Fulfillment

I feel like I need to reintroduce myself, I've been away from my blog so long. I am happy to tell you that I've been busy doing something that I love down to my bones, and that is making art.

When we bought this house four years ago, it belonged to a very sweet older lady who'd made it her home for twenty-plus years. She had lost her husband a few years before and was planning to move to Tennessee to be closer to her son. She had the sweetest spirit and you could tell lived many happy years under this roof, which the husband built, literally. As soon as we walked in to look at the house, it felt like home. It didn't have all the flashy bells and whistles of the newer houses we'd been looking at or even the modern feel of our rental house. Still, it had a great big kitchen, a shady covered patio and a beautiful full-grown oak adorning the front yard. This was the place for us.

Surprisingly, Mrs. Myers told us that she wanted us to have her dining room furniture, which was an 8-foot table (you know, one of those tables you can't hurt?), six chairs and a china hutch. It wasn't my taste, but it was so generous I couldn't say no. Turns out, that space has evolved into my office and art studio. I've put up some gorgeous draperies across the entryway for privacy...mainly to hide my projects in progress. That big table I thought I'd never use has been the very spot that I've set up my sewing machine, where I cut out dresses and skirts, and also where I mix paints on my palette to create my artwork. This weekend, I put a small CD stereo on top of the filing cabinet and I listened to Rod Stewart's "Stardust: American Songbook" while I painted. It's taken four years for that light bulb to turn on, but in hindsight, I recognize this as one of God's mysterious ways -- He provided, through sweet Mrs. Myers, a place for me to nurture and utilize the talents He placed in me.

Not long ago, Mrs. Myers passed away. She was in her late eighties. I think about her gift to me and how much more it's come to mean. All the little things slowly came together to create a sense of fulfillment in me and I am ever grateful for the process. I hope my journey will be long and fruitful as was hers, and I hope that the things I create and leave behind will inspire or help someone else along the way.

I am just happy as a lark to be creating things again. My Daddy had to get in his "I told you so" when I called to tell him I'd sold four paintings last week. He's been my biggest fan for years. Only time will tell where this will take me, but I'm doing what I love, making a little money along the way, and that's really just good enough.

~DPG