Kindness Matters

It is no secret that this is a difficult time for many people. Given the reports you read on social media, the world itself is in a state of constant turmoil and the United States, in particular, is going through a tough time.  No matter which side of the political fence you lean, the division seems especially marked right now and people all over the country are witnessing angry attacks on those whose views are different from their own. This is one reason I decided to take an indefinite break from Facebook--I cannot control the posts of others, but I can control my exposure to them and this is the way I am choosing to do that for now.

But, something else is happening too-a movement that may have been born out of frustration, but one that actually has the potential to change the world. If you are reading this, then you have probably been touched by the "Be Kind" movement in some way, even if just a hashtag. It is nothing new--the command dates back thousands of years. In fact, one of the very first scriptures I ever learned was The Golden Rule--"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".  Be Kind.

As a little girl, when I came home distraught over the mean comments of a friend or feeling left out of an activity, my mother's advice was often to "kill them with kindness". The words often frustrated me at the time because sometimes I think I wanted her to give me permission to be mean back. But, she was so much wiser than that.  She knew that the sting of a bitter retort often backfires and leaves the giver feeling worse than the receiver.

I believe that God can bring good from any situation if we let Him. I have experienced it firsthand many, many times. Maybe, just maybe, the Be Kind movement is just that.

Perhaps He is working slowly, quietly, behind the scenes with all those who will listen, to create a voice that is louder than the negative ones we hear and read. Being kind could lead to a world where we can appreciate our differences-even different political views-and know that they are all equally important in creating a balanced world. A world full of kindness.

 

A Quick DIY

Like most of the Pinterest world, it seems, I love the chalkboard style.  I have a chalkboard on my front porch where I enjoy posting seasonal quotes and artwork.

While I have several small chalkboards I use in my home decor as well I would love to be brave enough to have a chalkboard wall or cabinet face like these:

(source: Almost Makes Perfect)

 (unknown source)

(source: Junk Chick Cottage)

But, I am also a little bit leery of having chalk dust all over the kitchen. Instead, I opted to create a quick little chalkboard on the inside of one my cupboard doors.  Big enough to write some stuff in a handy location, but can be hidden by closing the door. How's that for commitment?

Since I was too lazy to walk out to the storage building to find painter's tape, I used a piece of the pretty washi tape that Jana gave me to create a straight edge at the top.

Armed with popcorn and some Zipfizz, I gave the surface 3 coats of paint, then pulled off the tape.

I prepped the surface by covering it with chalk and then wiping it off.

Just for fun, I drew a fun little arrow border with a white chalk pen--chalk pens are more permanent, so I won't be erasing that. (You can see here that a bit of the paint peeled off with the tape, so I had to touch that up)

Now it's ready to keep up with shopping needs or recipes or even a fun message.

Knowing that the paint peeled off really easily with the tape makes me wonder if it is going to stick on the rest of the surface.  The cabinets were originally painted with oil-based paint and the chalkboard paint is acrylic.  But, that's the nice part about being a somewhat small surface inside a cabinet---it is not big deal if it doesn't last and in the meantime, I'll have fun with it!

Rock Chapel - Hidden Treasure

It is Sunday afternoon and the house is quiet except for a playlist playing in the other room from our Bluetooth speaker.  Both Toddler D and BabyD2 are here for a few hours.  Both are asleep right now, as is their Papaw.   It is a bit chilly outside and the rain is falling from time to time.    The only light in the house is coming from the lamp hanging on the wall behind me.  Even the dogs are napping on the deck outside my back door.

While they nap, I am looking back through photos I've taken since the first of the year and trying to purge and organize them into folders for easy retrieval. As I scroll, I am reminded that I haven't yet shared our first adventure of 2017. Ron was off on that Monday, January 2 so we decided to go for a drive. Months earlier, my friend Debbie had posted some photos of a small chapel hidden away in the woods near Shreveport and I wanted to visit it as well. We GPS in hand, we drove to Mansfield in search of the Rock Chapel.

