New York City and its people

I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art last Sunday. I took advantage of the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping in their wonderful gift shop.

While waiting for the train back to Brooklyn, a dark green train pulled in (not the usual silver with large windows) There were 2 conductors on it , one came out on the platform to shout out the next stop. ( I had never seen THAT before)  But more unusual were the people who jumped off the train laughing and smiling with camera's in their hands  turning around to take pictures of the train. Then people like me who were waiting for the train, took out their camera's and took pictures .When the train pulled away everyone had smiles on their faces. They all knew something that I didn't.

When I settled in on the train I had been waiting for, I asked a young man next to me what that was all about. He told me that that train was over 50 years old . At Christmas time they get a few out and make short runs just for the fun of it.

That sounds like a small town event to me,certainly not  my image of New York City.

 That young man and I had a great conversation all the way home. Back in Iowa, I would have gotten into my car and driven home all alone.

One of the really good things about this city is the people!

So THIS is Joy!

Last week I was trying to decipher the difference between 'happiness' and 'joy'.

This morning  I was reading  'God calling' ( a daily reading),  As I was closing the book I checked my calendar and discovered that I had read the wrong passage for this day.  I reopened the book to  today's date of Dec.16th and read the title: 'What is joy?'  Coincidence?  I don't think so.

Here is God's explanation of JOY,  from the book,'God Calling'.
 
JOY is the reward of patiently seeing Me in the dull dark days, of trusting when you cannot see.
JOY is as it were your heart's reponse to My smile of recognition of your faithfulness.

Here are some more from other passages in the book:

"The foundation of Happiness is the complete surrender of every moment to God.
The superstructure of Happiness it the JOY of communion with Him."

"Nothing in the day is too small to be part of My scheme. The little stones in a mosaic play a big part. JOY is the cement that  secures the Harmony and Beauty in my mosaic."

So there!  I couldn't have said it better myself!

This is the third from my Fruit of the spirit series.

Peace, now that is a good word. That is something we can do something about!

I know it isn't easy, but if you want peace in your life, get out of  un-peaceful situations.

Do what you have to do. Set boundaries, avoid 'toxic' relationships, attend AlAnon meetings, move out, leave, walk away, pray, pray, pray!

Everyone's home should be their retreat, their haven, a place of peace.  If it isn't, change something. Life is too short not to.

Opps!!  I have to go now, I am falling....... falling...... falling...... off  my             soap box.

Let's talk about JOY

Here is the second painting from my Fruit of the spirit series.

I love this word. It is different from 'Happy.' Happy is a temporary short lived feeling. JOY is deep, a sense of well being, a word of hope and faith. The angel said "I bring you tidings of great JOY! "

I am trying to think of Joyful times in my life. Certainly not when I was out with the girls laughing and having a good time. That would be a happy time. Joyful is more real, like the birth of a child.

This is harder than I thought. I must think on this a bit. If anyone is reading this, I would love to have a conversation about this word, Joy.

Anyway, I am really 'happy' that I painted this series, it makes my feel 'joyful'

Check back for the third in this series.

Fruits of the Spirit

These past 5 months since moving to Brooklyn I have been creating some new works. I love working with oil pastel and acrylics, yet watercolor with pen and ink detail is what I have been doing. I don't really have an explanation other than after I finish a piece I move right on to the next. I find them very interesting, the detail adds a richness to each piece.



I have been working in series, the first series I will be posting is from the Bible. In Galatians, Paul lists the fruits of the spirit. There are 12 but I have completed 3. The first one is Love. The final result wasn't at all what I was aiming for and I was not pleased with it. But, as often happens, it has grown on me and now I can sincerely say that I am proud of it.



The three together (Love, Joy and Peace) make quite a statement on a wall, I know because the originals are framed hanging on mine. To see the other two, continue to check in.



That's it for today.