Thursday, November 26, 2015


Take time to be thankful for the blessings you have been given


 
 

So many times in my life I have taken for granted people and things that I deemed important to me.  It’s so easy to do as I, like most people do, carry out the rigors of my day to day life with work, appointments, family responsibilities etc. without giving much thought to how truly fortunate I am.  I’m too “busy” living my life that I sometimes forget to enjoy life.
 

But today is a day that we should through all the craziness remember that even in difficult times there are many reasons to be grateful for the blessings (even the smallest of ones) that we have in our lives. Today is a day to stop and enjoy good food, enjoy the company of family and friends, and embrace the traditions that shaped our pasts, and will carry forward to the future. 
 
Today is a day to be thankful for those blessings in your life
 

 
 

I am blessed with so much

A wonderful husband
Two beautiful daughters
A fantastic mom
A generous, supportive and fun group of sewing friends
Good health
A comfortable home
My own studio
A good job
The very best pets in the entire world
 
And I am grateful to all of you, who read this blog regularly or who have just stumbled upon it.
 
Thank you and may your Thanksgiving be blessed!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 







 
 
 

 


 

 

Monday, November 9, 2015

What's creating Today - Defining Me




A friend recently introduced me to someone as an artist.  I was sincerely honored by the characterization, but in fairness to true artists, I had to dismiss the use of the label.  I am far from an artist and my rejection of the use of that term to describe me does not come from a poor self- image but rather an honest assessment of my talents.  I am not an artist!  And while I would truly love to be able to use that word to describe myself someday, the simple truth is that I lack the real talent and skill that I think is needed to be truly called an artist in the traditional sense.
This caused me to think however, on how I would describe myself?  What would be an honest characterization of me and the meager talents that I think I do have?
 



So I picked the most obvious place to start…the dictionary.  First I looked up the definition of the word artist.

Artist - noun art·ist \ˈär-tist\- a person having superior skill or ability in some type of fine art, esp painting, drawing, or sculpture.  A person who displays in his work qualities required in art, such as sensibility and imagination.
 

              Superior skill or ability in some type of fine art – well, that’s definitely not me

                Do I have the work qualities described? 

                Sensibility – maybe
                                      Imagination – I think I have a decent amount of that

 
Then I looked up the word Creative

cre·a·tive - [krēˈādiv]

ADJECTIVE

§  relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work:

§   (of a person) having good imagination or original ideas:

NOUN

§  a person who is creative, typically in a professional context.
 

Good imagination or original ideas – I don’t think I’m too bad on that front

Creative in a professional context – Definitely not me!
 

So in just this short amount of research I think my dismissal in using the term "artist" to describe myself is likely justified.   So then how would I define myself?  

 
If I were to describe myself using the shortest and simplest of terms then perhaps “creative player” is a more accurate label on that point.
 
 
But people are far more complex than this, which makes a simple description very lacking in capturing someone’s true nature.  Our lives are usually much fuller and far more complicated than a simple characterization can convey. 
So here’s the longwinded description of my complicated self.
 I AM … (in no particular order)
 
Blessed with a wonderful family
Creative minded but always striving to be better artistically.
Hopelessly and helplessly in love with my best friend (25 years and going strong), and sad when I have to say goodbye to him every morning.
Completely obsessed with fabric and art quilting
A hockey fanatic (Go Lightning!!!)
A new yogi – and loving it!
A lover of art journaling and postcard swaps
A classic movie junkie  (and must watcher of Hallmark Christmas movies)
Bicycling inclined (I need to find a “I’d rather be cycling bumper sticker”)
A fan of the music and fashion of the 1940’s
Ok about reading but would rather watch TV
Happy to finally have a studio, but sad that I don't get a lot of time to be in it.
I am realistic, stubborn and resourceful.
My mother’s daughter (thanks Mom)
 
 
 
 
Most importantly
 
I am not defined by those around me. 
 
 I am ME and
 
 
 
 
So how would you describe yourself?  Send me an e-mail or leave a comment and let me know how you define yourself.
 
Thanks for reading!