tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23507186962713778042024-03-13T11:14:58.696-07:00Blue PhoenixWelcome to the musings of Heather Thompson...Human/Artist/Poet/Writer/Mom/C-Level Strategist/Entrepreneur/Keynote Speaker/Equestrian/Monastic/Theologian Becoming...
Full Website: www.BluePhoenixArt.com
Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.comBlogger339125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-6860610298008330072020-06-18T06:54:00.001-07:002020-06-18T06:54:08.587-07:00New Art! "Dancing in the Flow of Mystery"<p dir="ltr">"Dance in the FLOW of Mystery"<br></p><p dir="ltr">
I continue to explore the #warriorwoman concept in this #digitalpainting series. Limited edition signed prints are available. </p><p dir="ltr"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<p dir="ltr">Original art by Heather Thompson Blue Phoenix Art www.bluephoenixart.com www.bluephoenixmonastic.com <br>
Www.GodasLOVE.com (coming soon)</p>
<p dir="ltr">#digitalpainting #drawing #artheals #Artist #newmonasticism #neurodivergent #colorislanguage #acquiredsavant #invisibleillness #HighRiskCovid19 #synesthesia #rareartist #daretobereal #inclusion #BluePhoenix #invisiblenomore <br>
#dance #dancelove #DysautonomiaAwareness</p>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-10834904701369897812020-06-16T14:42:00.001-07:002020-06-16T14:42:31.504-07:00Tough Day...Work in Progress<div>Work in progress...Digital Painting.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Color is my language on a very difficult day. Everyone has days like today.... afterall...IT'S A PANDEMIC. </div><div><br></div><div>#daretobereal</div><div><br></div><div><i>Speak God, thy humble servant is listening. </i></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>#digitalpainting #drawing #artheals #Artist #newmonasticism #neurodivergent #thisismylanguage #HighRiskCovid19 #acquiredsavant #synesthesia #StayAtHome #toughday</div>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-20824755184662972772020-06-13T16:35:00.001-07:002020-06-13T16:35:22.581-07:00New Digital Paintings!<p>New Art!</p><p>Digital Paintings....</p><p>by Heather Thompson Blue Phoenix Art</p><p>Prints available.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f3f0b1_cd5075d1f8a24344beb05e49c4eca84c~mv2.jpg" style="width: 50%;"><p><br></p><img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f3f0b1_c877577688b4422d875816623d44b1a4~mv2.jpg" style="width: 50%;"><p><br></p><p><br></p><img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f3f0b1_fde7bb009d154c60825d95098373b4fd~mv2.png" style="width: 50%;">Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-83288857144142373282020-06-03T09:47:00.000-07:002020-06-03T09:47:28.254-07:00Breath - An Essential Element of Grief & True Self<div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="dadeh-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dadeh-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="dadeh-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I have been at a loss for words since I saw the death of George Floyd on TV. Tears, anxiety, pain, fear...all of it has permeated our home, as it should when faced with the horrific question: </span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="2scd6-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2scd6-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="2scd6-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="entv-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="entv-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="entv-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">How does a man die begging for his life -"I can't breathe" - with others looking on and no one intervening? There are some things I cannot grasp, though I know it happens as I studied this in my undergrad and I see it now in ministry. But, I still cannot grasp the Bystander Effect. It is not in my nature.</span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="csq81-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="csq81-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="csq81-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="81fb4-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="81fb4-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="81fb4-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">"I can't Breathe." </span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="9g0qp-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9g0qp-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="9g0qp-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">No response from police.</span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="sote-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="sote-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="sote-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">No movement of the deadly knee.</span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="3ut11-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3ut11-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="3ut11-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">No intervention from those standing by.</span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="ep69f-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ep69f-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="ep69f-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Where is our humanity? </span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="ft3te-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ft3te-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="ft3te-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="abdvp-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="abdvp-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="abdvp-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I keep coming back to Chinese Medicine - Yin and the 5 Elements as I have sat in the contemplative silence trying to find words. </span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="fakkt-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fakkt-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="fakkt-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="94sm-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="94sm-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="94sm-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Breath/Lung = Yin element of Metal = Grief and True Self. </span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="22ulp-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="22ulp-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="22ulp-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="dsc47-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dsc47-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="dsc47-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">From my perspective, our entire world is in the midst of a crisis of breath/grief/true self. From the worldwide climate crisis to the polluted air we breathe, to the pandemic causing suffocating pneumonias with disproportionate impact on marginalized communities - elderly, chronically ill, minority, African American.</span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="b876g-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b876g-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="b876g-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="a6ja5-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="a6ja5-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="a6ja5-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">But the very intimate murder of George Floyd - taking his breath before our eyes - has hit a nerve with a long history that needs expression and acknowledgement. The righteous anger and grief emerging will not be a "pretty" process; and asking those around us to be professional and perfect while walking through this pain is inhumane. Space for anger/grief, support for our neighbor, listening, attempting to communicate, being willing to engage...