Category Archives: {living}

Celebrating A Very Special Survivor

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Today I honor a very special abuse and se*ually betrayed survivor. My mama! ❤️💖❤️ My mom, like most women in her era, did not talk openly about her pain, abuse experiences, or divorce. The were no post-divorce therapists. Divorced women hopefully had friends, usually 1 or 2 close friends who were probably also divorcees, in whom they could confide. There was no healing path. Many were still grieving or hurt or without clarity 20 or 30 years later. Many remarried—2, 3, or 4 times, only getting back into the same situations. The damage never resolved. Thankfully, my mom remarried a… Continue reading →

If I Perish

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Reading in Esther today—for Purim, which is tonight.Thankful for sister Esther’s example of standing for what’s right before God, for seeking God’s wisdom for a plan and executing it, and saving many. “If I perish, I perish!”But justice was served at the gallows. May we stand as faithful to God as Esther, regardless the stakes. May we seek wisdom for the best course of action, in God’s view, and speak it out courageously, regardless of our “position” in this world. May our God-given voices and wisdom be heard and heeded, that many would be saved. 💝 Living Coram Deo &… Continue reading →

The Power of Creativity

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People tend to think of Creativity as a hobby—or a job, if you’re super skilled and have great marketing. Something you are skilled at so you do it—or not. Something you love doing and do well—or not. They are thinking in terms of Fine Art. A painter who brings color to life in beautiful landscapes. A sketch artist who draws lifelike portraits. Or a sculptor who mimics Michelangelo. Creativity can lead to that—for a relatively small number of people. But creativity (and art) are so much more. They are for everyone! Creativity is an innate part of everyone of us…. Continue reading →

Love Letter 2.0

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Sometimes in life, you just need a do-over. Through no fault of your own, things just didn’t turn out “right”. Sometimes we just have to move on from there. Other times we can take a second chance, and when we know better we do better. Sometimes those things have no or low importance in the grand scheme of things. Other times they are of great importance. And that second chance, to make things better, can make a big difference in our lives and the lives of others. This do-over is very low in significance. But it still was a learning… Continue reading →

Love Letters

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Up today is another page in my Greatest of These is Love journal. This one was inspired from a cardmaking session. I used the same techniques. Same basic theme. Similar colors. But ended up with a totally different look. ‼️😊 The instructor’s card was softer and floral. And my make—😮 I started with blues, instead of her blue-greens, since I already have more than one blue-green page in this journal. So that changed my tone-on-tone stenciling from her leaves to my stars. Of course, I had to adjust her portrait card layout for my long and narrow journal page—and I… Continue reading →

Grow in Love

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Growing in love is one of our greatest aspirations, as we seek to become more and more like Jesus, and is evidence of His Spirit’s fruit growing in our lives. We are to “in love, grow in every way into him who is the head — Christ.” And, “I pray this: that your love will keep on growing…” Since daisies are one of my two favorite flowers, it seemed fitting to add one to this mixed media spread in my Greatest of These is Love journal. I love everything about this page—from the colors to the techniques to the elements I used…. Continue reading →

Love with All Your Heart

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I am LOVING working in this Greatest of These is Love Journal! God not only says, but commands us to “Love with all your heart.” And He tells us exactly what/Who we are to love—Him. Our highest calling in our lives is to love Him because He first loved us. And to love others as we love ourselves. A simple command, but not always easy to do. A simple command worthy to be put simply on this spread. This spread has a simple focal point and simple message, on a multi-layered, colorful background with rich depth. The layers began with… Continue reading →

Rise Up O Army

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💯 If this isn’t a perfect verse/description of Christian marital abuse survivors! March on, sisters! Jesus has given us life again and raised us up! I am so happy to see the rising up of the advocacy against abuse (psychological, not just “physical”) in the last decade. In reading this verse today, God gave me a picture of how He has breathed life into post-abuse survivors, many of them who have all but given up on life, and raised them up as an army of advocates against abuse—whatever form it takes, (in my view, especially in the Christian marital setting,… Continue reading →

Layer a Day – Unique

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I’m continuing my Layer a Day creating, even amidst the other creating I’ve been doing. I’m so behind on posts. But I wanted to get as much creative time in as I could during my after-Christmas “break” (from just about everything except work.) I know that extra time to create will have plenty of dry spells soon enough, especially now that my classes have all resumed and I have more other things on my plate again. Christmas break is over. We got a little snow after Christmas, and it’s all pretty much gone now (but the super cold is back)…. Continue reading →