FRIENDS.....

 It says, "Walk by faith, not by sight."

My thoughts are full this week with the word.... FRIEND.  I looked for a special scripture to go along with this post ..... and found some profound thoughts on friends in Proverbs and Job! Some were possibly a little confusing and slightly humorous ..... but I finally chose two because of what is on my heart about friends.  One, I thought a little funny...."A man with too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."... Proverbs 18:24 and the other is John 15:13.14 ...."Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you."  I don't know......,  there were many thoughts .... but one thing for sure, it is important to have a friend or two or three, especially a friend who sticks with you through thick and thin and one who cries with you and their heart may groan for you ..... knowing the circumstances of your pain ..... or sin that you are in.  I had a precious little friend come this last week to seek my time to help her think about her loved friend/sis .... and we ended up in long prayer for her friend who could be destroying her young life with wrong choices.  Her heart was heavy with sadness and you could feel it.  It was a priviledge to have those hours with her.  She is a real friend, appreciated or not ....taking a chance to try and do something to save her friend, even if it makes her friend mad ..... so instead she opted to come over and us just pray and pray .... asking God to take the reins and bring LIGHT into the situation.  And by her side was her young husband quietly supporting her ..... as their children played around us.  It was so dear ..... and for some reason it made me miss my Mother..... and my daughter.  I am posting some of the latest art ..... done lately,  a few with "FRIENDS" in mind ..... I hope you enjoy them!!  Sometimes friends come in a lifetime from the most unexpected places ....  I have two internet blogging friends that I cherish and we pour out to one another over the internet ....they both say it is healing to have someone to share with.  I have noticed that some people on face book have over a thousand friends.... I wonder about that and if they may indeed be lonely.   I understand when you have a business or large workplace you may indeed have that many friends!!  It is great!  But I see teens who seem to be desperately adding to their numbers ...friends.... who they don't even know!  Are we ignoring them too much?  Do they have someone who they trust that they can pour out to?  Do I?  Do you?  I know there is one friend you can trust that you can count on everyday, and of course He is not on the internet, or face book, or You tube, or blogging...... but HE is in tune to YOU if you ask Him..... talk to Him and see if He doesn't stir His love up in you..... He will, if you want.  And He will stir in us ... for you too .... and we will pray for those He puts in our hearts.  What a friend He is!!   I don't know if I am a good friend .... but I DO KNOW that God has put special people in my life that have become real friends ..... I just hope I can or have been the same for others ..... as I am not extremely social. AT THIS POINT ... I usually read this to Dick who is honest with me about it's content ...... and so.... We are sitting here, my hubby (and my friend!) and I discussing .... how many friends I have!!!  And he asked, "What do you consider a good friend?"   "Unconditional love .... I like it, but do I give it?"

A LOVE POSTCARD ....

 The shelves I  used are from THE ROUND TOP COLLECTION .... you can order them from The Apothecary in Round Top,  they are part of Jeff's garden collection....they fold flat and are goodlooking....I have them in my wash room as well.

 Here you can see the grand children's lockers all eight .... this is their room too!!

Wow, two posts in one month.... I hope that is a sign that things are getting back to normal after moving.  This is just a fun piece of torn paper, tissue paper with hearts, a "love" stamp from my friend Jenny's card, I also had torn away the lipstick kiss she had on the back of the card, but I lost the lips!! I thought they would have been a fun addition, so you'll have to add your own!!  Then cut out zinnia from my art, written words on tissue, blue dots from inside of an envelope etc.  All done on 8x8 gessoed cereal box cardboard.  Love that stuff!!  I also was unpacking and stacking my art supplies onto my new shelves and into the drawers I have saved for years from my Dad's garage!! Thanks Dad for your slight hoarding .... I have inherited it!!! The stuff AND the slight hoarding!! I love my loft room and this wall is under the loft by my table, or one of the tables.... Happy Valentine's Day and enjoy!!! BLESSINGS today in red!!!

AT HOME .....

The picture above was the beginning to which I began to find the story within....which is on top.

AT HOME.......Words that have become paramount in this season of my (our ) life!  Words that were given to my heart and mind as I prayed for direction with our downsizing move.  The year and a half we have taken to clean and glean the STUFF in our lives, the stuff we have gathered through the years of living..... precious memories, hard memories, things from loved ones gone, too much furniture, too many antiques, way too many frames for art, and way too much fabric and art.  We were excited about our new adventure and the momentum was energizing ..... and we were on a roll moving forward and never looking back.  But we were getting tired ..... really tired, really really tired!  And then began to look at the past years and all the hard work lovingly building the house of our dreams ..... and the yard of our dreams with fabulous porches .... all 2.5+ acres of it!!  Hosting people in our B and B and welcoming new people into my shop each week.  And then I got a little confused (slightly depressed maybe) thinking .... WHY HAVE WE SPENT THE LAST FOURTEEN YEARS BUILDING SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL TO ONLY HAVE THE DESIRE TO LEAVE IT!!??  And then thinking ....  WILL YOU BE AT HOME IN LAGRANGE IN THE SMALLER HOUSE OR IN THAT TOWN?  I asked people to pray for me, as I was also not feeling well at that time, and just really really tired, mentally and emotionally!!  I know they were praying because I would awaken in the middle of the night from sleep with profound thoughts ..... like questions from God ..... "Where IS Home?"  .....  "Do you really want to feel At Home?"   "To be at peace in your home?"  "You created a beautiful place, ... but it became difficult to enjoy because of so much work...."  "Do you need all that you had?"  "Can you let go of special things?....because you can't take it "Home" with you....." ....wow, you mean to Heaven?, I thought.  Yes, that is the real HOME, when we get there, but what about before we get there? .... then I had a visual ..... of ME BEING THE HOME WHERE HE LIVES IN ME! .... like a house!!!  So as I wrote and listened and prayed and gave thanks too..... I finally realized, ..... That I need to work on the place where He DWELLS..... and that is inside my soul.  I need to have HIM there so comfortable that He is AT HOME THERE... in my soul...  OK, A couch potato on the couch of my soul..... Wow, where did that thought come from!!?? Ha, but really, HOW COMFORTABLE is He or are you with HIM REALLY DWELLING INSIDE (Your) MY SOUL.....not just on Sunday, but every minute of the day....  Oooo now that's what I am talking about!!!  Yes!!! When He dwells in me, I am AT HOME WHERE EVER I LIVE!!!  EVEN UP ON A LEAF ON A STEM OF A GIANT FLOWER!! Climbing that little ladder..... That is where this art piece comes in.... I did the MYSTELE (you'll find her by clicking on STUDIO THRIVE/MYSTELE to the left in my list of favorites.) style of  collaging, doodling, writing, paint dripping, smearing and playing for the picture/story to appear in it .... had to come from my soul, ... what has been in my thoughts for several weeks!!! So enjoy!!!  He DOES HEAR YOUR PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS .... AND HE ANSWERS.  You have to be still (or even asleep) and listen.  We are finally getting closer to being completely moved and THIS WEEK I got ALL MY ART SUPPLIES  on shelves!!! That also feels "AT HOME" for me.  I am thinking AT HOME is actually doing something you love with Him living in your heart and getting to do it with you!!! .... or He is doing it "through" you because He lives inside!!!  So many empowering thoughts that have warmed and comforted my heart!!! We look forward to the resting with AT HOME in us ....!  BLESSINGS!!!  I am adding what we read today in Sunday School!!! PERFECT for this art and my thinking!! 
www.biblegateway.com 
click on the above link to go straight to the verses, or here are the references,
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
2Corinthians 5:1-9
Romans 8:22-25