</span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="cuf31-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cuf31-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="cuf31-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="3c1cc-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3c1cc-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="3c1cc-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">As I read what those close to me have written, I want to say that I am listening. I may not always speak loudly, but I am listening...and I am praying...carefully holding space for those who are grieving, taking care to give the pain to the old growth trees surrounding my hermitage for cleansing so I don't hold it within my healing body. </span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="86a74-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="86a74-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="86a74-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="aohjo-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="aohjo-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="aohjo-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.bluephoenixmonastic.com/post/breath-an-essential-element-of-grief-true-self</span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="8f4dd-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8f4dd-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="8f4dd-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="3udm2" data-offset-key="egilj-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="egilj-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="egilj-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Note that the expression of righteous anger and the need for healing does not apply to the violent opportunistic groups (i.e. white supremicists in seattle) that seek to spread rumors and fan the flames of chaos for their own nefarious agendas.</span></div></div>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-39207995832367380942020-06-01T08:56:00.000-07:002020-06-01T08:56:10.119-07:00Digital Painting, Synesthesia & Integrating My Brain with Color! (Video)<div class="jwLWP _2hXa7 _1dPe8 blog-post-text-font blog-post-text-color public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0" data-block="true" data-editor="dtrc6" data-offset-key="foo-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #04044c; font-family: futura-lt-w01-light, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="foo-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; direction: ltr; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span data-offset-key="foo-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm still playing with this new digital painting tool - </span><a class="_1fYLo blog-link-hashtag-color ZRr1g _2N2cN" href="https://www.wix.com/dashboard/6b7f348f-d5e3-4938-a1fb-cef77b2d93c8/blog/search/.hash.adobefresco?compId=TPASection_k8nzi0r9&origin=settings-panel&instance=sbX1MxZnxFjYANW45jasfaCyFiu3174_h-UxwK4IBeo.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&viewMode=onboarding&locale=en&appDefId=14bcded7-0066-7c35-14d7-466cb3f09103&commonConfig=undefined&cbi=%7B%22app_id%22%3A%2214bcded7-0066-7c35-14d7-466cb3f09103%22%2C%22evid%22%3A12%2C%22initiator%22%3A%22ADI%22%2C%22instance_id%22%3A%22e65a68ac-bc51-4a2b-8f7d-832fe466bdd8%22%2C%22msid%22%3A%226b7f348f-d5e3-4938-a1fb-cef77b2d93c8%22%2C%22ownerId%22%3A%22f3f0b179-aedf-4ec9-af1f-a66b1cf70935%22%2C%22src%22%3A75%2C%22type%22%3A%22GFPP_SETTINGS%22%7D" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #444444; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_self">#AdobeFresco</a><span data-offset-key="foo-2-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> - I find that I am amazed at the newly released features that allow the colors to mix just as paint would on a canvas. There are "brushes" that blend like oils, scraping tools, and even paints that allow me to create grooves in the "canvas." </span></div></div><div class="jwLWP _2hXa7 _1dPe8 blog-post-text-font blog-post-text-color public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0" data-block="true" data-editor="dtrc6" data-offset-key="df0pt-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #04044c; font-family: futura-lt-w01-light, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="df0pt-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; direction: ltr; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span data-offset-key="df0pt-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br data-text="true" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: none; box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px;" /></span></div></div><div class="jwLWP _2hXa7 _1dPe8 blog-post-text-font blog-post-text-color public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0" data-block="true" data-editor="dtrc6" data-offset-key="dj8qn-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #04044c; font-family: futura-lt-w01-light, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="dj8qn-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; direction: ltr; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span data-offset-key="dj8qn-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Learning this new tool feels surprisingly like my early artistic journey in 2011, when I first discovered by acquired savant skills by allowing my hands to simply do what felt "right" when presented with pastels and paper. Immediately, I was on fire with artistic hunger. I NEEDED to try painting! Note that I had never painted before in my life. </span></div></div><div class="jwLWP _2hXa7 _1dPe8 blog-post-text-font blog-post-text-color public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0" data-block="true" data-editor="dtrc6" data-offset-key="4s2ih-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #04044c; font-family: futura-lt-w01-light, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="4s2ih-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; direction: ltr; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span data-offset-key="4s2ih-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br data-text="true" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: none; box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px;" /></span></div></div><div class="jwLWP _2hXa7 _1dPe8 blog-post-text-font blog-post-text-color public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0" data-block="true" data-editor="dtrc6" data-offset-key="ec21a-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #04044c; font-family: futura-lt-w01-light, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="ec21a-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; direction: ltr; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span data-offset-key="ec21a-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Just as I did then, I am now hungry for digital art. I believe it is because my body is undergoing a significant detoxification and healing, and I am therefore unconsciously avoiding actual art materials at this moment. I have learned to listen to my body, and I am following the nudges that guide my artistic self. At this moment, it is oodles of creative LOVE for digital painting! I not only get to paint exactly what I want, but my brain loves observing the "playback" as it tells me the story of my deep ocean creative mind. </span></div></div><div class="jwLWP _2hXa7 _1dPe8 blog-post-text-font blog-post-text-color public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0" data-block="true" data-editor="dtrc6" data-offset-key="aouo3-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #04044c; font-family: futura-lt-w01-light, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="aouo3-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; direction: ltr; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span data-offset-key="aouo3-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br data-text="true" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: none; box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px;" /></span></div></div><div class="jwLWP _2hXa7 _1dPe8 blog-post-text-font blog-post-text-color public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0" data-block="true" data-editor="dtrc6" data-offset-key="a0i3k-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #04044c; font-family: futura-lt-w01-light, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="a0i3k-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; direction: ltr; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span