there and back again

a pair of earrings i had completed

and, yes, that is cat hair you see

having been away from my bench for nearly 3 months,

getting downstairs 

and entering that space

 was,

well,

jarring.

ignoring the evidence 

of my cat walking

across each surface

and finding things to bat,

bat, bat...

it was a concrete visual 

of how quickly life can change.

it was left 

as though i was to return momentarily.

only i didn't.

and in that span of elapsed time,

i became more.

deeply grateful to be there,

i struck my singing bowl 

and allowed the humming to fill me.

grateful to be picking things up

and setting things right.

i won't be down there for any stretch of time,

not just yet -

the body won't allow it.

but the visit with my shadow self,

leaves me feeling a bit more whole.

i am happy -

no mud, no lotus -

this little gem of thich nhat hanh's has become something of a mantra for me.

i found myself slogging about in the mud without wellies on these past few months.

without wellies perhaps,

but abundantly with

the love

kindness

compassion

concern

and generosity

of others.

for this, i thank you -

art2love.org

'every child is an artist. the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.'

- pablo picasso

our family has had reason over the past 10 years to spend a good deal of time at the children's hospital of philadelphia... and the end is not in sight... but that's ok and another story!

there is a huge list of things i love about chop - but i wanted to share these 'artlings' that were created from the drawings of kids being cared for in the oncology wing... they hang in the windows overlooking the atrium... and i love them... it must have been so wonderful for these kids to see their drawings become 3 dimensional... besides being cute, they reinforce to those who walk the halls that each bed, each appointment is filled by a living, breathing child... with a family... with joy and fear and sometimes pain... with an imagination, hopes and dreams... and who, illness aside, is just a kid...

'art does not reproduce what we see; rather, it makes us see.'
- paul klee

'free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world.'
- maria montessori

to watch the video of karen lefebvre-christou, the incredible woman making this happen, go to http://art2love.wordpress.com ...