Spot of Color

In Texas where I live, we have finally been granted a reprieve from the extreme heat and drought. We have certainly enjoyed the cooler weather and every now and then, a bit of rain.  It has been a relief and a refreshing event for our land, lakes, ponds and wildlife. The other thing I have noticed, the skunks don't frequent our back veranda to indulge in the savory cat food that we put out for the two homeless cats that have become part of our world. One of these cats, we have been able to befriend and adopt. My husband took her to the vet and she received all the treatment that she needed to be certified healthy. She was also spayed. We named her Kira, which was derived from Shakira; yes the hip-shaking music star. Our cat bears no resemblance to her, but she does have a way of moving those hips! The other cat is a gray stripe with a very cautious way about him. He will trust no one, but he does know that he will find food and shelter here. He has been around for probably two years now and he has never seemed to grow from the time we first saw him. We call him JR, not as in Ewing, but as in Junior.

One of the most noticeable changes here at my house is that the grass is finally green and needs to be mowed.  Also the trees have rounded out with leaves, late in the season as it is, only to have the cold snap begin the yearly changing of the colors!  A couple of weekends ago, I drove from here to Austin. Along the way, I noticed spots of color, almost as if they were sneaking around the lush dark greens of the cedars and live oaks.  I see color even in fallen limbs that have dried and grayed from the weather and heat.

Color is my friend and when I apply the different hues to my canvas, I like to manipulate the different ways a combination of color can evolve on the canvas.  Although, the canvas I was admiring today was not my own.  The colors range was heavenly blue to earthy browns with all the variables in between; Glorious Golds, Rustic Reds, Bursting Orange and the Lime-Tart Greens.  It is God's palette of colors and what a beautiful sight it is. Take a walk, but not today. If you are anywhere near where I live, you will definitely get sprinkled on, as I did!  That my friend, was the added bonus!

Timothy 4:2

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Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. (NIV)

Love for Art

  I have always been creative, always I think that I have been deliberate in thinking outside the box.  In grade school, I was expected to color within the lines, although coloring outside the lines made perfect sense to me.  I wanted to create and redefine the boundaries to become more elaborate, more fantastical or just plain bigger.  I have always been attracted to the colors of nature, flowers especially.  The magic of their scents and their one of a kind colors are always a reminder that God's hand is ever present with His wondrous palette of colors. So now, after years of thinking I could be an artist, I am one. 

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."
― Pablo Picasso
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Home Is Where Your Story Begins

I believe that 'Home is where your story begins.'  My story began in Jourdanton, Texas, population 2200.  When I started my educational journey, we did not have kindergarten, so there I was,  a non-speaking English first grader. Spanish was the primary language spoken in my home, so the first few months of school was a time of intense learning in the full sense of the word.  Wanting to communicate with my classmates and engaging in all the fun daily activities prompted me to learn at least the yesses, no thank yous and I don't knows pretty darn quick. I have to thank Mary Lou for being the sweet girl that she was and she took it to heart when the teacher told her that she was to take me under her wing. She was bilingual and learning English from her was not only easy, it was fun. She brought a smile to my face everyday by telling me that I was learning very well.  Indeed the learning went so well that I was also reading in pace with the class within a month's time.  I not only learned English, but I learned patience, tolerance and understanding from Mary Lou and my fellow classmates. So if I didn't say it then, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up."  Ecc 4:9-10