data-offset-key="a0i3k-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This painting took a little over a week to finish. It began with a Phoenix/Dragon that I have held in my imagination for years and affectionately call LeeLee. Soon, I added another imaginary Dragon friend named Pup. In the early days of my TBI recovery, when my daughter was a toddler, she would play with these two special Dragons that "lived" in my hands. As I painted Leelee and Pup, I had no idea what I was trying to create; I simply knew that I needed to keep going. In the end, the final image gave me the shivers, as I realized that I was staring at my own brain wiring itself through the lens of color, imagery and synesthesia. </span></div></div><div class="jwLWP _2hXa7 _1dPe8 blog-post-text-font blog-post-text-color public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0" data-block="true" data-editor="dtrc6" data-offset-key="fus9p-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #04044c; font-family: futura-lt-w01-light, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="fus9p-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; direction: ltr; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span data-offset-key="fus9p-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br data-text="true" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: none; box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px;" /></span></div></div><div class="jwLWP _2hXa7 _1dPe8 blog-post-text-font blog-post-text-color public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0" data-block="true" data-editor="dtrc6" data-offset-key="5khdj-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #04044c; font-family: futura-lt-w01-light, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="5khdj-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; direction: ltr; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span data-offset-key="5khdj-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Limited edition signed prints will be available soon for all Digital Art. To express interest, email heather@bluephoenixart.com. </span></div></div><div class="jwLWP _2hXa7 _1dPe8 blog-post-text-font blog-post-text-color public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0" data-block="true" data-editor="dtrc6" data-offset-key="8a5u5-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #04044c; font-family: futura-lt-w01-light, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="8a5u5-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; direction: ltr; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span data-offset-key="8a5u5-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br data-text="true" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: none; box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px;" /></span></div></div><div class="jwLWP _2hXa7 _1dPe8 blog-post-text-font blog-post-text-color public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0" data-block="true" data-editor="dtrc6" data-offset-key="7f5o4-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #04044c; font-family: futura-lt-w01-light, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="7f5o4-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; direction: ltr; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span data-offset-key="7f5o4-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Coming Soon - Prints will be available for purchase at </span><a class="_2qJYG blog-link-hashtag-color _1cJeG" href="http://www.bluephoenixart.com/" rel="noopener" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #444444; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span data-offset-key="7f5o4-1-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><span data-text="true" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">www.bluephoenixart.com</span></span></a><span data-offset-key="7f5o4-2-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></div></div><div class="jwLWP _2hXa7 _1dPe8 blog-post-text-font blog-post-text-color public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0" data-block="true" data-editor="dtrc6" data-offset-key="61m6g-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #04044c; font-family: futura-lt-w01-light, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="61m6g-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; direction: ltr; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span data-offset-key="61m6g-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br data-text="true" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: none; box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px;" /></span></div></div><div class="jwLWP _2hXa7 _1dPe8 blog-post-text-font blog-post-text-color public-DraftStyleDefault-block-depth0" data-block="true" data-editor="dtrc6" data-offset-key="2k2pu-0-0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); 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font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></div>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-35188966121043007012020-03-29T23:05:00.001-07:002020-03-29T23:05:08.369-07:00Looking in the Mirror... Holy Week <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div> <i>Art by HeatherThompson Blue. </i></div><div><i> Phoenix Art 2020 (Digital Prints)</i></div><div><br></div><div>This Holy Week...vulnerability, love and strength are on my mind. </div><div><br></div><div>I'm reminded of St Claire of Assisi's discussion of Jesus as a mirror on the Cross. </div><div><br></div><div>She asks, can we look at Jesus suffering in horrific ways without giving into the temptation to look away?</div><div><br></div><div>Then she invites us to take the position of the mirror on the cross and look outward at the world. Every person has a perception, but they are looking at a mirror of themselves, not truly SEEING the God-man crucified. Standing in that place, can I allow others to be as they are with their own perceptions in the midst of my own extraordinary vulnerability. This is the work of LOVE.</div><div><br></div><div>Some may say that vulnerability is weakness. I used to feel that way too; then I learned in seminary that vulnerability is rooted in strength, and it is essential for authentic courage. </div><div><br></div><div>Brene Brown discusses the power of vulnerability in this great interview on 60 Minutes. Enjoy!</div><div><br></div><div><div><b>Watch!!</b></div><div><b><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brene-brown-cope-coronavirus-pandemic-covid-19-60-minutes-2020-03-29/">Brene Brown Interview </a><br></b></div><div><br></div></div>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-80365824403110452692020-03-19T05:33:00.001-07:002020-03-19T05:33:41.430-07:00Finally Healthier, but COVID-19 Self Quarantined<div>As I go to bed tonight, I'm healthier than I've been in a long time (amen!), yet surrounded by "widespread outbreak" of a potentially deadly virus given my illnesses. </div><div><br></div><div>I'm so surprised by the unexpected sources of love and support (including the most healing conversation with my exhusband), yet I'm deeply hurting by dismissive statements and an almost deafening silence within some of my communities... The saddest part is that I want to be silent about it because I don't want to cause problems. A typical mindset for the disempowered. </div><div><br></div><div>Social connection helps heal social isolation they say, but I have discovered another way. Being of service, no matter how small, that's the path to emotional and spiritual well being. Otherwise, I dwell on today's hurts, not today's miracles. That's not what this life - my life - is about. Service is where I renew my authentic power rooted in love giving and gratitude.</div><div><br></div><div>This is Week 3 in self quarantine due to chronic illness... I'm a single mom home schooling my kiddo - an accelerated curriculum no less - I was devastated that the school marked her absent when she had to stay home and we had communicated so well! All those 9 hour days of hard work adhering to the same schedule as the kids at school, doing homework, building systems to help other kids catch up...