This little guy weathered our hot spell underneath a shady tree. The word pen'see is a French word that means to reflect. This wonderful pansy face made me reflect about how the shadows and light are equally necessary to appreciate it's beauty. I pulled one of my cherished treasures from the book shelf, called Threads Of Gold and read what my good friend Diane had written inside the jacket cover:
"June 1986
Dear Karen,
Though many of the thoughts recorded here are flowery they are the thoughts that get us through our trial. We are here for a reason. We cannot keep asking what it is nor can we guess at His purpose. Surrender and we'll find that we have done His will. It will be clear when it is done.
As all you do in love, accept all in love. Even the evil will not touch you, if you have faith and love. Be not afraid.
Love, Diane"
Little did she know when she wrote this and gave me this wonderful little treasure filled with God's wisdom in beautiful poetry, that I would be comforted by her words countless times over the years.
When I opened up the book, I read this poem:
NOW OR NEVER
"Don't wait with longing for the day,
When better times might come your way.
Discard the fears that may depress,
Live now and garner happiness.
It's such a waste to dwell on gloom,
Though you have problems, find the room,
For loving when the path is rough;
For laughter when the going's tough.
To fully live means you must face,
Whatever comes with humble grace.
And if you mourne, turn it to praise,
How much to do, how few the days!"
Amy C. Ellis
Thank you Diane, your gift warms my heart to this day. You have no idea how much you continue to touch my life. Love, Karen
The music for this post Smile With Me
Pansy pensée
Pencils, Pens, & Sketchbooks
Well I did afterall got lost up in a tornado...a tornado of marriage, babies, moving country, little children, moving country, the serious world of art, moving country, teenagers and oh my....where did Karen go?
She has happily landed in blogland and I am following the yellow brick road back to where I began. All these lovely artists have surely inspired me. I have visited their sketching blogs and have been reminded where I began. With pencil, pen and sketchbook in a land within my imagination...where everything was possible, even a horse of a different color.
Better than the land of Oz, in blogland there are beautiful creative muses who create wonder with blogs, podcasts and photos. I never knew that there were so many kindred spirits doodling and drawing out there.
I fell from the sky and I fell very far...back to where I began, with pencils, pens & sketchbooks and an awful lot of space to grow in...and even though I have red ruby slippers, I won't click them at all. I would rather stay in blogland for a while with my pencils, pens and sketchbooks.
The song for this post is of course the music from The Wizard of Oz Munchkinland