At first glance, we thought the gate across the road was locked, but upon further investigation, we found it open, so we walked down the winding road into the woods.

As we neared the chapel, we noticed wooden crosses hung on the trees lining the road. (We later learned that there is one cross for each monk that lived at the monastery).

Then we saw it.  A small, humble stone chapel built on a hill above a stream.  A bridge crosses the trickling stream and is flanked by beautiful camellia bushes that were filled with blooms.  It was beautiful!

Rock Chapel was built in 1891 by Carmelite monks as a place to meditate, reflect, pray, and to study in seclusion. The chapel itself is the last remnant of an old Carmelite monastery which flourished in the late 1800s. 

The monks living in the monastery built the chapel itself, carrying rocks from the surrounding hills and using mud as plaster to hold it together.  The monastery itself burned down shortly after the turn of the century and was never rebuilt, but the chapel remains.

In front of the chapel are six graves with crosses, 3 of which have names and dates on them. The monks were so very young when they died, most likely victims of some illness that is now treatable. 

I'd heard that the doors of the chapel are often locked, but this day, the lock was left unhooked.  We carefully opened the doors and stepped inside to find frescoes that were created over 100 years ago! Back in the 1960's the painting had been meticulously restored, but the recent effects of termites was evident.  

While the painted churches I have visited in Texas were in much more ornate and spectacular, there was something so incredibly sacred about this place.  


The painting above the door translates (roughly) "I have much love for the Lord God."

The afternoon we were there, the sun shone down through the trees creating a glow that was so beautiful. It was the perfect opportunity to work on my "shooting the light" through my camera lens.

We wandered around a bit and then just sat, breathing in the air and listening to the birds. 

Neither of us wanted to leave, and I really wanted to paint he scene, so we went back to get the truck (where my art kit was), drove it down the road and parked it so that we could sit in the back until the sun went down.

Curled up on the back tailgate, I sketched until we heard voices approaching on the road behind us.  We turned to find a young couple laughingly walking dow the path.  We greeted each other and then watched as they made their way across the bridge and up the hill.  The looked around a little bit and then the young man got down on one knee.  I snuck a few pictures of his proposal and then we cheered as she obviously accepted.  Later, we exchanged email addresses so that I could send them the photos and he explained that this was a special place to him since he had grown up nearby (they now live in Colorado, I believe).

Everything about this adventure was special and one I am likely to never forget!  What a hidden treasure this sweet chapel is and a gift that continues to bless so many people.

Succulent Centerpiece

With my holiday decor packed away, it was time to come up with a new centerpiece for our dining table.  As you know, I generally use one end of the table for my painting, but am trying to be more intentional about not spreading out quite so much so that we can actually eat meals at the table instead of on the couch.  My table is small, however, so it calls for a small centerpiece as well and succulents fit that requirement.

My history with succulents has been less than successful. Most people believe them to be fool-proof, but I am evidence that it just isn't true.  They start off well, but in most cases, I am able to kill them fairly quickly despite my best attempts to keep them alive.  My friend, Pam gave me the cutest little pot of succulents that I placed in my kitchen window.  Within a couple of months all of them had died except one particularly hardy variety. I replaced the dead ones with fake ones from Dollar Tree and the lone survivor continues to live on with its single leaf.

Of course, I knew that my best bet would again be fake succulents. I browsed the aisles at Michael's last week, and found a great selection of plants in all different sizes. All plants were 40% off, so that made them even more affordable.  I bought a small wooden box as well.

I knew that my centerpiece needed to be raised up a little bit, but Valine is the one that gave me the idea of how to do it!  Corks! I have a small jar of corks that was my mom's so I picked out four that sort of matched and set to work.

Remembering a small roll of brass tape that I used for a project a few years ago, I added strips around the top and bottom of the box.

Then, I glued the corks to the bottom.

After they dried, I filled the sections with potting soil and planted the succulents.

I think I will go back and add some rocks around each one of the plants, and I love the size and the beginning of a new tablescape.