</div><div><br></div><div>This is where I have a choice... where do I choose to focus my attention? </div><div><br></div><div>I don't know the answer for tomorrow and the next day, but today the focus is today. </div><div><br></div><div>And I have a feeling I will be saying oh well also. Perhaps some swearing too. And lots of laughing. I know this because we've been doing it. </div><div><br></div><div>I have control over my attitude. So, I made the choice a couple weeks ago to think of this as a hermitage. We're focused on wellness, rehabilitation, God and learning. </div><div><br></div><div>Getting angry is okay; staying angry won't help. But being authentic and daring to speak feels like the way to move forward - stuffing my inner fire at a time like this feels downright dangerous. Perhaps that's where the mystics got their courage in the face of tremendous adversity?</div><div><br></div><div>Its been 3 WEEKS. </div><div>3 WEEKS</div><div>I'm used to being home bound. I am privileged to have a home that I am happy in... always. </div><div><br></div><div>That said, I haven't had to keep this pace in many years. I'm used to significant alone time. Now it's my daughter and I confined together. </div><div><br></div><div>We must stay home. Even her dad is sacrificing in ways I never thought possible to preserve my life. </div><div><br></div><div>To the others out there, please stay home if you can!!! Stop messing around. We must stop this virus so that C and I can come out by August like they are saying without risk of my kid losing her mom. No drama, real talk. </div><div><br></div><div>Tomorrow we officially start school again, at home, alas, not gonna let it break my stride.</div>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-45458566738174488282020-02-02T19:37:00.001-08:002020-02-02T19:37:29.704-08:00Poetry: Ticketmaster Dreaming<p dir="ltr">When Neurons fire <br></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;">FIRE</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Body responds</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;">RAPIDpulse</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;">DIZZYfaintwobbly</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;">So F-CKING tired</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br></span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;">SelfCARE</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;">So lonely</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Scroll through FACES</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;">on FACEbook </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Like strolling a city WALK.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br></span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Ticketmaster</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;">I DREAM of your </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 16px;">journeys</span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-62841814861077051242020-01-29T12:17:00.001-08:002020-01-29T12:17:19.100-08:00Seminary? Monastic? Ordained? Perspective from an 11 yo kiddo.<div><span style="font-size: 16px;">Last night, I had a moment of sadness when I was weighing whether or not I'd eventually return to seminary. It rolls through my mind often. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16px;">Will I pursue ordination (I have no idea)? Can I call myself a Monastic given that i am only half way through seminary? Im Franciscan but not a part of an order.... so I question myself. (The answer is yes, it's a New Monastic Movement in the world, outside the walls of the church.)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16px;">As I briefly mentioned this internal struggle to C, she put her hand on my foot, sitting across from me in the cozy room, and she said, "Mom, you don't need a label. You don't need to be ordained. You already are a minister and a very good one. And we have our church here...people come here and find rest... and we have our animals with our very Franciscan life....And mom, any time two people are gathered in His name it's church right? That means we have church all the time mom!" </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16px;">I burst into tears. This Kid. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16px;">There's a moment that comes along when a parent realizes that the Kid has absorbed the good stuff, even in the midst of hardship. This was one of those very rare moments. Thank you God.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></span></div>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-78181915613263696142020-01-27T10:30:00.001-08:002020-01-27T10:30:01.644-08:00Roots of Contemplative Christianity I am a Contemplative. It started the moment of my concussion. Although I didn't have a name for it, nor did I fully comprehend what was happening when I first picked up the pastels and later began to paint, my entire being had shifted into a new way of knowing. This piece by Father Richard Rohr explains the theological roots of contemplative Christianity, something I later learned in Seminary.<div><div id="primary" class="hfeed"><div class="large-9 columns"><div id="post-6755" class="post-6755 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-daily-meditations tag-anecdote tag-church-history tag-god tag-insight tag-knowing tag-mystery tag-unknowing themes-knowing-and-not-knowing p publish first-post author-fr-richard-rohr-ofm cat tag y2020 m01 d26 h17"><div class="entry-content article"><p><strong><a href="https://cac.org/all-spiritual-knowing-must-be-balanced-by-not-knowing-2020-01-27/"><br>All Spiritual Knowing Must Be Balanced by Not-Knowing</a></strong><br><strong>Monday, January 27, 2020</strong></p><p><span data-contrast="none">It is amazing how religion has turned the biblical idea of faith</span><span data-contrast="none"> around 180 degrees—</span><span data-contrast="none">into a need and even a right to certain knowing, complete predictability, and perfect </span><span data-contrast="none">assurance about whom </span><span data-contrast="none">and what </span><span data-contrast="none">God likes </span><span data-contrast="none">or</span><span data-contrast="none"> doesn</span><span data-contrast="none">’</span><span data-contrast="none">t like. </span><span data-contrast="none">Why do</span><span data-contrast="none"> we think we can have the Infinite Mystery of God in our quite finite pocket</span><span data-contrast="none">?</span><span data-contrast="none"> We supposedly know what God is going to say or do next, because we think our </span><span data-contrast="none">particular denomination</span><span data-contrast="none"> has it all figured out. In this schema, God is no longer free but must follow</span><span data-contrast="none"> </span><i>our</i><span data-contrast="none"> </span><span data-contrast="none">rules and</span><span data-contrast="none"> </span><i>our</i><span data-contrast="none"> </span><span data-contrast="none">theology. If God is not infinitely free, we are in trouble, because every time God forgives or shows mercy, God is breaking God’s own rules </span><span data-contrast="none">with</span><span data-contrast="none"> shocking (but merciful) freedom and inconsistency! </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":true,"134233118":true,"201341983":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">In the fourth century, as the Christian church moved from bottom to </span><span data-contrast="none">the </span><span data-contrast="none">top, </span><span data-contrast="none">where it was </span><span data-contrast="none">protected and pampered by the Roman Empire, people like Anthony of the Desert, John Cassian, </span><span data-contrast="none">Evagrius</span><span data-contrast="none"> </span><span data-contrast="none">Ponticus</span><span data-contrast="none">, and the early monks went off to the deserts to keep growing in the Spirit. They found the Church’s newfound privilege—and the loss of Jesus’ core values—unacceptable. It was in these deserts that a different mind called</span><span data-contrast="none"> </span><i>contemplation</i><span data-contrast="none"> </span><span data-contrast="none">was first </span><span data-contrast="none">formally</span><span data-contrast="none"> taught. