Turning 50. Feeding the Hungry.

I am now 50 and it does do something to one's being. I am doing some big things to celebrate that has kept me from blogging. One is a private gig. The other is a very public campaign to help feed the hungry by raising money for Manna On Main Street. Details are here.

I am drawing cards and offering coupons to those who give at least 21 dollars. Any help by giving to or sharing of the cause would be appreciated. Here are the first three thank you doodles ~>

 

L is for Love ~ the a to z of one word messages

Our First Love
was a fruit of the spirit
Lettering by Wayne Stratz
Background by Margaret Almon

Love. Lets get rid of all the extra words. One word suffices for now.

I Love You.

Our second Love
commissioned by my parents
Lettering by Wayne Stratz
Background by Margaret Almon

Our third commissioned love
celebrated a wedding anniversary
Lettering by Wayne Stratz
Background by Margaret Almon

This love is for sale
Lettering by Wayne Stratz
Background by Margaret Almon

K is for Kindness ~ the a to z of one word messages

Border by friend and client and artist Suzanne Halstead
lettering by Wayne Stratz
Background by Margaret Almon

Kindness is one of those words we need to reflect upon as our day comes to an end. It is a message to seek out moments when we met the call to be kind to both friend, stranger, and nemesis. And then go deeper and see when missed the call, and failed to respond with kindness. And then hope for a better response to the world when we awake to a new day.

Kindness. 

May we seek out opportunities to provide some to a person in need. May we see all as those who are in need.

the crew of us celebrating
the completion of the
Fruits of the Spirit

F is for Faithfulness ~ The A to Z of One Word Messages

Mirror Image of the beginning
of our Fruits of the Spirit Project

I am humbled by the faith that occurs when a client contacts us to create a piece of art. If it is their one word message, they have asked us to create something intimate. What about nine one word messages?  What if they were inspired to celebrate the fruits of the spirit. 

No matter the size of a project, before we can begin, colors must be chosen. When our friends commissioned the fruits of the spirit, we had them over for pizza. Then we headed into our studios. Orange was good. Green was less favored. Then they left, but trusting us to take their hope for beautiful words, the colors they dig, and the faith that humbles us ~

The Fruits of the Spirit
words by Wayne Stratz
Backgrounds by Maragret Almon
Borders by Suzanne Halstead

A Fruits of The Spirit Blessing

Inspired by one amazing commission and one beautiful Bible passage...

A Fruits of the Spirit Blessing

May love flow into and out of you as if there is no other reason to be
May your days be filled with people who bring you joy
May there be moments of peace that soothe your soul
May you have the patience to travel without rage
May your heart open to the kindness of others


May our hopes for you settle into your soul with a gentleness that warms your day
May a sense of goodness guide your decisions that unfold you into your destiny
May the wisdom of self-control guide what goes into and out of your mouth
May you experience the faithfulness of one who truly loves you

Nick Hornby and two of the fruits

I don't take novels on retreat.  In fact I tend to read very little on retreat.  In fact I rarely pick up a novel at anytime.  Apparently I have decided that novels are a distraction while art supplies are a path to God.

However, this summer a new assistant popped up in my classroom, who was just a bit enthusiastic about reading novels.  So when I was at the library a week before retreat, I checked out a Nick Hornby novel and then made the mistake of opening it before packing.  But with the exact number of short chapters left as days of the retreat, I figured I could treat myself to one chapter a day.  Then prayed for self-control.

How To Be Good, gave this man of silence some things to think about while on retreat.  The family centered in the novel needed some of my hope and while the last paragraph begins with a promise of that hope, the last line sends one into despair.

 

But that is life, isn't it.  You hope and hope and sometimes you are given a gift that lifts that hope; than an e-mail, a blog post, a news story, or a random thought can send you in the opposite direction.  Somehow those moments are generally not as strong as my desire to live in hope.  And that is a blessing I don't care to forget.

And I only read one chapter a day.

Vlog: a return to the spiritual

I used to be a spiritual blogging fool, but not so much these days, but a sermon on Sunday by my friend Deborah Darlington, my grandma's quilt, a favored hymn, and several in process mosaics...

if I could have predicted...

1. if I had known that our life would be filled with commissions...
2. if I had known heat would sideline my horticulture classes: 11/12 afternoons and several mornings so far this summer.

Maybe I would have taken the summer off. I had contemplated it, but was drawn in by a desire to be in the garden with the students, after all had we not created it together this past spring.


Self-Control is the 6th of the fruits of the spirit we have taken on this summer. Tonight Mosaic Woman and I glued it down and now she will have the pleasure of creating a 36 inch mosaic as she swirls about the letters.

We will take a short break to take on a house number sign which will include a last name (first time!) which will celebrate a man, who comes from Scottish and Irish ancestors by using the colors of those flags.

Then I will take on making my first stained glass stepping stone. I got my pattern photo copied today and this weekend we will take a drive to get some needed glass for this project and the house number project.

And it appears another commission has come our way, which I will start once we finish off the fruits of the spirit. We are left with Goodness, Love, and Joy.

Update: Fruits of the Spirit: Kin

Last night I took on another of the fruits. When I told Mosaic Woman that I had gotten the first three letters cut out, she suggested we translate the Greek as Kin, not Kindness. Earlier in the day we had worked on getting the 12 letters of faithfulness glued down onto a four foot piece of hardibacker.

She had just started working her magic about those orange letters...



Today she got a bit farther...



as did I...

finally, I play with iMovie and consider the vlog

still got lots to learn, but surely would love your feedback on my directorial debut:




Thanks

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