“Roots” and “Home”

Since we moved to Washington State full-time almost two years ago, I have been thinking about the difference between ROOTS and HOME. I believe this could be answered in different ways by different people, but for me, this is it:

My ROOTS are “where I am from” - and the term “roots” carries with it a depth of meaning. 

My ROOTS are in Missouri. I spent most of my 75 years (so far) there (with time away for hubby’s military locations during his three years in the USMC).

I love my ROOTS. I love Missouri. It’s a great place to live and raise a family, especially in the rural areas, which is where we always lived. 

I love the four seasons as they occur in Missouri. I even love the heat, because it is part of what defines Missouri. 

I love the wildlife and the trees and the crop farms and the cattle farms. I love the state parks and the caves and the springs and the country roads. 

I love the thunderstorms and the fact that when it “comes a rain,” I can know that it is going to be over soon and there will be sunny skies afterward (not to be confused with the months of rainy weather in Washington).

In Missouri, things just “seem to make sense” (quoting my daughter-in-law, who also has Missouri roots).

I could write a book about my roots.

When I was first married, my husband and I spoke of “home” when we were talking about our parents’ homes. When we were newlyweds and in college, for example, we would say “We are going home for the weekend.” We meant we are going to our parents’ homes, where we each grew up and lived until our marriage.

For some people, the place of their ROOTS is also the place of their HOME. They live where they always lived, likely where their parents lived and maybe their ancestors before that. So there may not be a clear differentiation between roots and home. 

But, for me, now when I speak of HOME, I am talking about where I live…where my life is…where a large part of my family is…where the setting may sometimes feel “foreign” because I’m not “from here” (my roots are not here), but it’s still HOME because it’s where my life is right now. And that is by choice. 

We really do miss Missouri, but we choose to live where there are now 10 of our immediate family (Hubby, me, son, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, grandson, granddaughter-in-law, three great grandchildren) who are in our home most every Sunday for dinner, after church (where our son is Pastor and our grandson is Pastor of Worship and Discipleship).

I know the saying is “Home is where the heart is.” And that’s true. Clearly, as I have described it, I love my ROOTS, and I love my HOME. But my heart is where I live, so, yes, my HOME is where my heart is, and that’s in Washington State right now. 

My roots and my home are 32 driving hours apart. And that’s okay. This is where God has placed me for now.

My art sometimes reflects my roots and sometimes my home. I just painted a blue jay. We do not have blue jays in Washington state, but we had a lot of them in Missouri. They would always disrupt the peaceful environment of our bird feeders when they visited, scaring away all the birds who play nice (not to be confused with the blue jays, who were bossy). But I do miss them, because I associate them with my ROOTS. 

They are fun to paint because they are so colorful.

This blue jay was painted with direction from a tutorial by Louise de Masi.

“Ripple Effects”

I just finished reading the most inspirational book I have read in quite some time. My granddaughter-in-law mentioned this title to me when we were thinking of a book for our second Girls’ Book Study (which didn’t materialize, sadly for me). This book, written by the mom of one of my favorite sports figures of the last several years (Tim Tebow) is all about my favorite topic, influencing family. 

The book is Ripple Effects: discover the miraculous motivating power of a woman’s influence by Pam Tebow.

The entire book is filled with inspiring stories, written by someone who sees her mission in life as this (derived from Psalm 127): “To love and train my children as the gifts and rewards that God intends them to be and aim them toward the target of an influential life that honors God and impacts their world.” Quite a mission statement, and she has seen her mission fulfilled with all of her five children. 

She goes on to say, “I had no sense of a mission when I was growing up, so I was highly motivated to provide a framework for purpose and influence through the unique missions God created for my children.” 

Then she paraphrased the passage that I am adopting as MY mission statement, Psalm 78: “My role,” she writes, “is to tell the generations to come the praises of God, His strength, and the wonderful things that He has done, so their confidence would be in God. One generation influences the next when we convey God’s wondrous works. Tell your God stories to influence those in your sphere to ask Him to write amazing God stories just for them.”