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":true,"134233118":true,"201341983":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">The </span><span data-contrast="none">D</span><span data-contrast="none">esert </span><span data-contrast="none">F</span><span data-contrast="none">athers </span><span data-contrast="none">and </span><span data-contrast="none">M</span><span data-contrast="none">others </span><span data-contrast="none">gave birth to what we call the</span><span data-contrast="none"> </span><i>apophatic</i><span data-contrast="none"> </span><span data-contrast="none">tradition, knowing by silence and symbols, and not even needing to know with words. It amounted to a deep insight into the nature of faith that was eventually called the “cloud of unknowing” or the balancing of knowing with not needing to know. Deep acceptance of ultimate mystery is ironically the best way to keep the mind and heart spaces always open and always growing. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":true,"134233118":true,"201341983":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">We do need</span><span data-contrast="none"> </span><i>enough knowing</i><span data-contrast="none"> </span><span data-contrast="none">to be able to hold our ground. </span><span data-contrast="none">We need </span><span data-contrast="none">a container and structure in which </span><span data-contrast="none">we </span><span data-contrast="none">can safely acknowledge that </span><span data-contrast="none">we </span><span data-contrast="none">do know a bit, </span><span data-contrast="none">i</span><span data-contrast="none">n fact just enough to hold </span><span data-contrast="none">us </span><span data-contrast="none">until </span><span data-contrast="none">we </span><span data-contrast="none">are ready for a further knowing. In the meantime, </span><span data-contrast="none">we can </span><span data-contrast="none">happily exist in what some have called</span><span data-contrast="none"> </span><i>docta</i><i> </i><i>ignorantia</i><span data-contrast="none"> </span><span data-contrast="none">or “learned ignorance.” Such people tend to </span><span data-contrast="auto">be very happy and they also make a lot of other people happy. </span></p><p><span data-contrast="auto"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></span></p></div></div></div></div></div>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-31314476890202547212019-12-27T21:32:00.001-08:002019-12-27T21:32:49.691-08:00Divine Creativity <div>I wasn't raised in the Church. I got to God by other means. But each time I went to Church with friends, I felt confused by the sermons that spoke in unfamiliar lingo and seemed to make God so certain and predictable. I felt ashamed that they had such certainty, and I kept questioning. Fast forward to seminary. I learned that certainty isn't faith; rather it's questions and doubt that affirm faith in action. I believe we must start discussing more theology in contemporary churches. Why not introduce congregants to the depth of Christian thinking from Iranaeus to Kierkegaard? I believe that People are hungry for it. <br></div><div><br></div><div>Divine Creativity</div><div>Beatrice Bruteau (1930–2014)</div><div><br></div><div>The traditional understanding of the Incarnation is that the Person of Christ subsists in two natures, a divine nature and a human nature. But Christ is only one Person, the divine Person called “the Word.” . . . What would seem to be the [opposites] of Being are held together in the intimate union of a single Person. Without ceasing to be God, the Word becomes human. And without ceasing to be incarnate as a human being, this Person is divine.</div><div><br></div><div>It seems impossible, but this is what Christians claim we believe. . . . Indeed, we could never have proposed such a thought to ourselves if we had not sensed its reality in ourselves. We do not pretend to understand the Incarnation in an analytical abstract way. We rather understand it in an experiential way. We know what it means because we resonate with it in our own being. Whatever meaning it has for us comes from the deepest level of our sense of our own reality. . . .</div><div><br></div><div>In the case of the cosmos, we can say that God as Creator is incarnate as self-creating universe, including self-creating creatures within that universe, such as, for instance, ourselves as human beings. Creativity itself is what’s evolving in the cosmos, and . . . we are in a position to realize ourselves as incarnate divine creativity. </div><div><br></div><div>This has two effects. It makes the whole thing intensely meaningful. . . . We are part of this, creative contributors to this. And this is the other effect: we bear some responsibility. We have to take our part in the work.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-63082181916381515142019-12-27T14:39:00.000-08:002019-12-27T14:39:23.148-08:00Trust in the Slow Work of God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Above all, trust in the slow work of God.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">"We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—and that it may take a very long time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually—let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them on, as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be. Give Our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; white-space: normal;"><br></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><i>Written in 2018 while undergoing diagnostics for Autoimmune Dysautonomia.</i></span></font></span><div><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><br></font><div><span style="background-color: white;"><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I took this picture yesterday after completing 40 minutes of electric shocks to my major nerves (a wonderful test called an EMG), while awaiting the next phase - shocks with NEEDLES! </span></font></span><i>(Little did I know that this was the easy emg. The sfemg that came later in 2019 involed needles, digging and shocks in the corner of my eye for an hour.)</i></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br></span></font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px;">This has been a non-dualistic journey...both a vacation with my daughter and a medical investigation into the mystery of invisible illness. While it is good news that the test came back negative, the unknown remains a very difficult space. </span></font></span></div><div><br></div><div>We must continue hunting for the diagnosis, which means more discomfort - more MRIs, a hip tap, potentially a muscle biopsy, and anything else they can think of to figure out what is wrong with me.
In the midst of this diagnostic process, however, i find myself struggling with doubt. I believe this is human. It's a survival mechanism in the face of pain, discomfort and judgement; it is ultimately a manifestation of shame.
</div><div><br></div><div>As I was falling asleep last night, exhausted and suffering with a migraine induced by the electric shocks, I found myself wondering..."Why am i hunting for what's wrong with me? Maybe I could just make the decision to be better, and that will do the trick? What if this is all in my head?" </div><div><br></div><div>I noticed my internal dialogue, and recognized it as the same voice that kept me going on the treadmill during my days with an eating disorder. The voice sounds like that of a drill seargent, telling me that I lack discipline and forcing me to keep going beyond my own capacity. This voice has been a useful survival skill over the years, but it no longer serves me.
The voice of shame, doubt and criticism isn't confined to my own internal dialogue, however, as I deal with the judgements of doctors, friends, family and others. Undergoing the torture of diagnosis is bad enough...encountering doctors that don't understand is equally terrible...but the hardest part is staring into the abyss of the unknown and wishing that you could just decide to be better. </div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br></span></font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px;">No one would choose this path willingly. And yet, in the face of the unknown, I must keep walking.
It would be so much easier to believe that there's nothing wrong, but you can't make this up. In fact, we often joke in the rare disease community that if I were to fake it, I'd make up something much more believable!
