Mother's Day doesn't get any better than this...

...and yes, I cried:)

Mary, Mary, quiet contrary...How does your garden grow? cont....

As my garden grows, so do my creative ideas:)

I encourage anyone who feels stuck in a place in your life to find a space you can make your own. Inside or outside your home. Reuse old furniture. Go through your basement and attic for items you can repaint and give new life to. There is something very theraputic to making something old into something new again.

For so long I have envisioned a garden with colorful, eclectic furniture and decorations, but never did it. I love looking at magazines and seeing how pretty some gardens are, but never did my own. After clearing the weeds and leaves from the abandoned garden behind my barn last week - I found my garden muse. The butterfly shape needed color...so I gave it to her. But it needed more. I painted verses and sayings around her shape as reminders of my prayers and positive affirmations. But now I needed a place to sit. Years and years ago, my dad gave me this old metal chair that he had when my mom was alive. I remember this chair when I was little. It used to have an ugly brown cover over it - totally 70's. This chair has moved from house to house with me and never has been used because it's a little broken. Dad always reminded me that this chair is now in the Smithsonian so I never felt like I could change it. Soooo...I called my dad:) Yes, I wanted his approval of spray painting it before I just did it. Now 76 years old and realizing that things are just things and we can't enjoy them unless we use them...he agreed to the painting. So now this chair is bright pink. Next came old shutters. A fresh painting, design and some words of a song and a verse and we have more interest and color. Lastly came another chair. It felt lonely out there in just my wire chair so I made room for a friend. Again, with a little spray paint and some left over fabric - I have another sunny chair.

My prayer garden will continue to evolve this season. I am blooming with ideas! I invite anyone who would like to stop by and see my prayer garden to come on by and have a cup of tea, a talk and some time with me in my garden.

God Bless,

Jennifer

Mary, Mary, quiet contrary...How does your garden grow?

...with silver bells and cockle shells...no...with pink-painted chairs and yummy-veggies:)

(that doesn't rhyme...oh well)

I spent a beautiful, sunny Saturday cleaning out my old flower gardens and preparing a new veggie garden. I've been thinking a lot about this lately. There is deeper meaning to all of this, too.

Personally, Jen never kept up nor created her own garden's. At the homes that I've lived at, previous owners always had beautiful gardens planted. I may have started caring for these gardens for awhile with weeding and remulching but I never kept up with them. I didn't know much about gardening nor had any real interest in learning. So they always became overwhelmed with weeds.

I have envisioned my gardens with eclectic, colorful furniture pieces and signs of all sorts, but never did anything more than stuck store bought decorative stakes in the ground. This year, I'm revamping my gardens and revamping the garden in my mind, body and spirit, too. My muse will be created later this afternoon. I envisioned her at the end of the day but I was too pooped to do it.

Jennifer, is ready to revamp, recreate, reinvent her garden. Jennifer is ready to weed, turn the soil, plant the seeds, water and watch her garden grow. Jennifer is ready for the maintenance of her garden's now...even in the hot, hot summer heat...no excuses and no looking for someone else to do the weeding:)

Happy Gardening!

and God Bless!

Jennifer

What Happens After a Storm?

It has been a very rainy Saturday. I have been indoors, alone...by myself...no...sorry, I am never alone. I have been indoors all day going deeper in my relationship with God. It’s almost time for me to go to bed but I felt I needed to end this rainy day on a special note.

What happens after a storm? The skies part open and the sun seeps out slowly. The flowers, after an April shower, begin to bloom into their vivid colors. The grass grows higher and higher, greener and greener. It doesn’t happen overnight...we have to be patient and wait. Some will not even notice. Some will take it in little by little. Others will stop and sit and wait. They will notice the changes going on around them. They will look up to the heavens and thank the Lord for all the beauty that the storm has brought.

In this moment, I am reflecting on something deeper. On May 7th, it will mark my 2 years since I finished chemo treatments from my blood cancer, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. So many people told me to give myself two years to feel better, to gain back my energy again. It has felt like a long storm. But the clouds are clearing and the sun is shining brighter. I feel as if this storm is over now. I have learned many lessons. I have been tested in ways that I can’t even describe. Let alone it would go on and on.