So, that caught my attention, because I am kind of “known” for story-telling. By “known” I mean, when I start to recount a true story from my [long] past, there is some eye-rolling happening, and I can almost hear the “Oh, here we go… again.”…. Then, my rationalization is, “Yeah, but now we have another new one to our family who hasn’t heard this story yet” (and I’m thinking, “and, honestly, it wouldn’t hurt YOU to hear it again…..”)

So, yeah, I tell those stories, and some of them are stories of actual miracles that have happened in MY own lifetime, in my own family. So, yeah, I’ll tell them AGAIN.

My Mission Statement:

“I will declare wise sayings; I will speak mysteries from the past  — things we have heard and known and that our ancestors have passed down to us. We will not hide them from their children, but will tell a future generation the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, his might, and the wondrous works he has performed. He established a testimony in Jacob and set up a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children so that a future generation — children yet to be born — might know. They were to rise and tell their children so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God’s works, but keep his commands.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭78‬:‭2‬-‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Today I read further about what the Bible has to say about generations (it’s a lot—I only touch on it here).

I read this, “Modern Americans tend to think of our own life and—if marriage and kids are part of the picture—our children and perhaps grandchildren. But God thinks in terms of generations, a much longer view.”

Here are some verses that encourage us to think about family in terms of generations, generations of influence.

Genesis 9.12: And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations.”

Genesis 17.7: And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.

Psalm 22.30: A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation…

Psalm 103:17-18: But from eternity to eternity the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him, and his righteousness toward the grandchildren of those who keep his covenant, who remember to observe his precepts. ‭‭

Joel 1.3: Tell your children about it, and let your children tell their children, and their children the next generation.

Ephesians 3.21: …to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

From Pam Tebow’s Ripple Effects:

“What would happen if you decided that when you put this book down, you would influence people on purpose through the mission God has created for you? God designed you for influence. Your role is to seek Him by faith, day by day, for grace to live out the perfect plan He has for you. God’s part is to accomplish more than we could ask or think according to the power, the miraculous motivating power, that works within us (see Ephesians 3:10). And heaven will reveal the ripple effects when we fulfill our God-created missions.”

How challenging!!!

Artwork from last week: Carolina Wren

#generationstocome #influenceofawoman #PamTebow #RippleEffects #MyMissionStatement 

Think on These Things

LEUCADENDRON (LILY)

I chose to paint this flower because it is a lily, and I was thinking about this Scripture passage, Matthew 6:28-30 (ESV):

And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

This is a “think on these things” passage for me. It is an admonition not to worry. I need to “think on” that. A lot.

For Christmas, I received a journal from my grandson and his wife. I decided to use it as a “Think on These Things Journal.”

Following is what I wrote in one of my entries in this journal:

I like what Courtney Doctor says regarding the following passage:

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. - Romans 8:5-8, NIV

In her Bible study “In View of God’s Mercies,” Courtney says, “The focus of your life will determine the trajectory of your life…Setting your mind on the things of God means that you think about God, His Word, and His ways. You seek the things of God, trust the ways of God, and live under the influence and authority of the Word of God.”

I tag my entries in this Journal with the relevant topic from the list in Philippians 4:8 (see my handwritten note in the journal, above). This entry is tagged

*true

*pure

*praiseworthy

I also painted the Leucadendron on a page in my Interleaved Journaling Bible:

This Bible has a totally blank page (front and back), between each page of Scripture, allowing space to paint and write in the Bible without marking or painting on the actual printed pages in the Bible.

Note: It has been a long time since I have done a page of art in one of my Journaling Bibles. I had forgotten that watercolor does not play well with a page that has had gesso applied first (which I did here). It was a challenge to make it even presentable! (Totally different from painting on watercolor paper, as was the case for the piece at the top of this post.)

#watercolor #bibleartjournaling #leucadrendon #liliesofthefield #donotworry #thinkonthesethings

Two Themes of My Current Quiet Times (Related?)