When faced with strange blood work and debilitating symptoms, the responsible thing to do is keep hunting. Why? Because I have an amazingly beautiful and wonderful daughter that needs me...because I have a lot of life to live...because I know exactly what it feels like to bury a man who pretended "nothing was wrong" for years until the colon cancer ravaged his body.</span></font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br></span></font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14px;">No, pretending isn't an option. </span></font></span>So we hunt and treat simultaneously. As I walk this journey, I have also learned to keep living, because God has a plan for me - I see it every day! </div><div><br></div><div>To those that don't believe anything is wrong; that wish I wouldn't talk about it; that would prefer that I live beneath a facade of "I'm OK"; that choose not to take the time to understand; that cannot grasp the privalege of their own health... I will say this - feel free to part ways. It is the most empowering feeling in the world to be able to stand authentically in my truth and allow others to do the same. </div><div><br></div><div>AND. </div><div><br></div><div>It's also excruciating to lose someone I love. There is so much grief and loss that goes with chronic illness. </div><div><br></div><div>Update January 2020. I'm grateful to be in remission from the big bad bagel (that's what I call it) that knocked me down harder than the career ending and life changing concussion in 2011. A year of toe curling, anaphylaxis inducing ultra high dose prednisone and IVIG did the trick. Now im on the long walk back from the edge. </div><div><br></div><div>I welcome the path that God has before me. </div><div>Amen. </div><div><div><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><br></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><br></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><br></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="white-space: normal;"> </span></span><div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
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</div></div></div></div>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-17971174326902173232019-12-24T19:08:00.001-08:002019-12-26T12:54:15.375-08:00A Prayer for the Unseen<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div><br></div><div>An observation.... It's Christmas Eve, and there's a lot of discussion about noticing those on the margins and those who may be in pain this season. While many are mentioned in memes and prayers, including the lonely and caregivers for the ill, there's no mention of those who are actually living with disability, chronic illness, pain... or those who are at end of life. The privalege of health is everywhere, yet there are millions living in bodies with unimaginable conditions - until it happens to you. </div><div><br></div><div>Tonight I pray for those who are unseen and unnoticed; those who beg for God's intervention but do so alone; those whose suffering runs so deep that they have hidden it away... I've been in these shoes - all of them - sometimes feeling undeserving of the love and prayers of others. So I ask God to hear my prayer, because my soul sees theirs tonight.</div>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-1773645348419958422019-12-23T11:00:00.001-08:002019-12-23T11:00:14.136-08:00Blue Phoenix Creative-Graphics and Web Design/Coding<div>I haven't spoken about it much, but in the quiet of my healing journey I've been taking on some select projects- things I can do from home and/or engagements with animals that could benefit from my intuition/synesthesia. Ive decided to share this more publicly in the event that you or someone you know can benefit. </div><div><br></div><div>Graphics and Web Design/Coding </div><div><br></div><div>Ive been doing logos, graphic design, blog design, social media design and web design/coding. I taught myself to do this after the brain injury. Im very selective about clients, but it's something that I can do from home.</div><div><br></div><div>Here are two logos done for some of my favourite people. They both love purple! </div><div><br></div><div>Kiri is my trainer and one of my best friends. She's family. Harvey and I have been with her since 2012. Her logo is an actual drawing of her jumping stella (her horse). </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div><br></div><div>Tom and Nancy have been clients back to 2005....They are family too. Tom has a blog that has been a source of inspiration for so many. Im going to be moving his site to a new platform, but for now check it out at www.thebeaconviews.com</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Stay tuned... I'll occasionally write more about the diverse things happening at Blue Phoenix, from original art to prints, patrons to collectors, graphics to coding, theology and Theopoetics, jewelry design and even animal communication. It's not all on my website yet.... but it will be soon. Www.bluephoenixart.com </div>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-38277761609537783142019-12-17T10:30:00.001-08:002019-12-17T10:30:13.704-08:00Are you Listening? <p dir="ltr">Neurodiversity includes awareness that some of us are unable to put things into words the same as others. I am learning to embrace that I communicate differently. My authentic language post TBI is color, imagery and poetry. I take notes in color. I may be able to put things into words and have it sound really good because I was a professional writer and published author in my former life. 10 years ago I was on the cover of the Washington Athletic Club Magazine for entrepreneurialism. Life is different now, because my brain has fundamentally rewired.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Don't feel bad for me. Acquired Savantism is among the greatest gifts of my life. But it comes with challenges that few people can understand. How can I be both a "genius" and "disabled?" Why can't i participate in group outings? Why do I misspeak sometimes? Why have I been so sick the last two years? Because my new brain has some issues.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Perhaps the biggest challenge is that my real thoughts, the deep ocean consciousness that feels too spherical to put into words, cannot be flattened for linear language. Ive tried for years in seminary, each time landing myself in the hospital. Not everyone understands this, and it has led to huge misunderstandings.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Im choosing to embrace my neurodivergent brain, especially the part that holds paradoxes and embraces nonduality with love. A very wise woman inspired me today to recognize that there is important work to be done for those of us with alternative nondualistic voices. It's frightening because the conflict is overwhelming in our polarized culture and I don't have the adrenal system to handle the pain that comes my way. But im discovering that the pain of silence is worse. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Silence and solitude are different. I shall communicate in my own way and rest on God. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Today I wrote this...poetry for my new website home page which will feature my Warrior WOM•AN Collection. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Are you Listening?</p>
<p dir="ltr">She embraces Mystery,<br>
Courageously following primal nudges.<br>
Warrior!<br>
Colors unfurl,<br>
Textures explode,<br>
New layers emerge,<br>
Life AND death held together, <br>
Akin to nature,<br>
SCRIPTURE,<br>
Imperfectly Perfect.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Her hands take the lead,<br>
There are no mistakes,<br>
Paradoxes prevail,<br>
In deep ocean consciousness.<br>
The unspeakable rises,<br>
Trauma and joy interwoven, <br>
Ineffable harmony.<br>
Dripping with intention,<br>
Blending,<br>
Smearing, <br>
Scarring, <br>
Colors become complex language,<br>
And<br>
THE CANVAS SPEAKS.<br>
Are you listening?</p>
<p dir="ltr">ART.<br>
AWAKEN.<br>
