their voices return to me today as i take one step and another. their voices became midwives to the birthing that was taking shape within me. birthing to say YES to myself, to say YES to the spirit at work within me, to say YES to the presence of something good that is me.

recognizing and naming who we are is a holy task in any moment. i think we need to shed some of the negative notions of how we view ourselves in order to see what's really present. my imagery returns to the concentric circles, moving closer to the sacred center by moving into a deeper understanding of our soul, allowing our spirit freedom and space to grow and to BE.

some days centering takes place around these moments where remembering brings enlightenment in the present. sometimes it takes listening to the good words from others to enable us to name for ourselves what is within us. for me: artist. mother. minister.

as i approach the three year anniversary of this blog, i am reminded again of why i named it reverend artist mother. first, i was completely inspired by a fellow clergy woman whose blog kept ringing in my ears: reverend mother. second, a recognition in who i am called to be. in naming this blog, i named a part of how i identify with myself and work in the world. i named what i couldn't for so long, but needed to type it, speak it, and practice the words. within a sacred circle of voices of young clergy women, who encouraged me as much as the wise ones from many moments in life, i created a space to practice the words. i created this space as a means to move within my remembrances, name within the present, and to share with others in this journey.

often that is what friends and kindred spirits and creativity circles can be about: naming what needs to be named, saying what needs to be said, even if it's just practicing the words to see how they feel, how they fit within the circle of life that surrounds us.

there's wisdom that is present in doubt, believe it or not. i've learned that my inner critic sometimes has something worth hearing. yet there are other moments when it's a bit crippling and unhelpful. we use wisdom to discerning which is which.

there are midwives among us whose words resonate well. there are also some folks who just want to poop all over everything. (forgive me, but it's true.) so we develop the wisdom and presence within ourselves in the moment to take in what is healthy, to release what is not healthy or beneficial, and we move on. we structure our days to bring life balance, joy, gratitude. we encircle those who need care, prayers, and good love. we make do with what we have and we learn to find peace in what is and work toward the dreamy goodness that can be found in other moments.

and we create a sacred circle of kindred spirits to encircle us, folks we know and love and trust. folks that can sometimes be the soft side of velcro and sometimes the rough. i know that i need truth telling and compassion. to see life and death. to know that there is a wide world moving beneath our feet and that the world can be changed with the smallest steps taken on a morning walk.

daily bread: good quotes no. 8

Praying

It doesn't have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try

to make them elaborate, this isn't

a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak.

Mary Oliver, from Thirst

daily bread: good quotes no. 7

live with intention.

walk to the edge.

listen hard.

laugh.

practice wellness.

play with abandon.

continue to learn.

appreciate your friends.

choose with no regret.

do what you love.

live as if this is all there is.

~mary anne radmacher

daily bread: good quotes no. 6

i know i've shared this one before, but it's such a good quote for the front cover of a journal. you can put it in just the right space for your words. dream words. be creative. be bold. do you delight in the sound of your inner voice? what word is speaking to you right now? what word are you speaking? say it aloud. speak to yourself.

daily bread: good quotes no. 5

life stories: a week of routine & chaos

we welcomed the return to a school routine pretty well. up early, lunches packed, the boys off to school. i exercised daily and showered. (always a good mark of accomplishment.) to off set these return-to-routine moments, there were the "are you serious?" moments: keys misplaced a couple of times, phone left behind in a friend's car, an incident poking my eye with a limb on the blueberry bush while weeding (as a cool down from exercise), smoking the house by burning something on the stove (which i NEVER do but have now), and my sweet boy burning his thumb on a curling iron after the warning: do not touch this because it will get really hot.

these are just glimpses of moments where i was a bit thrown off, a bit shaken, a bit dizzy. nothing life altering or worth complaint, but worth remark.

is there something with the return-to-routine that other daily habits get mixed up in the bag and poured out in a crazy way? is there a flood of creative thought that is tossing the daily living to the side and life gets a little muddled?

even conversations have been a bit muddled here and there, but mostly i've been so excited and thankful. seriously excited. filled with gratitude. i've found the keys. my phone is in hand. my eye has healed, abd the house aired out and now smells more like the lavender + basil scents we enjoy. the boy's thumb is healing. my love and i had a date night to the movies. i signed a contract for a new studio space. it's been a good, restful yet chaotic week.

there's always something in life bringing in laughter, tears, and a flurry of other emotions. i carry the families i've worked with in bereavement groups with me. there is always perspective as a sweet three year old is undergoing chemo and the effects, as adult children care for their aging parents. there is perspective and there is the daily present. i look at the moment as it is: the moment. i plan ahead for meals, for play dates, and set aside time to create and day dream a little. i light a prayer candle and stitch thinking of others, praying for well being and healing.