First of all, a completed watercolor art piece serves as my “cue” to write a blog post. Thoughts that have been swirling in my head begin to come to a focal point as I finish a watercolor and think about sharing it. Usually, as is the case today, the painting and the “thoughts in my head” are not related topically. 

A finished painting that I want to share on my blog is my prompt to also share some thoughts. Again, usually not related.

Today’s art work, however, IS related to today’s weather, coincidentally. Here in the PNW, we rarely get ANY snow, and even more rarely do we got an accumulation. It has been snowing all day today, and we may even get six inches of accumulation. While my family in Missouri is pretty much DONE with snow for this winter, I am NOT tired of it and am really enjoying it. 

The artwork for today is a Fox in Snow.

Today after finishing the fox painting, I have been baking Honey Oatmeal bread and organizing a large basket full of books-in-progress, Bible studies-in-progress, prayer journals, other journals.

As I’m putting in bookmarks and trying to re-stack things in such a way that I will be able to actually finish a few of these in-progress things, I can’t help but take note of the fact that I’m seeing things on my two themes:

As I’m trying to organize, in a markedly DISorganized manner, these reminders of how Gratitude Brings Joy and how Breath as Prayer helps with stress and worry, and how that all of this is, yes, in fact, related—I love how God brings things together sometimes!

#GratitudeBringsJoy #BreathasPrayer #watercolorfoxinsnow #GodisSovereign

Gratitude Brings Joy

Today I am thankful for the awareness that I am “back on track” with my favorite hobby, watercolor art. It has been a bit of a challenge, after taking a break through November and December. I am now able to move forward, and although I always know that I need to improve--a lot--I do allow myself to enjoy feeling good about a piece that I have completed.

Yesterday and today I was able to follow along with a tutorial by Louise de Masi to complete this sweet little giraffe. 

So, I’m thankful for this today.

#gratitudebringsjoy #attitudeofgratitude #keepajournal #joy #gratitude #watercolorpractice #watercolorgiraffe

Two Paintings and an Encouraging Word

Having a bit of a hard time getting back into the comfortable feel of painting where I was before the long break over the holidays. I am not particularly proud of either of these two pieces, but I share them in the interest of being accountable. 

This is one of my favorite verses. I have likely posted it before (and will again). It feels like a promise to me. If it’s not a literal promise, I can for sure say that it is encouraging to me. 

The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green, to declare, “The Lord is just; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.””

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭92:12-15‬ ‭CSB‬‬

#watercolorpainting #watercolorpuppy #watercolorapple #encouragingwordaboutoldage

2023 Already Underway!

Wow, it seems like I was thinking about 2023 being almost here, and now, the first month is almost gone! 

We had a wonderfully holiday, first with family celebrations here in Washington, and then a road trip to Missouri where we spent holiday time with our daughter and her family as well as our siblings. We tacked on a few days in a cabin in Branson before beginning the return trek.

So, we admit to being crazy with our choice of driving instead of flying, which resulted in 8 of our 14 days of “the trip” being “on the road” (and I do mean literally driving 8-12 hours on each of those days). We were pretty tired by the time we got back home!

I am just now getting back into routines, so this week I got the paints out, after several weeks of holidays and travels. I always feel like it takes me some time to get “the feel” back. 

I started with a simple painting of my favorite bird from Missouri, a male cardinal. For this one, there was not a tutorial to follow, but my teacher Maria did a painting from this reference photo, and I copied Maria’s painting, using my own “process.”

Reference photo available from a site that allows free use of the photos:

My “version:”

It’s always nice to travel, it’s especially nice to see family, but it’s also great to be back home, with our routine of spending time with our Washington family, enjoying our weekly Sunday dinners with 9 of us at our house, after our wonderful church service with our son Pastor and our grandson Worship/Discipleship Pastor.

Best Wishes for a Blessed 2023,

Barbara

Watercolor Art “12 Days of Christmas” (Part 3)

Here are the remaining Christmas 2022 art works (not yet shared).

I’ll be taking a break from art until mid-January or so, while we celebrate Christmas with our family here in Washington and then drive across the country to Missouri, where we will celebrate with our daughter/family and our siblings.

