The Unexpected (and certainly unintended ) Sacrifice

So, I wrote earlier about the art exhibit of the "Stations of the Cross" that our church is doing, for which I was asked to create a piece. The one about which I was nervous, anxious and stressed out. I was in the company of some real, professional artists. Ones with crazy talent. Ones that I admire, respect and certainly wouldn't ever categorize myself with, as far as art goes! It was getting close to crunch time and the piece was due in the VERY near future. I had some ideas, but nothing firm or set in stone (actually, in my case, wood). I decided not to go to church with my family for Wednesday night activities and, instead, stay home and hope that some things came together and I could get a decent start, at least, on my submission. I was assigned the first station :: The Garden of Gethsemane. I read the associated passage from Luke in a few different versions, read a few commentaries on the passage and that night in the life of Jesus, and then started working with some ideas that had come to me -- some I had been thinking about since being given the assignment a few weeks ago and some that were fresh ideas to add to what was already percolating around in my mind.

All of a sudden things started to come together. Some of the ideas I had thought would work really well for my piece I threw out the window and some new ideas emerged. I had a basic idea laid out and was ready to put all the pieces together. I was close to being done -- my work is mainly a word collage with a couple visual aspects  as well. About half the words had been glued down and I was working on the rest of them. There is the aspect of time, that although not crucial, still can't be ignored. There is a limited time to work with things, you don't want things drying too quickly. So, when I noticed a speck of lint had found its way onto my piece, I blew it off -- clearly not thinking! The words that were yet to be glued down blew away (duh!). I wanted to pick them up quickly and keep working, so instead of moving my feet closer to where the pieces had landed, I kept planted where I was and stretched to reach them from the floor.

Here is where the unexpected sacrifice came into play :: I was wearing my favorite jeans. I bought them at a consignment store (where I buy most of my clothes) so I didn't pay too much for them. But, they fit great. They were long enough (tricky when you are long-legged). They were comfy. And, they looked good! I believe most of you understand how hard "that" pair of jeans is to find! So, some combination of my twisting and bending to get the blown-away words and I'm pretty sure you can guess what happened next . . . my very favorite jeans completely split up the back! No!

I knew taking this assignment would involve sacrifice. I would need to face my insecurities and step out of my cozy comfort zone. I would need to sacrifice time and mental energy to put my piece together. I would have to sacrifice a bit of money to buy the supplies. But I certainly did not intend to sacrifice my favorite pair of jeans! Believe me, had I seen this situation coming, I promise you I would have been wearing sweat pants, or an ill-fitting pair of jeans and NOT my favorites! Big bummer.

But, in the end, I really like the way my piece turned out, and I guess it was worth the sacrifice . . . all of them. Even the jeans (although I'm still mourning my loss). If you want to come and see the whole exhibit (I'm so excited to see how it comes together) that has a visual piece and a written piece for each station of the cross, it will be on display in the sanctuary of our church starting sometime next week. If you don't know where that is, I'd be happy to tell you, although I don't believe my audience is too vast and I'm pretty sure most of you are there most Sundays anyway (Hi Mom!).

Wonderful Experience

I am currently tagging along on a work trip with Kirb. In California. Where it is currently about 70 and sunny! What a huge blessing. It's been more than 4 years since the last time we got away together (although my parents graciously swap houses -- and our kids stay with our house! -- with us each fall for a night or two around our anniversary). Plus, it's been a horrendous, cold, snowy, LONG winter and so some California sunshine is so very wonderful. While here, I have spent a little time "working" with Kirbs (meeting with donors), some time in the car, a little time by myself while he works and a little time together with him enjoying the MUCH nicer weather than what we've had at home this winter. Tomorrow starts our roughly 48 hours of pure vacation with no work commitments at all. Whoo hoo!

