A River Runs Through It

(Quick watercolor sketch of Sumas River, BC)

Rivers are captivating elements of landscape.  These natural flowing watercourses move along at a constant pace, taking your gaze across the surface with it.  Here and there a rock or broken tree limb may punctuate the tranquil procession.  One senses motion and not stagnation around a river.  Abundant lush vegetation along the banks testify to the power of water in plant growth.  Beauty and serenity are experienced in a river setting.  Nourishment abounds to plant and animal alike.  A river can provide transportation to another place.  

Mankind has been enamored with rivers through the ages.  Rivers have been written of in poems and songs.  Artists have included their magic in landscape paintings.  Movies have featured them.  Communities are built around them.  Life thrives around a river.

Columbia River, Wenatchee, WA

We also thrive when we choose ways for richness and depth to flow like a river into our lives. Taking time to read substantive books, to look at meaningful art, to listen to great music,  to spend time in thoughtful conversations, and to be regularly in nature cultivates our souls.  The frenetic schedules many of us maintain shrivel our well-being and reduce daily life to just covering the bases.  King David wrote that "all our busy rushing ends in nothing (Psa. 39:6).  Such a life is not attractive but diminishing.  We have nothing to give out of the overflow because there is not much inflow.  We need time for reflection and evaluation.  Life is meant to be lived fully and grandly, not on the run. I like what French psychiatrist Dr. Paul Tournier wrote:  "God likes life; he invented it.  It is to the full flowering of life that he calls and leads us."  And I also find directive wisdom from the words of King David regarding the importance of having our souls planted by the riverbank which is God's Word.  That's where true thriving occurs! Here are his words from Psalm 1:

Oh, the joys of those who do not 

follow the advice of the wicked, 

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with mockers.

But they delight in the law of the LORD,

meditating on it day and night.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

and they prosper in all they do.

You can find another beautiful word picture of a river in Psalm 36 where King David again writes:  

How precious is Your unfailing love, O God!

All humanity finds shelter

in the shadow of Your wings.

You feed them from the abundance of Your own house,

Letting them drink  from Your river of delights.

For You are the fountain of life,

the light by which we see.

Live bravely and beautifully!

The Bear/Bare Necessities

(Small watercolor study)

All living things require some basic essentials in order to survive from day to day.  Boiling down a bear's requirements will lead you to basically two things they need.  One is food. That's not surprising! For a bear, eating is serious business. What kinds of foods make up a bear's menu?  Contrary to Goldilocks' findings, bears enjoy berries, roots, and grasses. They will dig for rodents, eat ants, grubs, other insects, and sometimes meat from a winter-kill animal, fish, or larger mammals.  

The other necessity for bears is shelter for the winter.  From the fall to mid-April a bear usually stays in hibernation.  It may dig a den in a hillside, under tree roots, or stay in natural caves.  During this period, their heart, breathing, and body temps lower to conserve energy. This enables them to survive the long winter period without eating.

"More Than You Can Bear"

8" x 10"

Acrylic

Food and shelter...the bare necessities in life.  Bare necessities are what you would consider as just sufficient resources.  They are what is absolutely necessary, with nothing to spare. As humans, we also need nourishment and shelter.  So much information is available to inform one on how to eat healthy.  Many of us endeavor to make wise choices in our diet. But I want to encourage you to not neglect the feeding of your mind and heart, as well.  Never stop learning!  If you stop learning, you are dying inside.  Read widely and read deeply. A favorite quote of mine is by Benjamin Disraeli:

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think."  

Joseph Addison also made a similar statement in the 18th century:

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body."

So....what are some great books that you have read in the past year?  Are you currently reading one?  Gene Edward Veith wrote that "the wielders of influence will always be those who read and write".  Readers are leaders!  Gladys Hunt has written in her book, Honey for a Woman's Heart, that "reading makes one bigger on the inside...reading helps one feel life...it is a window into reality...it takes us beyond ourselves."  Reading is an absolute necessity if you are going to grow in understanding life and contribute to other's lives.

As shelter was a necessity for bears, so it is for us.  Beyond our physical dwelling places, a place of safety and nurture is required for our souls.  Where do you turn when encountering life's overwhelming problems?  King David wrote in a variety of his Psalms verses like these:

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from Him.

He alone is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;

He is my mighty rock, my refuge.

---Psalm 62:5-7

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and

my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.' "

---Psalm 91:1,2

So as you head out into this summer, don't forget the bare necessities.  Take along a great book.  Read to nurture your soul.  And be sure of your shelter.  What anchors your life? Think carefully about that.  And keep an eye out for those bears going about their serious business foraging in those mountain berry patches!

Live bravely and beautifully!

A Father's Love

(Small watercolor study of Medicine Bow Peak, WY)

This coming weekend our thoughts rove to our fathers and their significant role in our lives.  For many, it conjures up fond memories and loving moments. For others, it brings pain and grief for a variety of reasons.  We live in a fallen world where every relationship is affected and no one is perfect.  

A father plays an enormous part in the formation of a child's character and personality.  Certain aspects of training in our lives only a dad can fulfill adequately.  When those are absent, we feel a void and attempt to compensate for them in other ways.  