From one of my Advent devotionals: 

Jesus came to bridge the gap between us and God. He came to bring the hope of Heaven to our lives. Jesus was born to die for our sins, to show us the love of the Father. Jesus also came to advance the Kingdom of God on earth. To be our bridge in making right our relationship with God. The Holy Spirit helps in those efforts, empowering us and equipping us to be the children of God and to live as He calls us to live. - Janelle Keith

And to close out my thoughts of 2022, this verse that has had several different applications for me throughout the years. It’s a verse I love to pray over loved ones (specific ones at specific times):

“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints,”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬

#AdventDevotional #watercolorchickadees #watercolorsugarcookies #watercolorsnowman #watercolorcardinals #watercolorhedgehog

Watercolor Art “12 Days of Christmas” (Part 2)

In today’s post I am sharing three more of my art pieces from this year’s “12 Days of Christmas” watercolor classes from Maria Raczynska.

Today I am focusing on the profound reminders from my pastor’s sermon today (I am blessed to have my son as my pastor), in his message “Who is the Christ of Christmas?” 

Pulling out one of the most meaningful parts of the sermon for me, “The Christ of Christmas is TRUSTWORTHY.” 

Pastor Mark pointed out that in our present culture, there has been an erosion of trust. It is sad. He said, “But Christ is always trustworthy. He can be trusted to BE who He says He is, to do what He says He will do. We have an anchor, a foundation.”

My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

-John 10:27-28

#WhoistheChristofChristmas #watercolorChristmas #12daysofChristmaswatercolor #watercolorgingerbreadcookies #watercolorcandycane #watercolorstocking #Christistrustworthy

Watercolor Art “12 Days of Christmas” (Part 1)

I have always loved Christmas time. For so many reasons I love it. Those reasons and feelings have, of course, changed through the years. It’s a different feeling now that I’m a great grandmother (another way of saying that so many years have passed) than it was when my children were small. I remember those days like they were yesterday, and it was such a joyous (and fun) time. 

Today’s feelings are more somber, more reflective, more emotional, more heart-full. 

But still, Christmas time is a special time for me. 

Of course it’s special because it’s a celebration of the coming to earth of the Messiah, my Savior, who came to earth so that he could live as a man and die on the cross as the payment for my sins (and for all those who accept His gift of salvation). 

But in my own little private way, it just has a special place in my heart, for many reasons, most of which I am unable to articulate.

But I feel them.

Probably because of how much I love Christmas, I love doing art that has a Christmas theme. I follow various artists for their watercolor tutorials and classes. The artist that I have followed the most consistently since I started with this new hobby about three years ago is Maria Raczynska. Each year she does a 12 Days of Christmas series. I do not typically do all of the pieces of her 12 days, but this year I did most of them.

During the next few days, I will post a few of the pieces, along with a devotional thought from my Advent Study, Prepare Him Room by Susie Larson. I did this same study last year, and it may not be a good sign that, as I read each day’s devotional, I feel like I’m reading it for the first time. But then again, sometimes when I read a Scripture passage, I feel as if I’m seeing it for the first time, and I KNOW I’ve read the Bible through multiple times and some passages MANY times. Oh well, I suppose it’s the nature of humankind. Or typical for me, at least.

Prayer from Today’s Devotional (Scripture Passage: Luke 16, December 16)

King Jesus, You’ve made Your heart perfectly clear. I’m not sure why I miss it so easily. You care about the lost, the hurting, and the broken. You came to heal broken hearts, bind up their wounds, and save their souls, just as You’ve done for me. Forgive me for being so wrapped up in my own story that I miss the bigger story [that] You’re writing on the earth today. I want to be creative, innovative, and profoundly generous for Your name’s sake. I want to steward opportunities with an otherworldly wisdom from above. Help me to live like Your promises are true. I’m just passing through, on my way to live forever with You. Amen. (Susie Larson)

Three Pieces from 12 Days of Christmas

(I paint chickadees often. I think I’m drawn to them because (1) they’re so cute and (2) it is a bird that we see in Missouri and in Washington.)