AMEN.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Original Art and Poetry by Heather Thompson Blue Phoenix Art www.bluephoenixart.com</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<p dir="ltr">I will fast as long as I feel that it's fulfilling me. I may pause the fast, check in, then start again (intermittent fasting). I'll continue my blog, so you can find new Art, articles and musings there if you're subscribed and interested in such thinks (www.bluephoenixart.com click on blog). Some blog posts automatically share to social media, but I won't be checking it unless I say otherwise. Some of my blogging might even be about the experience of fasting from social media. Who knows what will come of it, but I feel a nudge...and Advent is approaching...so it's timely for me to explore this further. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I'll note that I've been feeling a big urge to fast from food, as it's a very popular means of putting diabetes into remission right now. That said, the medically directed fasting that Fran had me do a month ago actually triggered an adrenal episode along with certain anorexic behaviors. Something I'll write more about another time. But for now, I'll say that there's great power in taking an inventory of how I spend my time (taking the focus off food) and choosing to shift the focus in a healthy way....a fast that is helpful, not harmful. </p>
<p dir="ltr">To be clear...Im NOT fasting from my connections with people. So please maintain contact via email, phone, Facebook messenger or text message. I won't be checking messages in Instagram. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Finally, my reasons for this are many, ranging from a need to deepen my contemplative practice, to a need to move my art in a new direction, to a need to enrich my actual human to human connection (which is difficult when you're living with chronic illness), to a need to protect my heart (and therefore my healing body) from the increasingly painful dialogue during this election season. For me - living with Adrenal Insufficiency and recovering from being very ill with Autoimmune Dysautonomia - these needs are essential to my healing. </p>
<p dir="ltr">After writing all of this, I think I have my answer... I'm just going to begin. If there's anyone who'd like to join me in this social media fast, and together we can grapple with finding other ways of maintaining contact... and dealing with the issues that arise without social media...send me a message (don't reply here, because ive disconnected). <br>
</p>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-12642881327955248612019-11-19T18:38:00.001-08:002019-11-22T17:09:54.701-08:00Let's get Real About Adrenal Insufficiency <p dir="ltr">Published in the Mighty </p><p dir="ltr"><i>https://themighty.com/2019/11/adrenal-insufficiency-asking-for-help/</i><br></p><p dir="ltr">Let's get real for a minute about #adrenalinsufficiency. We are not talking about adrenal fatigue. Adrenal Insufficiency is a condition that can only be diagnosed through a cortisol stimulation test (high or low dose). Once diagnosed, a person becomes "steroid dependent" and must take corticosteroids to stay alive. </p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">In my case, it means that my body doesn't produce enough cortisol to handle a burst of adrenaline. It's a rare disease so there's not alot of money in it. No nifty monitors like they have for diabetes. No Epipens to make the injection easier. Instead, it's a fine tuned guess based on situation, experience and symptoms. More stress = more cortisol. Sudden burst of stress = inject immediately or I could die waiting for the oral steroids to metabolize. </p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">This is what the needle and vial looks like (see below). "Draw it up and stab it in the thigh muscle because you're a badass Heather," I say to myself, "and that's what you do when its your life." Then I make myself push the thick bruising liquid in to the muscle. Ouch. </p><p dir="ltr"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br><p></p><p dir="ltr">Unfortunately I've had to inject several times in the last month... and I live a fairly quiet life. There's so much more I can say, but for now, I'll leave it with the ridiculous needle.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">AND</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">People have all kinds of judgments when they see someone with adrenal insufficiency protecting their energy. It's so sad because the condition demands a level of self awareness that few could fathom. Instead, misunderstandings develop or gossip begins. </p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">In my case, the are times even I must be clear -I'm not lazy, rude, antisocial, disheveled, conflict avoidant, or any other label that might come out of someone's mouth if they didn't know about my struggles with chronic illness. Furthermore, I am not needy...Lord help me I am not a NEEDY person. In fact, I'm a warrior. Living with an invisible disability as a single mother in a world that often makes assumptions based only upon what can be observed, well, that that's serious strength. </p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">I've recently began a new art series exploring what it means to be a WARRIOR WOM•AN, and I discovered - in the paint - that she is both aware of her vulnerabilities and capable of things unimaginable to most. Sound contradictory? Think child birth. </p><p dir="ltr"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br><p></p><p dir="ltr">Having completed the Sentinels of my collection, I'm now exploring medical fragility in the context of what it means to be a WARRIOR WOM•AN. Disability, life with chronic illness, invisible conditions all mean living with an awareness of finitude and the delicate nature of life. It means asking for help, and risking the judgment of others. Some give of their time freely, while others harbor resentment. I was once called a bottomless pit by someone very close to me. It was scarring, but I learned from the experience. From that point on, I made the empowered decision to only accept help from those capable of saying No, because then I could be sure that their YES was freely given. I was no longer going to be harmed by those that said Yes only because they couldn't say No. </p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">As a single mom, I cannot live in isolation. I can, however, be very discerning about those whom I choose to include in my tribe. Transparency, authenticity, direct communication, love... these are all values that we share. Further, we place the needs of the children first. My friends often remind me that my willingness to ask for help is a gift to my daughter. She sees the tribe that unconditionally surrounds us, and she feels the depth of caring. As she grows into a young woman, she will have a healthy sense of what it means to be part of a community, something that's increasingly lost to kids in an online world. Most importantly, she knows she doesn't need to take care of me when I need help... Instead we are surrounded by extraordinary men and women who make sure that we're both squared away. That's what community is for!</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">I never would have understood any of this until it happened to me. My life was isolated, even in marriage, as I believed I had to do it all. No more... and my life is better as a result. </p><p dir="ltr"><br></p>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-85531768005244699012019-11-19T18:31:00.000-08:002019-11-19T18:31:43.994-08:00Introducing WARRIOR WOM•EN <div>Introducing my Artistic Collection. </div><div>Warrior Women.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Watch the artistic journey unfold as I embark on another exploration of the unknown. Illuminating the unseen, rooted in the feminine, I incorporating the wisdom of Zen practice with the discipline of the Samurai. Color conveys the complex interplay between paradoxical ideas that flow together in the form my spiritual expression. From soul to fingers to brush to canvas... the WARRIOR WOMAN begins.</div><div><br></div><div><div>"Alpha"</div><div>She is the FIRST</div><div>WARRIOR WOMAN SERIES</div><div>DM for Purchase Information</div><div>30 x 30</div></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div><br></div><div><div>"Ten"</div><div>WARRIOR WOMAN SERIES</div><div>DM for Purchase Information</div><div> 16 x 20</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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9x12 Ink and Paper </p><p dir="ltr">Prints available</p><p dir="ltr">