hopefully with each week there comes a balance with the crazy, silly muddles in life and the serious, good, sacred moments. of course, the sacred just as present in the crazy, silly muddles as the sacred is present in the everyday. the sacred is present in routine and in chaos.

so i'll continue to center each day. i'll walk and listen. i'll practice yoga and make time for silent meditation (a practice will be more consistent with). i'll sit and sew. i'll sweep and make peace. i'll return to calm and laugh, maybe even return to calm and cry a little. within each moment it will be what it IS. it will be creative. it will BE and i will be there present to each moment, routine or chaotic. welcome or surprising.

daily bread: good quotes no. 4

amen! ah, the spirituality of sweeping. what encounters of the everyday connect you to the presence of God, the Holy, or the Creative Spirit?

daily bread: good quotes no. 3

a little wisdom of my own.

daily bread: good quotes no. 2

right? where are you saying YES?

spreading the good word: Indie Fixx Fall Galleria

Visit the Indie Fixx Fall Galleria to see some really great art! Silver Tree Art is proud to be among some talented folks in this juried galleria.

daily bread: good quotes no. 1

good quotes speak well. they connect souls. they inspire. they stir something within you. i attempt to do some small piece of that as i type words to this blog and follow wise words of other blogs.

as i prepare myself, offering myself daily bread in the form of books, art, coffee, vino, and conversations, i want to share some of those savoring words, quotes, and insights through images you can copy and carry with you.

may these words serve you well.

daily bread: a prayer for nourishment

in whatever form this blessing finds you, receive it as you read it. make it yours as you translate it to your space in life this day:

may your spirit be nourished through the work of your hands.

may your children feel the blessing of your presence,

renewed and refreshed, all the way to their toes.

life stories: {this moment} if nothing else

if i can do nothing else than be present to wonder,

if i can do nothing else than honor the food from the farm,

if i can do nothing else than thank the ones who loves me well,

if i can do nothing else than love those whom i treasure,

if i can do nothing else than attune my focus to this moment,

if i can do nothing else than to simply be,

i can be well.

speaking through the creative spirit

over some of the previous posts, i've hinted about feeling a little more silent through the blog over these summer months than in the past. i've been living in spaces that feed my soul. life here is lived outdoors, sometimes with the macbook, sometimes with the camera, always with eyes wide open, ready to receive what is offered. ready to offer love and peace as i am able.

i can't help but love those solitary moments with my son, with our green grass (yes, green again) and with our play time together. for walks, for dancing spirits, for life lived with my loves. i have a desire to bottle up these times and hold onto them, only to realize they can happen every day, no need for bottling.

i can't help but have a sense of peace, of wholeness with these moments where i am fully present to myself and to witnessing their presence in my life. my heart is full, my hands are working, and my joy is growing. i am full of ideas and energy. i feel restored by the summer, the heat, the water, the sand. i feel restored by the break and the return to rhythm all at once.

there's so much to say about this summer: about walks, hikes, visits with friends, stitches, veggies grown and received, meals prepared, retreats and workshops scheduled. about conferences, quilts, paintings, and love.

there's much to be grateful for and much to feel connected to.

of course, there's so much in store. with the return of fall and school, there's always something new to share.

creativity circle:

opening the window

of your creative soul

this fall i'm announcing the creation of a sacred meeting space for others who want to open the window of your creative soul through my creativity circle. we'll meet once a month (space is TBA). each session will have a small registration fee that covers the use of space, snacks, and materials. Through the creativity circle, we'll offer guidance, guided imagery, introductions to creative expression, while investing in each other's creative passions & adding a little inspiration to each other through a space of safety and support. we'll explore together and sometimes even get a little messy. the best part is that there is something to share: from the work of our hands together to carrying that to other hands (some little) and sharing artistic expressions with our young ones. other creative hands are being invited to participate in leadership & guidance. registration will begin this month. the group will be limited in number. if this sounds like something that will feed your soul, please let me know. if something within you says, Yes! Yes! Yes! then you should say so. If you're not in RVA, i'll be developing an online version of this community that can bring creative exercises & encouragements to you!

yes. there's much to be thankful for: for the days and years leading to this moment. for the moments to come. for the hopes and dreams of many and for connecting to creative souls in this space.

life stories: this moment.

resting, waking.

pausing, pondering.

opening, enfolding.

resting, waiting.

creating, playing.

gathering, witnessing.

called to create with each moment, each step.

writing in stillness and silence.

reflecting in talking and laughing.

each moment is a breath. each breath a moment.

walking into the Be-ing of me, opening the windows to my soul.