These are busy times, but I am thankful for my hobby and for having time to reflect on God’s blessings each day. 

His love is overwhelming.

I believe HE IS CRAZY ABOUT ME!!! (So undeserving am I!)

#12daysofChristmasWatercolor #blackcappedchickadee #evergreeninsnow #candlesinthesnow #watercolor #prepareHimroom #advent #Christmas

Let My Teaching Fall Like Rain

Let my teaching fall like rain and my word settle like dew,

 like gentle rain on new grass and showers on tender plants.

 Deuteronomy 32:2 CSB

I am 75 years old, and I honestly cannot remember a time when I didn’t think of myself as a teacher. As the oldest of five children, we spent a lot of time “playing school,” and I was the “head teacher” in all those scenarios, presenting report cards to our parents when they would return from a church meeting, during which time I had been “in charge” of the younger siblings. 

“Always the teacher.” That’s what my parents said. 

My first actual public school teaching experience was when I was in the sixth grade. Seriously. That year, at a little school in Jessieville, Arkansas, the fifth grade (my sister’s class) and sixth grade were all in one class. Our (frankly) incompetent teacher would sometimes direct me to teach reading to the fifth grade. I rather enjoyed it.

The phrase “I was a teacher” is really not a part of my vocabulary. 

I AM A TEACHER.

It is part of who God created me to be. It was always my calling. When I was old enough to think/talk about vocations (and calllings), I would always say that my first calling was to be a wife and mother. After that, it was to be a teacher. It went without saying that I would study education when I went to college.

At Southwest Baptist University, I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in social studies and minors in English and secondary education. My teacher certification from the state of Missouri was (and is—my Missouri certifications are lifetime) in 7-12 social studies and English, and K-12 Gifted. A few years after that, I completed the coursework to obtain a lifetime certificate in elementary (K-6) and subsequently earned a Master in Education from Drury University (Missouri).

Recently I read a blog post about living in the “now,” forgetting the past and not thinking about the future. I get it. There are parts of that philosophy that I agree with, and I certainly understand the “Look, I am doing a new thing” passage of Scripture. But, for me, while I am loving the “now,” I find it to be a good thing to reflect upon the past, because it is so full of blessings. I like to think about the future, too, as there is so much to look forward to. 

So, I believe I can appreciate and be blessed by the past and the future and the now.

Along those lines, recently when I was reflecting on the opportunities I have had to “be a teacher” (and the many lives I was blessed to touch—and be touched by), I made a list of some of those teaching experiences that came to mind. In all honesty, I’m not sure I remembered them all. But these made my list:

Piano lessons (off and on for years, starting at age 17)

Sunday School classes (children and adults)

Missions organizations (church)

Children’s Choir (two churches)

Children’s Ministry Leader/Teacher

Life Group Leader (church)

Ladies Bible Study

Color Me Beautiful classes

Substitute Teacher, Elementary (on USMC base)

7th grade English/Social Studies

High School Social Studies

Kindergarten

Grade 5 

Elementary Remedial Language Arts

Gifted students grades 1-7 (13 years)

School District Technology Coordinator

Adult computer classes

Adult Basic Education (those studying for GED)

College (English and Teacher Education) (3 colleges)

I know that I sometimes still slip into “teacher mode” when I am with my children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. But you know, I think I’ll stop apologizing for that. “Teacher mode” is how God made me, and I kind of like what He did there. I like me. In fact, I am one of my favorite people.

Just to prove that I can be “in” the now moment, too, here is my latest very quick, very easy art piece. I’m spending some time these days on Christmas art, but I painted this plum right before I started on the holiday projects (to be shared later).

I do thank God for the opportunities He has given me through the years to follow my calling. And yes, this continues to be my prayer, even now, for any ways that I am able to continue to BE a teacher…

Let my teaching fall like rain and my word settle like dew,

 like gentle rain on new grass and showers on tender plants.

 Deuteronomy 32:2 CSB

#teacher #calling #grateful #letmyteachingfalllikerain