Even in the darkest of days

Even in the darkest of days one searches to find a flicker of light, perhaps cutting through the fog or slanting between the clouds, and if you can find it, if only for a split second, it does the heart good to take that hope in. Absolute darkness does seem to be the state of affairs clear round our little spinning Earth of late. From the butchers who attacked Israeli civilians on October 7th to the recent ‘Nazi talk’ from the off-the-rails GOP frontrunner, not forgetting the Russian invasion of Ukraine that’s close to two years of bloodshed, or that many of our own Senators are bent on creating a theocracy likening themselves to the misguided yet mighty Salem judges and causing as much suffering as they did in 1692. Yes, there is no doubt, these are dark times, not made better by extremist of any religious bent. But today, of all the days in the year, I strive to find a reason, or even a short pile of reasons, to clasp my hands together in gratitude.

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L is for Lilac

I find I don’t need to say too much about anything important this week. The world is spinning along regardless of reason or empathy in a reckless and measured spin yet I can do nothing except fall with gratitude for each and every happy day. Today, and all the near yesterdays were all about the flowers. The scent. Intoxicating joy. The magnitude galore. Spring Fling in purple for starters is worth a discussion.

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A Holiday Letter of Cheer

Oh my, what a year! Right?! From insurrection to vaccination, Americans have experienced every emotion between hell and heaven in 2021, and will mostly be glad to see the back of it. Crawling out of the political fray, the misinformation war, and the day to day grind, still we are grateful for much that came our way this year. Here, in this transient moment, tiny sparks seem worth celebrating in our home and blowing up straight into yours. After all, this is the season of light and hope; so with the best of intentions, I want to offer one cheer for our one small world, spinning in the darkness, peopled with you and me and the rest of our loves, expressed with paint on wood to say through love that yes, yes indeed, we will do more than survive, indeed, we can live on to celebrate the great gifts of the past 12 months. Art allows for all that complexity.

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