While in the Palm Springs area, we stayed with a wonderful lady that Kirby knows from work. We spent about 36 hours enjoying her hospitality and spending time with her and in her town. She took us to breakfast at this lovely restaurant on Saturday morning (not too early -- plenty of time for a mountain-view, outdoor (without layers of clothing), 7+ mile run to build up a good appetite!). There was outdoor seating in a fabulous setting (any good Minnesotan who has the chance to eat breakfast outside in the month of March in a place where the sun is shining and the food doesn't instantly freeze, better take the opportunity whenever they can!). We ate our delicious breakfast, looked around in the gift shop attached to the restaurant, which is mainly based around dates -- of all things -- since the restaurant is located in the middle of a date farm. I got quite the education on dates. SO very interesting! (really!). We noticed, while enjoying our breakfast, that there was a large fenced in area, labeled as "The Walk", behind the outside dining area. Nancy said she didn't know too much about it, as she'd never been back there. She didn't want to go after breakfast, because she had not brought along her sun hat. But we were intrigued.

We had a little down time in the afternoon and decided to go back and check it out.

I should really back up a bit . . . I was asked a few weeks ago to be a part of a collaboration surrounding Holy Week. Visual artists and authors from our area were asked to be a part of a "Stations of the Cross" exhibit to go along with our church's annual art show that we host each spring. I was honored (with a HUGE dose of intimidated and filled with anxiety!) to have been asked to be one of the visual artists! Yikes! I was collaborating on a significant, deeply meaningful project with some SERIOUSLY talented (and did I mentional, professional?) artists that I have major respect for and in whose artistic company I would never put myself in a million years! Yikes! (did I say that already?)

Anyway, I got the feeling this "Walk" was along the same lines as the stations of the cross and was hoping I might find a little inspiration for my part in the project (my piece is due at the end of this month. That's just over a week from now . . . cue mild -- or not so mild! -- panic!) It was, in it's most basic description, a visual walk through the life of Jesus. There were 15 stops along the way, each containing a sculpture and a verse of Scripture. Each "station" had a beautiful, meaningful natural backdrop that mirrored the life event in the life of Jesus. There was also a brochure that they gave you when you entered that showed a photo of each sculpture with a longer passage of scripture to go with each, as well as a commentary on the scene. 

It was such a meaningful experience and I'm so thankful we had (and took) the time to do it. I am thankful that the Lord lead me to this experience to help me gain confidence (a little, anyway) for this lofty project I have been asked to do. If Nancy had suggested a different place for breakfast, I never would have had this particular experience (woudn't have even known it existed). If I hadn't had the blessing (HUGE blessing) of tagging along on this trip with Kirby, I never would have had this particular experience. If we would have not had some down time in our day while we were there, I never would have had this particular experience. I love how everything worked together to give me the opportunity for this extra insight and chance to be freshly reminded, in a new way, of the life and death of Christ. That's so like God to bring all those circumstances together! I am thankful.

Check out the website (linked above) and if you are ever in the Palms Springs area of California, check it out in person. You will be glad that you did! Also, if you're local to the Twin Cities, come check out our church's art show and Stations of the Cross exhibit this April.(and don't be too critical a certain, timid "artist" that will try her best to represent visually, in a meaningful way, what her Lord and Savior went through in the Garden of Gethsemane.)

Now I'm off to enjoy the last couple days of vacation! I think I will read a book while enjoying the poolside sunshine! (My apologies if you are somewhere where it is cold and snowy today . . . I feel your pain. Just not actually right at this very moment!)

On a related note, I could never, ever live in the Palm Springs area, where we spent the first two days of our trip (my trip anyway, Kirb spent a few days working in Phoenix before I arrived). I thoroughly enjoyed it and am so thankful for my time there. Truth is, although I find the mountains glorious, full of spendor and beauty, they kind of freak me out. (Maybe more than 'kind of'). If I did a 360 degree circle and looked toward the horizon, I could probably have seen mountians on the horizon (and often pretty much RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME) about 300 of those 360 degrees. I don't know about you, but that makes me feel a bit panicy and claustrophobic. I felt a bit trapped. "What if we needed to leave?" I asked Kirb. "That doesn't make you feel panicky that we're surrounded by mountians on pretty much every side?" He assured me it didn't and we shouldn't have to flee quickly in the next 48 hours and I should just enjoy the beauty. Easy for him to say! Mr. Matthew-6-who-never-ever-worries-about-anything! Therein lies the beauty of marriage. It's my job to worry and it's his job to not. At all. Ever. (I'm not even kidding about this one.). Man, do I love that guy!

