This Is What I Do: Create

The theme for the mini mission for my Mission Inspiration group was "shine bright like a diamond." Well, my first thought was do a pic of Marilyn Monroe with "diamonds are a girl's best friend," but by the time I had it all planned out, several members had already thought of that. So, I grabbed a pic of Lucille Ball off the internet and was going to collage it into a sky of clouds with diamond shapes floating in the sky, with "Lucy in the sky with diamonds." Also taken by a few members. Sooooo, I decided to take an entirely different path with the "diamond" theme and this is what I came up with: Of course, you all know that I am a Little League Grandpa, and for those of you who don't know, I also like watching the Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals and yes, even the Cubbies play on TV.  I like the slow movement, understand the rules, like watching the crowd shots, and have had the thrill of seeing both the Rangers and Cardinals play...

Grief! It zaps you like an electric charge. It makes you weep, it makes you angry, and it also makes you remember the good times. It's been 3 weeks since my brother passed away! I still don't want to believe he's really gone. I know it in my heart, but I just don't want to believe it. Just thinking that I will never see him again, drink a beer with him, grill out with him, or just sit and sing "our song" again makes me so sad. And that's just a few of the things I think about. I miss the sound of his voice, his perpetual command of the TV remote and the snoring from his recliner. Yes, time will make it easier, that I know, but right now it just hurts. I happened upon a post about him that I did some time ago for Facebook. I cried! But, that's okay. Crying is good. So is yelling at the wall, maybe even saying a few "choice" swear words. I need to get the anger out so I can begin to process my feelings better. Tonight I am just sad. J...

My Mission Inspiration group for February was given three colors: Turquoise, lime, and gray. We also were to incorporate triangles into our design, plus a quote. I chose "stylized" triangles and when I began working on the project, I was reminded of our Formica counter tops in the kitchen of the "lake house" that my folks built in 1956. How retro can one get! I wonder how I remember this stuff from 60+ years ago, but I do. So here's my take on our Mission for February, plus a reminder that we never really have to grow up (inside our minds, at least) we just need to learn how to behave in public. LOL! If anyone is interested in seeing what the other 3000+ members of our Mission Inspiration group are doing, or want to join and try your creative hand, go to Facebook and type in Mission Inspiration. Simple, huh? It's fun, both creating and seeing what fellow "artists in training" are doing. Some are just learning and others are tres accomplished. Our...

How much loss is a family supposed to endure? Just asking! This afternoon, my son called. He and his wife had been for their first ultrasound of their 5th child, due in September. He told me that the news was not good. The baby was the perfect size for the first trimester, but there was no heartbeat. He was devastated. They were both looking forward to this baby and he/she was going to be their last, as age was becoming a factor, especially for Mommy. I am feeling sad for them this evening. I know that God has a plan for them, and a new baby at this time must not have been in His plan. So we will all go forward, accepting this, but left wondering that age old question...why? They have an appointment with my daughter-in-law's OB doc on Monday to decide what happens next. To me this seems like history repeating itself in some manner. 49 years ago, my wife and I lost our first son. He was a full term, perfect little boy, but sometime during the delivery process, his little hear...