(Dad with Mom and my youngest sister)

One trait that fathers contribute enormously to their children's development is confidence. When a father speaks an encouraging word, it's like having the sun and moon stand still for a moment.  A father's support can take you a long way over life's bumpy path.  A dad's steady uplifting influence helps instill a child with inner strength to deal with the struggles and difficulties being alive brings.

 

(Dad with Marine Corps buddy)

My own father was that kind of dad to me.  He encouraged me greatly by his own personal example and involvement in my life.  His love was sacrificial in many ways.  He has spent many hours fixing my bicycle flat tires or under the hood of my car.  Dad played ball with us kids, took us hiking, taught me in church, showed me how to build with wood and tools, read stories to us at night, and spent plenty of time having good conversations with me.  My dad gave me the strongest sense I have of God as my heavenly Father.  Dad was a competitive weightlifter and very strong.  I vividly remember being on his powerful shoulders while a little girl as he walked out into the rolling waves of the Atlantic Ocean.  I was clutching his forehead in desperation, fearing that I was going to drown.  Dad's strong hands had a hold of my little arms and he spoke very reassuringly, "Don't worry, Bonnie, I've got a hold of you!"  I will never forget that moment.  It was as if God was telling me that.  In a way He was, through my own father.  So many times in life when I have faced an unnerving situation, those words  have come to the foreground of my thoughts to remind me that God has everything in control.     

No matter what kind of father you may have had growing up, there is one Father who has it all together.  His love is unfailing and he never abandons you. I love the story Jesus told about the prodigal son and his father's response upon the son's return.  What does it tell us about our Father God?  Several things:

1.  God yearns and longs for a relationship with us.

2.  God pulls out all the stops when we come to Him.  He is delighted to have friendship with us!  As John 3:16 says, God gave His very own Son to provide a way for us to become His children.

3.  God is tender and compassionate, full of mercy and love.  King David wrote in Psalm 103:13,14:  "The LORD is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him.  For He knows how weak we are;  He remembers that we are only dust."

If you had a good father to encourage you growing up, give plenty of thanks! But most of all, just know that you have a Heavenly Father who loves you and has given His best through His Son Jesus Christ to enable you to experience that love!

(My dad at Niagara Falls)

Live bravely and beautifully!

How a Stone Can Affect Your Life

"On the Rocks"

9" x 12"

Oil

Stones are a common occurrence in our daily lives.  We step on them, decorate with them, build with them, carve on them, climb on them, and yes....sometimes we stumble over them. 

Stones have had a powerful effect throughout history. Stones can kill. One process used in killing a person was by a group surrounding a victim and hurling stones at them until they died.  Stones can demolish.   Look at the destruction of a rock slide on a mountain highway.  Stones can be mountains.  They can create obstacles in our path.  

Stones have been used as markers for milestones, for property boundaries, as gravestones, or to commemorate events.  As stepping stones, they have provided thoroughfares.  Architecture has used stones for both foundations and structures.  Artists have used stone in carving monuments, for jewelry, or for sculpture.  Stones have even been used in worship.

 Here's a powerful quote that captures two basic choices we can take in dealing with the stones in our lives: 

"The difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is how you use them."

A lot depends on your perspective and choice in dealing with stones.  You can allow them to have a destructive influence in your life and derail flourishing, or you can choose to use the very same stone to result in moving forward and gaining growth in your life.  I value this quote by Brendan Case to that effect:

"The challenges that lie in our path do not only block our way;

by resisting us,

they give us the traction we need 

to move forward."

Some final but important thoughts about stones or rocks in our lives:  

1. God wants to be your Rock!  King David wrote in Psalm 62:1,2,6,7: 

"I wait quietly before God,

for my victory comes from Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will never be shaken...

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, 

for my hope is in Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will not be shaken.

My victory and honor come from God alone.

He is my refuge, a rock

where no enemy can reach me.

    God wants to be the anchor for your soul and your place of safety in this life.

2.  Jesus Christ wants to be the Cornerstone on which you build your life!  The        Apostle Peter wrote this about Christ in 1 Peter 2:6:

"As the Scriptures say,

'I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,

chosen for great honor,

and anyone who trusts in Him

will never be disgraced.' "

     What you choose to do with this Stone, Jesus Christ, will affect your life              forever!

Live bravely and beautifully!

Magic at the Edge of Land and Sea

(Watercolor pencil journal sketch)

There's magic at the edge where the sea meets land.  Something mesmerizing happens to your soul.  You are engulfed by the vast immensity of ocean.  Your perspective gets tweaked.  You feel small in the universe.  Something greater than your life exists.  You are made well aware of that fact.  And it's a good feeling.  You have a sense of things being restored to their proper place in what needs to dominate your thinking.

I must go down the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

---John Masefield

from "Sea Fever"

O LORD, what a variety of things You have made!

in wisdom you have made them all.

The earth is full of Your creatures.

Here is the ocean, vast and wide,

teeming with life of every kind, 

both large and small.

---Psalm 104:24,25

Live bravely and beautifully!