Multitude Monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2965. No more cast for Rebekah
2966. a split chin for Jacob (and nothing worse)
2967. a great night at Art House North. Exactly what I needed :: time with Kirb, time for reflection, remembering, understanding myself even better! (thanks Brie for taking care of the troops at the last minute)
2968. the peacefulness of a sleeping child :: taking the time to be still and just stare
2969. sleeping in
2970. our Saturday morning wake up crew
2971. a safe, fun youth group retreat for Jacob
2972. Joe handling a disappointment so well
2973. a warm home on VERY cold winter days (and nights!)
2974. the return of ABOVE zero temps
2975. safe travels on nasty roads
2976. fresh, beautiful, powdery snow
2977. taxes filed! (federal anyway, the state isn't yet ready to accept our submission)
2978. encouraging news
2979. a good first week of the new "job"
2980. more creating (and the resulting happy customers are fabulous too)
2981. delivering my art to a friend who had a major role in the inspiration for the creation in the first place (I learned this week that artists can't help but create as a way to process through life :: I'd never heard it put that way before and it lined up so many things inside me. I love when that happens. Thank you, Sara, for pointing it out!)
2982. helping :: it is so true that giving is such a blessing (and the "little" things are usually bigger than the "big"things, it would seem to me!)
2983. a good section swim meet for Joe and Lydia
2984. tweeking my homemade deodorant recipe and coming up with just what I was hoping for! (even great through the workout test!)
2985. Rebekah getting back in the pool again
2986. Lydia's generous hair donation (11 inches) :: even more meaningful than Rebekah's donation earlier this fall, since we didn't yet know about my mom's cancer at that point.
2987. some good family time

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

like {grand}father, like {grand}daughters

Each spring the Roseville school district holds their annual Art Show at Har Mar mall. Art teachers from each school select great pieces of work their students have done throughout the year and display them in the show. This year both girls had pieces selected to be in the show {it's Rebekah's 3rd year having one of her pieces chosen}.

We went to the opening of the art show on Friday night. It's always a fun time -- all the district art teachers are there, lots of families come out and there are plenty of proud kiddos around. This year they even had treats to make it even more art-show-opening-ish. It was quite a nice reception and I was amazed by some of the pieces and the talent that they kids have . . . especially the middle schoolers. To think that works of such great quality came of out 13- and 14-year-old bodies was pretty impressive, I thought!

The show will be up until the end of the month if you get a chance to check it out.

Here is Rebekah and her "Mix it Up" book. She cut a bunch of pictures she had illustrated into thirds so you could swap them out and have a ladies head on the body of a robot, for example, and so on . . . I'm sure you get the idea. In the picture with Rebekah is Mrs. Eiswald, Falcon's fabulous art teacher.
Here is Lydia next to her artwork. It is a spring-time piece with a poem about spring written in between sections of her accompanying picture, which had been ripped in thirds.
Great job girls!

In case you weren't aware, my dad is an artist {thus the title of the post} and we're thankful that each of the kids seems to have inherited some of his talent as well. If you want to see some of his work you can check out his online gallery right here. Most of his work is based on his travels {mostly to Ethiopia, but also Israel, the East Coast and Italy -- as well as some local stuff}. He is having an art show of his work at Trotter's Cafe in St. Paul {on Cleveland Ave. just south of Marshall} during the month of June. Stop in a check it out and enjoy a yummy treat as well.

Thankful Thursday

I love the art of Timothy Botts. I have for quite a while. We have probably half a dozen of his prints in our house. I also love the printed word and fonts and letters, I think that's why I resonate so much with his work . . . we have a few passions in common.

I also love this song {we had it at our wedding} and think he did a great job illustrating it:
And this one is a favorite of my kids:
I am thankful for art that has personal meaning and for how this artist, in particular, can bring words to life for me. We have the entire Bible illustrated by him sitting on our coffee table {it has over 350 color illustration of different passages of Scripture alongside the full text of the Bible, I love it!} . . . I need to open it up again for a new perspective.