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This morning, I was going to the office, and the sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon.  The light caught the scattering of clouds and the sky turned to gold as the clouds became a bluey purple, edged with a warm pink.  The light caught the treetops and turned the brown bark a pinkish hue.  The wild pears, redbuds and early cherry trees were beginning to bloom out, even though we are still having touches of frost.  Jonquils and hyacinth splashed color in the beds along the roadway. I could catch a glimpse of a bird or two as I drove along, and as I turned into the office drive, a couple of Canadian geese picked at the fescue lawn, searching for bugs. 

As I walked inside to start my workday, I carried that vision of the blues, golds and pinks of sunrise in my mind.  The world can be a wondrous place, if we will only open our eyes and see. 

And I couldn't help but wonder how I would capture that pinky salmon color the next time I sat down at my easel!

Are you living a life of passion?  Not the bodice-ripping, "shade of grey" kind.  I'm referring to the meaningful, soul-satisfying kind.  As you might know from my other posts, I am in the midst of caring for a husband in treatment for a serious cancer.  Thanks to the expertise of his doctors, our joint commitment to being diligent regarding diet, rest and activity, and the many, many prayers of friends, family, and complete strangers, he is hanging in and doing well enough.  Keeping the household running, attending to my many work responsibilities, and doing what needed to be done had taken its toll on my energies and optimism.  I was running on empty, late nights and distractions all around. I was anything but passionate.  Then, the phone rang, and the gallery was on the caller ID.

On the line was the gallery manager where I show  with the most consistent success.  We talked about what was selling, different sizes that showed promise, the upcoming shows the gallery would be hosting, new opportunities, business in general. She is such a positive influence and a true partner in my art journey. Overall, an uplifting conversation.  When I hung up the phone, I realized I was smiling.

Isn't it amazing, when you start to talk about something that brings you joy, your mood lightens, and your conversation becomes a pleasure.  That passion lights your internal fire and you just GLOW.  You could talk for ages about that passionate subject.  Mine happens to be art.  Mention art-related issues or observations, and off I go.  I revel in the opportunity to share that passion, that fire that brings me happiness. I forget the things that are mundane and troublesome, and enjoy those talks like a refreshing tonic. It was so GOOD to talk ART.

I don't know how things happen in life, why one thing leads to another and so on, until you find yourself down the road and see how it all came together.  I sometimes wonder if I wasn't being prepared for this difficult time by caring for others in their disease and struggle.  I grew to be strong emotionally and mentally.  I was prepared to face my husband's illness with courage and calm. But what changed me the most was the seed of art being sown in my life 30 years ago.  I've had passions in my life:  for people, for work, for places.  But the passion for art has been running like a deep river, sometimes exposed to the light of day, peaceful and serene, other times challenging and tumultuous, pushing limits. And it is MY river...it has become a part of me, running through my soul.

We are the sum of our experiences, and I am so grateful to have had the experiences of caring for others, working hard, seeing beauty wherever I look, the love of family that always WAS and IS.  But art is a major experience, a major motivator in my life.  I wouldn't have it any other way. How many of us can say that something we discovered on our walk of life has made us better for the finding?  Made us better people?  My faith has done that for me. But art has done that for me in a different way - challenged, taunted me at times, but as time has passed came to bring satisfaction, reward, and a sense of knowing who I really am. 

When I hung up the phone, with a smile on my face, I could not wait to get to the easel.  I was already seeing the paintings I would create come together in my head.  I could not wait to get to the studio.  I was happy -- pure bliss!!