I love the early morning hours. Before sunlight, before demands, before the pull and noise of the day. With the perfect cup of coffee. The perfect calming background music to slowly awaken the senses and set the tone for the day ahead. This particular morning is especially nice with the surprise of a soaking rain overnight and the promise of more to come.
It’s been a good week. I made a batch of delicious cinnamon walnut muffins, put together a family birthday celebration dinner and met with a couple of my sweet lady friends. What a blessing it is to catch up with people you love over goodies and conversation.
Not much time spent in the studio, however; just printing a few things for an Etsy order and also added to my collection of items for sale in the local gift shop. It seems even the smallest of tasks take three times as long to accomplish these days since the new puppy arrived. He is absolutely adorable; a perfect and wonderful gift from my incredible, generous and selfless husband. And here he is: I'd like to introduce you to Bentley :)
And those eyes....yes, I'm in love.
I did watch several inspiring YouTube videos this week. Since photography is so closely related to art (painting, drawing, brush-to-canvas, etc), much of what I gleaned was shared by watercolor artists. One little jewel that resonated with me was the idea that as creatives, we can spend so much time trying to find our particular style; somehow fulfilling the need to give our "style" a title or a label. In doing so, we waste precious time analyzing and trying to figure things out when we could be creating instead! It’s in that creating that our style finds us.
He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge,
and in all kinds of workmanship; and to make skillful works,
to work in gold, in silver, in bronze... (Ex. 35:31-32)
Inspiration is all around us; so much beauty to be discovered in the simple moments of each day. The moments are there. Inspiration is there. Whether you enjoy baking, needlework, flower arranging, drawing, painting, photography, writing or whatever you pour your heart into, I do hope you'll allow yourself the freedom to dance from the inside out and create something lovely today.
Happy Week to you, friends.
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Prayer for the week ahead:
Heavenly Father,
I thank you for the reader of these words. Thank you, Lord for the truth found in Romans 8:28 which tells us, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose." You are our sovereign and merciful God and we are so thankful that You alone, Lord are bigger than any challenge we may face this week. Help us to see the beauty you provide in each new day, and let us not take your goodness to us for granted. Thank you, Lord for this day, and help us to live lives that bring glory and honor to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
