collaboration with the Master Artist
as i continued painting the other night (stayed up 'til midnight 'cause i got so lost in the process), i found myself going in and out of asking things of God and then trying to quiet my mind so i could listen {which is most of the time easier said than done for this girl}.....the painting process helps with that. i think that's why it has become such a huge part of my faith journey....because through the paint, He speaks to me....in a way that He never could before...though images in the paint, through visions, through music i have playing....they are all intertwined. they all come together to spur that back and forth between He and I, as we collaborate inside the process.
To trust as a child
What time I've had in the studio this week has mostly been spent working on a painting with my Divine Romance sisters for our workshop...exploring trusting the Holy Spirit, as a child might trust, to guide the work of our hands. Tonight, I'm playing on a new piece, letting drips and puddles of paint fall where they may, spending time in His presence, and listening for answers that may come in the midst.
It is my prayer tonight as I play in my studio, that you get a chance to spend some time this weekend exploring your creativity and get a glimpse of His glory within the process.
Playful sketching
Exercising my child-like play muscles while having a snack this afternoon. :) happy Friday y'all!
Life as I know it...big changes
many of you who are friends with me on facebook already know about my eating lifestyle change.....almost six months ago, i dropped most processed foods out of my diet and began consuming green smoothies + lots of whole raw fruits and veggies on a daily basis. i continued this for about four months and lost 25 pounds effortlessly (went from a size 14 jeans to a size 6)+ i started to feel better physically and mentally. then i decided to add back in whole grains and small amounts of dairy and that's when things started going downhill fast. long story short, one month ago i decided to go see a naturopathic doctor that a friend recommended to me and have some tests run.
fast forward to last wednesday, i found out that i'm not only dairy and gluten intolerant, but i'm also showing reactions to sugar cane, lettuce, pecans, crab, lobster, + a few other things. also, my iron is ridiculously low, as well as my b6 & b12 levels. so now i'm on an elimination diet for the next six weeks and taking supplements for my vitamin/mineral deficiencies in addition to the multi-vitamin and d3 supplements i was already taking.
so, feeling quite overwhelmed, i turned to God for answers on how to go forward with this new information. any of you who have gone through this yourselves, know how much of a challenge it is eliminating things from your diet like these.....those top three are in almost everything! even gluten-free cereals, breads, and such. so, this weekend i turned to God.....and what He answered back should have been so obvious to me, but my brain was so full with everything that was happening that i couldn't see it. i needed to return to the raw foods diet that He brought to me when i started to pray about my health and well being six months ago, but with this new found information about my food intolerances taken into account. and to not try to do it 100%....to listen to what my body told me it needed. that He designed our bodies to know what they needed to function at optimum efficiency....this body is a gift and i need to make sure i always treat it as such. and if i didn't give it what it needed, it would be sure to let me know! lol!
so this morning, i did just that and i'm starting to feel a peace about eating again for the first time in months. i'll still eat meat and cooked veggies.....it will be more of a 50/50 split, but keeping my diet filled with whole foods and a minimal amount of processed ones.
above is a picture of what i had this morning for breakfast....i just thought about what i had on hand and some raw food breakfast recipes i'd seen in all the books i've checked out from the library over the past few months. for those of you curious about what's in it, i'll include the recipe below. it was quite yummy and filling. and no, i do not know how many calories, or fat grams, or carbs are in it. i don't keep track of that stuff because if i try too, my brain gets overloaded and it makes me nuts. simplicity is important for me. i just make sure i'm eating whole foods and healthy fats in moderation. that is the key.
- 1/2 small ripe avocado
- 1/2 ripe banana
- small handful chopped cashews
- small handful chopped walnuts
- handful of raisins (unsweetened & no sulfites)
- light drizzle of raw agave
if any of you want to see more posts about eating for your health, please leave a comment for me on this post. this is something that is very close to my heart and i want to share it with y'all and i'd be happy to start doing more posts on this subject. :)
blessings & hugs to y'all! have a fantabulous monday!!
Countdown to live webcast...
Hey y'all! I'm sooooooooo excited about tomorrow's live webcast from my studio! And judging by the fact that the event is now FULL (yea!), I'm thinking y'all are too! :D So if you were one of the lovelies that registered, be on the lookout for a message from me from the Eventbrite site later this evening with a link to the webcast room for tomorrow's broadcast. I can't wait!!!! "See" you there!
