I AM STILL.
I AM GRATEFUL FOR ALL THAT I HAVE.
I CHOOSE PEACE.
I TRUST IN THE PRESENT.
I RELEASE THE PAST.
I AM HAPPY FOR OTHERS.
MY HEART IS OPEN TO LOVE.
I FORGIVE OTHERS.
THIS IS THE MOMENT TO BEGIN.
I FORGIVE MYSELF.
Continue reading “MANTRAS”
Tag: positive thoughts
Give Thanks…
NO MATTER WHAT
Hmmm… well isn’t that a wee bit grandiloquent?!
Between the Word of the Day, grandiloquent, and the weekend writing prompt, peristeronic, I’m beginning to think that I need to keep a thesaurus and a dictionary at my desk!
Grandiloquent: Language or behavior is very formal, literary, or exaggerated, and is used by people when they want to seem important. Fancy or pretentious.
Honestly, I don’t think that being cheerful, praying, and giving thanks no matter what is grandiloquent at all. It’s biblical.
Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18 (MSG)
I thought that this might be the perfect opportunity to submit my entry to Out of the Ashes, for the challenge: New Directions—a prompt that was started by yours truly—ME.
It’s terribly awkward, spreading myself so thin like that… but these are the COVID days, and I think that most of us can agree… anything goes.
I have a zillion things that I could write about new directions—starting over or changing the course of your life—but I think that the perfect starting point is gratitude; being grateful for every single thing in your life: A roof over your head, food on the table, or even the basics like air, soap and water.
I think that when we learn to be grateful for “life itself”—when we’re cheerful, prayerful, and thankful—it clears paths and opens doors. An ungrateful mind is muddled with negativity and complaints, and it creates a toxic fog.
The more we focus on despair and hopelessness, the cloudier it gets. After awhile, we can’t even see ahead of us let alone try to change our course! Mindsets are crucial, and I like to think that this biblical instruction is offering us truth and wisdom about the value and benefit of having a healthy and positive mindset.
So, at the risk of sounding grandiloquent, “be cheerful, pray, and give thanks… no matter what!”
Written for Word of the Day Challenge: Grandiloquent, and Out of the Ashes prompt: New Directions.
The featured image is another friend portrait that I did. The leaves were added as a finishing touch, and I couldn’t help but think that a woman celebrating the falling leaves (which my friend would inevitably do) was the perfect representation of gratitude.
The “oil paint” tool on my old PC never worked before—I think because of my graphic card—and I realized yesterday, while working on my “moon art,” that it’s available to me now, on my new laptop. Hence the new oil paint effect.
And I couldn’t be more grateful!
That’s about all for now. Peace & love to you all…
In Our Hands
We weave the pattern,
Love dwindles, or ripples out,
It is in our hands.
As you can see, I’m still experimenting with my portrait/visual communication ideas here. This is actually a fun and entertaining way to spend my “at home” time, but I still find myself rushing to get things done as if there is some deadline approaching.
The colorful silhouette (if you can make it out) is my 8 year old grandson who will soon be 9. I had him pose with my hat several years ago and I’m still finding a use for the images.
Anyway, he was eating candy (I seriously must enjoy watching my grandsons eat!) so I did some rearranging to make something new. It inspired my haiku as well, which was written for the Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Dwindle & Ripple.
The bottom line: The future is in our hands! This needs to be a mantra right now because in these parts of California it doesn’t feel as though we have much power. We need to stay positive and know that it is there, we just have to work a little harder. Besides, love is always at our fingertips… no matter what.
Stay positive!
—Janet
p.s. I’m also busy on the sidelines, trying to work out the kinks in the new collaboration site: Out of the Ashes. I hope that some of you will check it out and either join us as a contributor, or as a follower of our blog updates.
Chiseled Thoughts
Positivity,
Thoughts chiseled with good intent,
Like an open book.
Greetings everyone! I’ve been experimenting with some techniques to create some new forms of visual communication.
I was inspired after looking at graffiti and wall murals, and I started wondering what it is that I love about them so much. I think that, for the most part, it’s the bold, bright colors and the handwritten messages that draw me in. So… I thought it would be fun to attempt some miniaturized “wall mural art,” in the form of prints or posters, and incorporate some of my portrait ideas.
For my first test run (pictured above), I used Illustrator to create the profile silhouette of my youngest grandson a couple years back. I know, I know… it looks like every other 2 year old out there, but trust me, it’s really him! He was actually eating and I caught him mid-cracker, so I had to do a little magic erase, but I love the innocence that it captures. That’s how I see it anyway.
I thought it came out fun, and it was a perfect match for my Haiku tonight, written just in time for the Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Intent & Thought.
Peace & Love!
—Janet
The Jubilant Journey
This Alphabet Game is great because it prompts me to explore words. Words link to other words and—as I follow the trail—ideas literally spell themselves out. I thought it would be fun to share my journey through the letter “J” today.
While exploring Joy—the first “J” word that came to mind—I found that one of its synonyms is rejoicing. Rejoicing is defined as: Great joy; jubilation.
There’s a word you don’t see every day—Jubilation: a feeling of great happiness and triumph. Aha! That really caught my eye. I love the word triumph. Triumph: a complete victory or success achieved especially after great difficulties, making the result particularly satisfying.
Maybe I’m filled with so much happiness and joy because of jubilation; I’m forever celebrating the victory that I’m living in. After great difficulties, the result is particularly satisfying—to say the least.
But… it’s not just the joy of past victories; it’s also the hope of those to come. New trials bring opportunities to experience new triumphs, and failures pave the way to success. It all circles back to our state of mind; our thinking—and we have the power to choose how we will think.
What a jubilant journey indeed!
Our life is what our thoughts make it.
Marcus Aurelius
The featured photo is being recycled from an old series. Homework is starting to trickle in, and it takes precedence over the creation of new images. That’s okay… I think this one works perfect! Joy is there, it’s just chilling in the shade until I’m finished with my work.
Thank you for reading. I hope you’re having a joyous weekend, full of jubilation!
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. —Isaiah 43:18-19
Dreamers of Dreams
D is for Dreams
Everyone knows what dreams are, but I wanted to find a more personal way to describe them. Not the dreams we have when we’re asleep; the dreams we dream when we’re awake. I poked around google and found exactly what I was searching for:
A synonym for dream is HOPE.
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