Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Grateful

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Aahhhh….a beautiful, rainy morning!  I always love those—but especially now.  We haven’t seen many of them in California this year—and we desperately need them.  So grateful…

I’ve been thinking this week of other things I’m grateful for.  The examples of strong, principled people, for one…

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They’re there—always present.  Sometimes they’re just quietly doing what they know is right.  They’re not standing on a stage or platform…aren’t speaking into a microphone…but they are standing…

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They’re the ones that are quietly, steadily encouraging you to keep moving—to keep going forward—with a positive attitude…with joy in your heart and a sparkle in you eye…

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They’re the ones that are cheerful and hopeful—even in the world we live in today where so much is hard and discouraging.  They’re the ones telling you to keep a dream in your heart and to never give up…

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I’m so grateful for these people—those that have gone before me, those that are here with me now…my own children.  I’m so grateful.

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SO grateful that my oldest daughter is under our roof once again for the first time in a year and a half {she was sweetly & unselfishly serving a mission for our Church}…

And I’m so very happy that it’s a lovely, rainy day…

Julie

Friday, February 21, 2014

Back Home

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Oh my.  It’s been a while, hasn’t it?  Life has been busy…for all of us, I’m sure!

I’ve missed my journaling.  I’ve missed the creative messes all around me as I think & doodle…

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…but I’m back.  A nice, long cruise led to being very sick, which led to lost weeks, it seems…but life is good at last.

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And the conclusion I’ve come to, once again, is that there really is no place like home…

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Home is many things, I think…the house you live in with the people you love, of course.  Home is also when you just feel right.  When you’re on top of things…

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…when you can work and think and do as you want to do…all that is home.  And home is very, very good.

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I guess it’s good, once in a while, to not be home so that you appreciate it fully, and never take it for granted.

I don’t think I ever will again…

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So glad to be home.

Julie

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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

For the Soul

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I’ve really missed the paint swirling onto my thick, beautiful watercolor paper…

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There’s something intoxicating about dipping brush into paint—then that first tip of color awash on the page---------------

MAGIC!

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Layers of color.  Gold and silver.  Then words on paper gathered from thoughts in your head…

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So wonderful what a few simple things combined together can do for the soul.

See you soon with something new.

Julie