Seven

David Taylor recently did a blog entry on 7 things that are beautiful and I was inspired. I had to follow suit. 7 beautiful things:

1. Mazzy Star and her Into Dust introduced to me by my friend Amy who is living in Guatemala and helping the people right now while they recover from a hurricane AND a volcanic eruption (Amy is beautiful too). I fall in love with my husband even more every time I hear Mazzy Star.





2. Ikiru, the movie directed by Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa is quickly becoming a favorite director of mine. This film takes you through a man's last year of life; it is a powerful and intelligent film that desires to inspire its viewers to live and truly live, to Carpe Diem. "... make the most of what you have. It is later than you think." (Horace) Ikiru is beautiful.

Takashi Shimura in Ikiru

3. My friend Stephen McCants gave us a breadmaker for a wedding present. Thank you, Stephen! It has been such an incredible blessing for this gluten free lady. Neal was brave and and tried making the first loaf, initiating the bread machine with gluten free bread. The warm smell of yeast and gluten free goodness filled our home; it's been hard to stop since. It's so good with a little butter and honey! Homemade bread IS beautiful.




4. A few months ago my husband sent me a link to some images to inspire creativity. I was fascinated by the fact I was drawn to the photographs with umbrellas in them. Here's my favorite: (click here to see a larger view of it.)

Waiting for rain by Simona Cristureanu

5. And speaking of rain, last summer we saw a horrible drought last summer with temperatures remaining over 100 for over 80 days. This summer, there is rain (nothing like three years ago, but wonderful none the less).






6. A couple of years ago I actually submitted a poem to a contest that I didn't make the final. When I read the finalists and this woman's work, I fell in love with her wit and craft. Love this poem. I think it's beautiful:

Cartography by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

I want to know your body as I know
these sandstone cliffs behind our house-take treks
for weeks along your spine, traverse your neck
with slow, exploratory eyes and go
for long excursions on your limbs with no
set plan for how I might get home, except
to know that you will lead me there. I'll step
so lightly, leave no evidence. And oh,
the maps I'll make, my love, will not be made
of paper but of tune. No rise of you
will be unknown to me, no inch unsung.
I know topographies change by the day—
that wind and water have their way. So true.
A good mapmaker's work is never done.


7. Okay, I know it's simple but fresh herbs are beautiful! N has an amazing green thumb bringing back to life my wedding fern that had almost completely perished. With fresh oregano and thyme and tarragon and basil and curly and flat leaf parsley at our fingertips, meals are so much more lively!

grace revisited.

mickey myers night falls on jericho street

i love u2's song grace. it is a blanket of comfort as i play it over and over. "what once was hurt, what once was friction, what left a mark, no longer stings; because grace makes beauty out of ugly things." i read an article in Christianity today where Bono speaks on grace. "Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff."

i would like to add a bit more to it. grace interrupts the consequences of death and grime. the cross was an act of Grace, but it was costly. i still have to respond to that grace. i still have to be proactive. otherwise, it cheapens grace, "it is forgiveness without repentance" as Bonhoeffer said.

i have found grace offered to me over and over; but if i don't accept it, move with it, then the beauty of it is lost.

emanuel gat dance

unearthing effigies

2006 Yellowstone National Park by micah holcombe

naive, i know. images take time to form. maturity takes time and experience. i am a novice painter/ artist and it takes me ages to complete a work. there is a small stack of unfinished drawings at a friend's house that i wonder when they will be complete. there are paintings left half finished and paintings i wish i would have never given away because of how youthful they are. there is also the voice of the perfectionist that screams, not good enough!

but, it can be something truly breathtaking to watch a painting form! sometimes there is already an image there that is beautiful just as it is; and every new brush stroke only enhances it.

sometimes the painting hides itself. but with trust, with kindness, with time-- the veil is lifted. what is revealed is sweeping vibrant hues of red; draping blues and purples; highlights of yellow and white; foundations indigo and black and gray; soft and lively greens; rich and earthy oranges and browns; and a tender mauve.

it's time to pick up the brush. and tear the veil.

8th hope arts festival week 2

well, it is the second week of the arts festival and so far it has been a feast for the senses. pamela nelson's awe inspiring stain glass windows, amanda legget's soulful voice, and myriads of visual and musical pieces all make this such a rich and full experience. friday is the spoken word event with essays and poems, words from hearts and minds of a diverse group of people. new moms, professors, musicians, theologians, linguists, word smiths, accountants, poets... all bringing new life to words that exist because of their authors' lives and thoughts. i am one of those and will post my poem, my exploration of grace, on friday before the event. i love being a part of this festival. it is always inspiring, a reminder to create and enjoy creation. this year has been quite a blessing working with jodi h. co-managing the event-- which makes the load much much lighter. and now we pray that the 20% chance of rain will reduce to 0% and the crowds will show and hearts will be blessed.

uninhibited

aiden scout gamble

this is joy.

this is uninhibited, untouched, unspoiled childlike true joy.

yesterday I watched aiden eat a cup of chocolate chocolate chip gelato and she did it with such excitement as the liquidy goodness covered Aiden from head to toe. some of it actually did make it in her mouth! the "ice cream" was a reward for going in the poddy; kara and I made sure she made the connection. And we all laughed heartily. aiden would say something that would cause her to laugh (though it was something of gibberish) and we would laugh with her. we sat at a table at Central Market by the "wee" and laughed and laughed. aiden did get to play some too. but we mainly laughed. for no reason other than the fun and joy of laughter.

being an aunt makes me quite happy and does give me joy. on the birth of his nephew, vincent van gogh created one of the most beautiful paintings (in my estimation), inspired by new life. (Vincent, as christened after his uncle, was the son of van gogh's brother theo and was born on my birthday though over a hundred years earlier). it is the blooming almond branch on a peaceful sky-blue back ground. i saw the original in amsterdam and was awe struck by it's beauty. there is such richness in the blue; somehow it captures the essence of peace. the almond branch seems as if it is literally coming to life and will reach out of the painting towards you. i see things so holistically that it is so difficult for me to pull out the small details of the painting to give it justice. this painting i felt. at a time when nothing could touch me, nothing beautiful nothing ugly, this painting did.

the colors of this copy do not give it justice. seeing it in its originality is the only way to really experience the painting.