Finding Hope

 

 

How does one find hope in dark times?  What does hope look like?  Feel like? Smell like? Taste like?  Some say that the arts can lift us out of despair with the sweetness of a song, the melody of a poem, the movement of a dance, the beauty of a painting.  I’ve gathered some sayings that feel like hope to me.  And some small paintings with words that may give you hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be strong,

go with your heart,

and believe in miracles because anything…

anything can happen.

                                     Marlo Javidando

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am beginning to

learn that it is the sweet,

simple things of life

which are the real one

after all.        

                    Laura Ingalls Wilder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge,

That myth is more potent than history,

That dreams are more powerful than facts,

That hope always triumphs over experience,

That laughter is the only cure for grief

And I believe that love is stronger than death.                

                                             Robert L. Fulghum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As long as one

keeps searching,

the answers come.                                  

                Joan Baez

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers,

but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a

great desire forever beating to the door of our hearts

as we travel toward our distant goal.       

                                                              Helen Keller

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blaze with the fire that is never extinguished.                         

                                                             Luisa Sigea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The way to know

life is to love

many things.                                

                Vincent Van Gogh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life delights

in Life.                      

         William Blake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have found that if you love life,

life will love your right back.            

                             Arthur Rubenstein 

 

May these little watercolor paintings on mine give you hope along with the statements shared here.  May the sun warm your face.  May a smile brighten your spirit. May you feel blessed.  If you or someone you know, can not find hope, there are crisis resources available.

Phone:
1-800-273-8255 is the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

You text 741741 when in crisis, available 24/7 in the United States. A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds quickly.  The Crisis text line is confidential.
Crisis Volunteers only know what texters share with them, and that information stays between you, unless sharing it with emergency services is absolutely necessary for your safety.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking in the Winter Air

 

At the beginning of January, we were getting some frosty hillsides. Take a close look at the branches and notice the long spines of white.  Spines?  Nope, rime frost.  Rime frost happens in areas of dense fog and the liquid is super cooled before it comes in contact with a surface--that's why it looks like spines.  This is formed in the fog and cold.  Hoar frost is similar to dew and forms on cold, clear nights.  The rime frost created some beautiful crystals.

Little bird feeder with rime frost.

Purple coneflowers and grasses in my prairie yard.

Giant yellow hyssop in the prairie.

 

 

Walking across the river is full of interesting sites.

The wind can be a bit chilly.  My pace moves swiftly.  

The day started with lots of grey.  Beautiful and I need to work to keep my spirits happy.

At the end of the afternoon, the sun began to peek between the clouds.  The day feels warm.

River walk

That sky makes me happy.

Social distance walks with friends on Holzinger Trails.

A little snow creation

My friend, Dawn hugging her favorite tree.  Where do you like to walk, hike, snowshoe, ski?  Hope you get to out to be in the fresh air soon.

Industrious Octopus

I decided to make this little sweet stitchery for my friend, June.

 

 

 

I bought this little stitchery/embroidery kit from Jovy Rockey Gallery and Studio in December.  

 

Here's the octopus embroidered with a bit of the red thread started.  This kit is from Hook, Line and Tinker from Nova Scotia.

 

 Let's take a peek at the back:

 

 

Next I decided to add a red and blue border. I finished the red border on December 22, 2020.

 

 

I trimmed off the extra red bits and then sewed on the blue border.

 I decided on the final size and sewed the batting and backing on the little quilt.  I decided to added some machine quilting too.  Here's the finished piece, front and back.

   

 

My friend was delighted at the whimsy and the fun of this little piece.

Jovy's gallery is closed for the month of January. Jovy Rockey Jewelry is available for online orders. Watch for her gallery reopening in February with more to delight the eye and fill your world with joy and wonder.

                                                                                                                                                                              

2021 Vision Board

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new year, 2021, what is coming?  What is hoped?  Or desired?  On many January firsts of previous years, I've joined with friends to bring images and words together to bring our visions of the new year into fruition.  We'd share pictures from magazines and words we would cut out to collage some of our hopes and dreams. My word for this year is Freedom. It feels full of energy; though I'm not sure what it means yet.

Here are some things that I'm imagining and hoping for 2021.

Tundra swans rest in the back waters of the Mississippi River.  They feed and rest and chat with one another.  Their sounds are very loud.  This happens in November; then they take flight to their warmer climates south of Southeast Minnesota.  What will they discover?  What is on our paths to discover?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I image more peaceful times.  I imagine people of all colors being respected and listened to.  I'm learning and reading and becoming an ally to all people.

Everything flowers from within

But sometimes it is necessary to reteach a thing it's loveliness

tell it in words and in touch

It Is Lovely

Until it Flowers again.

Be a star, too

along with a friend, a listener, a peacemaker, a creative, a dancer, a maker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No matter, where

we come from,

we can walk together in hope.

No matter what we believe,

we can share one dream of peace.

No matter who we are

we can be one in the spirit of love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share

The Courage to Change

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I Am Powerful

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's talk about Race, and water, and life. 

Here's to 2021.

Painting Rocks

 

 

Painting rocks has become a fun activity to share with children and adults.  Paint a rock, hide a rock, find a rock and re-hide a rock can be all part of the fun.  This is one of the activities in the
Sharing Creativity Project.

I decided to paint a base layer of white on my rocks. I used an inexpensive acrylic paint that one could find at Art & Sol, Hobby Lobby, Target, or Walmart.

Here's the fresh paint.

And I wrote a little saying on the back.

I sprayed a fixative over the rocks and they are ready to hide in fun places for others to find!  Hope you find a rock in Winona, Minnesota and it brings a little smile or joy for you.