My Word For 2022
New Year’s Eve 2021 already feels like six months ago, for The Preacher and I.
Because after a beautiful Christmas season, after selling out my largest collection of art and ornaments to date, and after buying a fabulous sequined t-shirt just for family New Year’s Eve dinner…
…I tested positive for Covid on exactly December 31, 2021. And because I snuggle The Preacher, he came down with Covid, too.
Two of my grand girls and I, on just about the very last day I felt human.
The week immediately following Christmas, the weather here in East Tennessee was so balmy and wonderful, that the whole culdesac, plus my momma, decided to get out, set up The Preacher’s Nikon, and capture some family photos.
four generations of God-loving girl-power…
In less than one week, my attitude went from owning and feeling all this generous, feminine power - to wishing the fleas of a thousand camels into the hair extensions of the woman who messed up my grocery delivery.
And I may or may not have also threatened to drop-kick kittens:
Ok, I did. I did threaten to drop kick kittens. I was an aching, anxious, angry Covid lady.
But none of those words (aching, anxious, angry) are my word for 2022. I just needed to bring you up to speed. I’m all better, now.
The Lord actually gave me my word for 2022 this past November. I have been seeing repeating numbers since 2018, and their significance is profound for me. Suddenly, I realized the coming year was a repeating number. And the Holy Spirit said, “Collaborate with Me creatively in the coming year, daughter. Two are better than one.”
I also had the immediate longing to do important work with dear friends. And so, after hearing this word “collaborate”, within three days, two large collaborations came in - both of them with friends of mine: I am now one of the contributors for the magazine Eden and Vine for the coming year, and I will also be bringing you another art and lifestyle class on Jeanne Oliver's creative network - a class that I believe will be my best and most important work there, to date.
I have a strong intuition that there is one more large collaboration out there. I’m just waiting on the Lord for it. (And no, I’d never drop-kick a kitty, in case you are that next person/company/collaboration, and you are now very worried as to the content of my character!)
My most recent finished art
As I was recovering from the dreaded ‘rona, the Holy Spirit took me to the book of John, chapter 20, verse 22 (“2022”). It was one of the holiest moments of my life, and here is what it says:
“And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
As lovely as the other collaborations will be, this year, it’s this collaboration with the Holy Ghost that’s got me all excited. I can’t wait to see what He wants to do together with me.
Day 34 of Lent - We Played Hooky on the "Monday Grind"
I had the best epiphany today.
When one is a “woman of a certain age”, apparently climate controlled leather seating is heaven-sent.
This cute piece of work agrees, wholeheartedly.
We enjoyed a rare but fabulous #MondayFunday today! It was his truck’s “maiden voyage” with us, to the Smokies. Trust me, the first of manymanymany for ol’ Lariat.
We laughed, we talked of all things serious and sundry and silly, we sang old Eagles songs. He knew them all word-for-word, even the sketchy ones.
Not sure what I think about that.
But really, who am I kidding? From the time I was old enough to care about who I would marry, I knew I wanted a boy who could be a bad boy, but wouldn’t.
And this one rode into my life, literally in just his Levi’s, and his motorcycle. (He was shirtless, and no helmet…he had just “been around the block”, he said. He was “testing out a repair he’d just done”, he said.) I had a hard time hearing what he was saying, because I was busy forgetting every preppy, proper boyfriend I’d ever had.
All this, and Jesus too.
I mean, come on. You have to admit, “he cute”…
I have so much to say to you on the subject of how the grace of God partners with human initiative. I have so many thoughts on motivation and drive and how to push back on your own inertia and why you need to push through…(the rewards are outrageous!)
But it is eleven o’clock, and I am just barely sliding in with this blog post.
Yes, I still picked up both the paintbrush and the pen, today. 34 days in a row.
I loaded my art bag in the Lariat, and did some sketching while The Preacher shot flowers.
This is one of his shots…
This one, too…
…and this one. “SOC” - straight out of the camera, no post processing.
Yeah, no. We didn’t have fun today. At all.
;)