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Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-31229728875918306272019-10-23T17:29:00.001-07:002019-10-23T17:29:15.919-07:00When Serious Diseases are Just Side Effects<p dir="ltr">Did you know that diabetes can damage the vagus nerve and cause gastroparesis? I always thought I'd be able to take the great meds that they advertise all over TV....alas...I can't. Im allergic, and the side effects are NO JOKE. Mix food poisoning with anaphylaxis and you've about got it. So I had to go straight to insulin.<br></p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">Thankfully I have a great doctor (Fran) whose been watching metabolic syndrome set in as I underwent ivig therapy. We knew I had to lose weight and reverse the damage to my pancreas, but I had to be stable. We had to rule out poryphria. And we needed to be certain that my liver could handle it. </p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">Thankfully i got the go ahead, and now Fran's entire team is helping me rapidly heal my liver and put the diabetes in remission. Time to reverse the damage done by the medicines that saved me.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">Isn't that interesting? NAFLD and DIABETES are significant problems, but they were necessary side effects given what I was fighting. Puts it in perspective.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">And yet as I write this, I know there are those who think I've been making this up, or sharing about it to get attention. There are no words. Just the women warriors I've begun to paint.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">Facebook reminded me today of all the people who helped me through a year of grueling treatment. Thank you. I mean it. Words can't express my gratitude today. </p>Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-81611911767326381402019-10-06T09:15:00.001-07:002019-10-06T09:15:50.185-07:00Francis and the Wolf <p dir="ltr">An alternative way to respond to the issues of the day.  As a contemplative, I find myself in this stance more often than most alternatives. There isn't a right and wrong way. In my case, as in the story below, it's often a matter of how we are called to be in the world. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Francis and the Wolf<br>
Carlo Carretto (1910–1988) was a member of the Little Brothers of Jesus, a community of contemplatives based on the spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi. In his book, I, Francis, Carretto speaks in Francis’ voice, combining biography with what Francis might say to us today.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Carretto describes Francis’ experience with a hungry old wolf who had been terrifying the people of Gubbio and preying on their livestock.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Francis went out to meet the wolf armed only with love. The townspeople were sure the wolf would eat Francis. But Francis simply considered the needs of both the wolf and the community. He discerned that the wolf was too old to hunt wild animals and just needed to eat, while the people needed safety for themselves and their animals. Francis proposed that the wolf be given food each day, and the wolf agreed to leave their sheep and chickens alone. Carretto writes in Francis’ voice:</p>
<p dir="ltr">No, brothers [and sisters], I was not afraid [to meet with the wolf].<br>
Not since I had experienced the fact that my God is the wolf’s God too.<br>
What is extraordinary in the incident of the wolf of Gubbio is not that the wolf grew tame, but that the people of Gubbio grew tame, and that they ran to meet the cold and hungry wolf not with pruning knives and hatchets but with bread and hot porridge.</p>
<p dir="ltr">This is the miracle of love: to discover that all creation is one, flung out into space by a God who is a Father, and that if you present yourself as [God] does, unarmed and peaceably, creation will recognize and meet you with a smile.<br>
This is the principle of nonviolence, and I want to recommend it to you with all the enthusiasm I can command. . . .</p>
<p dir="ltr">If human beings go to war, it is because they fear someone.<br>
Remove the fear, and you re-establish trust, and will have peace.<br>
Nonviolence means destroying fear.<br>
This is why I, Francis, tell you this once again: Learn to conquer fear, as I did that morning when I went out to meet the wolf with a smile.<br>
By conquering myself, I conquered the wolf. By taming my evil instincts, I tamed those of the wolf. By making an effort to trust the wolf, I found that the wolf trusted me.<br>
My courage had established peace. <br>
You can deduce the rest by yourselves.<br>
Just think what would happen if one day you became nonviolent, and took the huge sums of money you spend on defending yourselves against fear and used them to help the people of whom you are now afraid. . . .<br>
You will know peace then.<br>
Is that too much to hope?<br>
Perhaps someone is listening to me!<br>
To whoever it is, I, Francis say: Be brave!</p>
<p dir="ltr">The above excerpt was prepared by Fr Richard Rohr.</p>
Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-45338999685053869132019-09-18T23:10:00.001-07:002019-10-23T19:24:06.103-07:00Savant Wins America's Got Talent<p dir="ltr">It brings me to tears tonight watching #agt America's Got Talent... THE FINALS!</p>
<p dir="ltr">Kodi Lee, a blind, autistic, neurodivergent musical savant won by popular vote on one of the world's biggest stages. POPULAR VOTE. The voting audience saw his brilliance. He didn't hide his disabilities.... he was himself-authentic- and he sang his heart out. To see him win brings me to tears. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Im not autistic like Kodi, but I know how it feels to be neurodivergent with disabilities and a savant talent. It's easy to feel invisible sometimes. Worse, there are times where people only see the disability/illness, and the judgment hurts. It's challenging to choose to share my savant ability (painting) under those circumstances. Still, I keep painting no matter the reactions of those around me because it's in my soul!</p>
<p dir="ltr">To see that expressed in an even more powerful way this season on AGT has moved me to start a new artistic expression. </p>
<p dir="ltr">To watch Kodi soar in the finals and again tonight.... well.... I'm inspired in ways that leave me speechless. The color I feel, though, is a deep sparkling and swirling bowl of thick purple liquid with tinges of turquoise, fuchsia and gold spreading to every cell in my body! Ahhhh.... if only synesthesia could be my language! </p>
<p dir="ltr">All my love to #kodilee for his extraordinary win tonight! Your fellow neurodivergent savants are cheering you on! I think my daughter and I need to finally get on a plane and go to Vegas.</p>
Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350718696271377804.post-89096376964639288762019-09-09T11:11:00.001-07:002019-09-09T11:11:45.949-07:00My Wish for Today <p dir="ltr">Never take the simple things for granted. Do you have your health? A solid job? Good family? Can you drive? Can you walk? Are you able to work? Are you healthy enough to parent your children? Do you have loving relationships? A faith that nourishes you? Do you live without pain? Can you breathe unassisted? Can you smell the earth after a rain storm? And the list goes on. </p>
<p dir="ltr">St John of the Cross (one of my favorite mystics) was imprisoned and beaten by fellow monks for months. During this painful time, "the dark night of the soul, " he found gratitude in the miracle of a flower blooming outside his cell window. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Every day is filled with miracles, if we open our eyes and learn to see. It often requires radical stillness to finally open up eyes that have been trained to see according to the dominant culture. "Be still and know that I am God." I too have been guilty of setting goals higher and higher without noticing the miracle of where I am. Many times ive been leveled, forced into stillness, and reminded that my call is in the quiet.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Every day, I see people take things for granted... everyday things like walking up stairs.... but I notice because I'm fighting to be able to do those very same things. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Today I paused with C to observe the difference between where i am now, where I was a year ago, and where I was two years ago. I'm making huge progress, yet I'm not going to take a single moment for granted. Living wakefully is my imperfect hope for today. Amen. </p>
Runner Duck Team 6http://www.blogger.com/profile/01495656842699083708noreply@blogger.com0