My friend Kristina is visiting me and we took a road trip to Tx. We took our art supplies along with us and used every free moment along the way to create art and write in our journals.  This picture is us on my son’s deck with all our supplies strewn out.  We came back with our journals full of pages documenting our wonderful trip, as well as a bag of extra ephemera!

We shared many rich experiences last week, and it was amusing that while we were eating, shopping, checking in and out of hotels, we were continually finding little items to use in our journal pages.  I would go into a hotel to see if they had a room and would come out to the car and yell to Kristina "Look at this great ephemera I got!".  LOL

We drove 1500 miles and every mile was fun-filled. Here’s one of my favorite photos from the trip.

I really miss Texas, even though I’ve found a wonderful life in Oklahoma.  I’ll always be a Texas girl at heart, and after a week there, Kristina feels like an honorary Texan

The doorway in this image is kind of creepy. But it represents the idea of moving out of our comfort zone in helping others.

Being from Texas, I’ve had a heavy heart for the people in and around Galveston who are suffering from the hurricane.

When I think of all the help they need and all the people who will have to pitch in to help them, it boggles my mind.

The Red Cross is on the scene and needs donations, of blood, even if you can’t give financially.  And most of all, you can send positive thoughts to the victims and their families.

Texans are tough, strong people. I know they will be able to come back and do what is needed, but think how much impact we all could have if we spend just a little time each day sending positive thoughts and prayers to all the people affected by the hurricane.

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy –
because we will always want to have something else or something more.
~ Brother David Steindl-Rast

I believe that I owe the life I have right now to Gratitude.  My life is rich with love and blessings.  It wasn’t always so.  But even in the darkest times, I worked to find something to be grateful for.  I can remember a long period of time when the only thing I could think of that was good was the fact that I wasn’t pregnant!

When I allow myself to get so down that I can’t see one tiny good thing, then I lose my hope.  And without hope I cease to work toward anything better.   If I set my sights on a thing that I believe will make me happy, and I wait for that thing before I will be grateful, I spend my life focusing on what is missing.

If I focus on what I do have, and hope for more, then I can lift my spirits and my attitude which automatically starts me seeing more, and then getting more of what I want.  This isn’t scientific.  But it is tried and true in my life for many years.

Start noticing the people who you admire, and who have the kind of life you’d like to have.  I’ll bet you that they actively express and feel gratitude daily!

Gena left a comment asking if she could see Mister’s hand, too.  We tried to do an artistic photo ala Michaelangelo. It turned out to look more like we were doing hand shadows of animals.  

Here is an actual picture of us. Maybe this is better than just his hand?

I have read a lot of blog posts lately with suggestions on how to get to know your mate, or how to be a good listener so you learn more about others.  I like this idea because I really do want to know other people better.  They fascinate me.

But, I’ve been wondering, do we need to focus on getting to know others if we don’t really know ourselves?  I like to have journaling prompts in card form that I can carry with me.  If I don’t have anything I feel like writing in my journal I can pull out one of the cards and use it to get me started either writing or creating a visual journal entry.

If you are interested in creating your own deck of journal prompt cards, check out my e-Course here.

Here are some questions to use on your cards, or just as prompts in your journaling, that will help you get to know yourself a little more deeply.

1.  What is your greatest failure?

2.  What is your dream job?

3.  What is keeping you from working at your dream job?

4.  What have you always wanted to do but haven’t done?

5.  Who is your hero?

6.  What was the best day of your life?

7.  What makes you truly happy?

8.  What is your biggest weakness?

9.  What is your biggest strength?

10.  What do you wish people knew about you, but don’t?

11. What do you hope people say about you when you die?

12.  Who is the proudest of you?

13.  What is your saddest memory?

14.  Do you have a secret you’ve never told anyone?

15.  What would you like to accomplish in your life?

I started concentrating so hard on my vision that I lost sight.
~Robin Green

Sometimes I have an idea and I feel excited to start work on the project.  As I begin, my mind is flooded with possibilites and ideas. Somewhere along the way, though, what it should look like when it’s done jumps into my mind.   That’s a necessary thing with some projects – you have to have a vision.

There must be a balance of visualizing the outcome and not focusing so hard on that vision that you lose touch with the fun and play of the process.  The process is the point for me.   I love slathering on paint and getting glue on my fingers.  I love changing my mind in the middle of it all and starting over.

If I start worrying if it will look right when I’m done, then the fun goes right out of the process.  I may as well be doing a math problem.   The key is having a vision yet finding all the ways to get there.  If we lock ourselves into only one “right” way, then we lose the exploration, play and fun.

I tried to upload this video but the file was too large and it didn’t work.  PLEASE go watch it!  It is so fun, you can’t help but laugh and feel happy when you watch it.

On the anniversary of the day that has caused so much diviseness in our country and the world, I choose to celebrate the thing we all have in common.

Karen at Square Peg People has honored me with the "I Love Your Blog" Award.

Getting an award always amazes me and humbles me.  Especially because this one comes from Karen, a wonderful writer!

Here are the rules for the award:

1.The winner can put the logo on their blog

2. Link the person from whom you received your

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs

4. Link those blogs to yours

5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you nominated.

So, here are the people I’d like to share this award with:

Biblioddessey

Meggie Cat

Northwoods Luna

Zen Moments

Creative Slush

Self Help Healing Arts

Art Junk Girl

Today’s Acts of Kindness is about lending a hand.  Lending our own bodies for strength or help when someone needs it.

I remember when I was young, people always helped each other.  I grew up in a small town in west Texas and if you needed help, there was always someone there to help you. Even in recent years, in west Texas, if I had car trouble I never sat there more than a few minutes before someone stopped to help me out.

Right now I’m facing the challenge of going back to TX to get my things out of storage and move them to OK.  My friend Kristina is coming down from CO to drive out there with me and help me drive back to OK.  That’s a huge help!  And Mister is going to let me store my things in his garage!  His son and son’s girlfriend have agreed to help me unload the truck when I get back.

Just thinking about what it would cost to hire all this done, makes me realize I couldn’t get my things if I had to pay for it all.

This week, push yourself a little bit and offer to help someone, even a stranger, even though you might get dirty or get a sore back.  You never know what a huge difference it might make in their life.

I really have an important entry in my journal from Saturday!

Mister took me for coffee to the place where we first met.  After we sat and visited a while, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!

Yes, that’s really my hand in the picture above

Good things come to those who wait.  As long as you process and journal while you’re waiting    I have an entry in my journal where I described my ideal man.  I called him "Mister".  It’s obvious I was describing this man, except that I got lots of bonuses I didn’t even know to ask for!