Uphill idealist

Arthur H. Sulzberger A new beginning is perhaps the best time to say… It’s so nice to know you… And here’s wishing our friendship continues to grow in the days to come. Happy New Year - be safe, be well. be true. Tara

February 2012, Creative Arts of Women of Western NY will be holding a juried exhibit to celebrate the 5th Annual SWAN - Support Women Artists Now! I've submitted the following three painting to be considered for this upcoming exhibit - Open wide the window of my soul Leo's Pretty Tree and my newest painting - Raven's Dawn Acrylic/Watercolor on canvas. To view more images of my paintings, visit Tara Lamont Eastman Art/Mural Booking. At a certain point he (Poe) was very popular, from THE RAVEN. He was never fully appreciated, never made the money, and you know he was looked upon with admiration by some people, but also as an oddball. But that was his point. John Astin Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/raven.html#ixzz1i04SSJwo

(Image from arfsc. homestead. com ) "...I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers..." Ephesians 1:16 is a great reminder of the importance of praying for others—and letter writing! Over the Advent season and into Christmas week, I've received many Christmas cards, letters and photos from friends and family all over the country. It's been greatly encouraging to hear from old friends, catch up on news and see what is going in their lives. If I'm totally honest though, I'd say what I love best about receiving these letters is the flood of warmth that rushes over me when I find them in my mailbox—it's such an encouragement to be remembered and connected with others! In the New Testament, 13 of the 27 books are written in letter form. Letters were the primary means of early missionaries to communicate with their church members back home. These letters were used to encourage, redirect, challenge and help Christians to continue to gr...

So here's the thing. According to "researching storyteller" Brene Brown (Visit her webpage at: www.brenebrown.com) - vulnerability is an important key to living our lives in the place of wholeheartedness. This evening I took twenty minutes to watch her TED presentation. One: she is so engaging that the talk seemed to fly by. Two: The more I listened, the more my heart pounded a little harder - like the words were making something deep inside me sit up and take notice. Three: the topics of vulnerability and worth are very connected, but often very hard to dig deep and wrestle with. Four: I think I have some wrestling ahead of me. Five: The struggle for perfection, is a trap that I sometimes get caught in. Here is Brene's TED talk. Make a cup of tea or coffee and really sit down and listen. I think you're heart may sit up and heed her challenge too! This graphic is a part of her program to challenge folks to live wholeheartedly. I love the way it's presented as...

Advent is a particularly busy time of year for me. I find myself getting frustrated when I can't keep up with my regular tasks. December kicked off with flu having its way with our whole household - just as I was recommitting to refocus and blog every day for the last month of the year. Needless to say, I have not kept up with that goal. Each year, for about 11 years now, I have been working through Sacred Space's yearly prayer book. Sacred space provides both online , kindle version , and old-school book form of this prayer book. Just as other things have seemed to fall behind already in December, I did not think to order my new church year prayer book until last week - but thankfully it's arrived today. Here is the Celtic prayer I found as I first opened it's pages: Deep peace of the running waves to you, deep peace of the flowing air to you, deep peace of the quiet earth to you, deep peace of the shining stars to you, deep peace of the shades of night to you, moon a...

(Nigel - Fall 2011) You are the gift that arrived into my life fifteen years ago today. You tried to arrive early, and once you encountered all that fuss, you decided it best to hang out where you were comfy until the last possible moment. But when you arrived, you wasted no time all. When you came into the room, you were bright, alert and unexpectedly calm. As your Dad held you in his arms for the first time, I called your name. "Nigel, hello there. It's good to finally see you!" At the first mention of your name, you turned your head and eyes to meet mine. There was an audible gasp from the medical staff in the room. "He turned his head and looked right at you!" Everyone was impressed with how clever you were, even at that very tender age. People still are impressed. They love your spunk, your concern for those in need, your depth of thought and yes even your sometimes-snarky sense of humor. You are a gift that we did not deserve, and yet here you are. Thank ...

Image found at NYpersonalinjury blog. Walking where I've strolled before, I stumble over unanticipated obstacles. At first, I hardly flinch and land like a cat on my feet - feeling steady, feeling graceful. Other times I catch my feet and have to take a minute to recover, but still land upright in the end. Then there are the trip ups that lead to all out crashes - face forward on the way up the stairs or a butt bouncing trip all the way down. In the washing machine spin cycle tumble - the world is a blur of color, sound and sensation. Is there an injury? Do I spring back up on my feet - embarrassed for the fall. Up and down are shuffled in an unpredictable jumble of misdirection. Are things really out of whack or do I just need some reorientation of space? Is limbo where I belong? It happens so fast and ends so abruptly, like waking up startled and sweaty from a dream - of falling. The chaos settles into fuzzy mindedness as the world tips upright once again. Walking where I've ...