I am grateful to have my strength that He has continued to provide me. It has proven to me who I am and what I am able to endure. It has proven to me that family history and genetics do not have to play a role on anyone’s life. It has shown me true love and that seeking anywhere outside of Him does not fullfill your soul.

My soul is getting cleaner and clearer. The adverse reactions and side effects of chemo drugs are wearing off. The changes I have choosen to make in my diet and exercise have helped tremendously. I feel my body is getting stronger. The aches and pains are not as dominent any more. My mind is clearer and I am getting better balance of my life daily. It’s a wonderful feeling. It has been hard to be patient but I have learned...and will continue to accept what is for now is only for now. It does not have to be forever.

I am grateful for all the support that God has provided my children and I. He is a good God and I cannot speak of anything but His grace, forgiveness, love and faithfulness. My faith has been tested and I have failed Him in the past but all is forgiven and my trust is fully with Him now.

Cheers to brighter days, promises fullfilled, dreams coming true. I’m in the process of closing some chapters in my life for good. I am following His word and listening to Him and His guidance for my path in life. There have been changes stirring within me and my spirit is ready for the first steps. Sometimes it takes a huge storm to discover your purpose, destiny, calling in life.

Blessings to all! Remember when you are in a storm and it’s coming to an end...look for the rainbow and sunshine and then thank Him for the beautiful gifts.

Blessings and love,

Jennifer

Visual Journaling...Never Imagined

It's been awhile since I last blogged. Everyone tells me you are suppose to blog every week and post and twitter and status...blah, blah. I just don't have something inspiring to share sometimes. Sometimes I got nothing but being in a funk and that's not very inspiring.

So I thought I'd share something that I started doing that has helped me through...well...a lot. Two years ago when I was going through a very dark time in my life I started what is called a "Visual Prayer Journal". I would sit in God's word and pull out a scripture and write it down then design, pencil, illustrate all around it - page by page. Doing this helped me grow past my pain and I can honestly look back at these now and see the space I was in. Just like many other things in my life I put it on a shelf...until recently.

As I've been rediscovering my own inner artist again I have restarted my visual journal but in a more positive way. I have also started to teach others on this process and other ways to heal by art. I was asked by my Cancer Center and the Lymphoma Leukemia Society to do workshops on these as well. I never imagined how much 'more' healing I could do myself by sharing with others something so simple...and my story of surviving.

(NOTE: April 26th from 3-4:30pm at the Apple Hill Medical Ctr. Suite 188 & The LLS Conference on May 26th in Hershey, PA at the Hershey Lodge)

It is good to know that you are not alone. I've connected and reconnected with women my age who have been out of treatment for about 2 yrs now and compared notes. Life is different. For some it's different in small ways for others it is different in big ways. Getting through the 'different' takes more time, more healing and mostly patience.

Journaling has been a great source of healing but even more healing for me has been done by writing and illustrating a children's book. It's my own personal story that I was called to do. It's almost ready to self publish and I'm in that space of fear again. Sharing my soul and knowing others may not receive what I have written as a possibility to them is scary. The fear of opinions, judgements and rejection to a writer/artist who is ready to lay it all out there for the world to see just screams fear.

So before I am ready to publish...I must be ready. God is preparing me each day for what may come. I may only sell one book and that may be to myself and I am ok with that. It was written as my way of healing and closing my past pain and I am grateful for the gift of being able to share my story and my visions to others.

God Bless!

Jennifer

The Importance of Being Creative

The Importance of Being Creative

Believe in Miracles...

Prayers are an amazing thing. Especially when they are answered. I have experienced it before and I am experiencing it again. I find it amazing when you were just praying for something...a miracle...and it actually happens.

When you think you are alone in your problems...pray.

When you think God doesn't hear you...pray again.

When you think it's just not going to happen for you...pray more.

Believe that there are amazing people in this world!

Believe that they are in your life and willing to help.

Believe that you can reach your dreams with work and God's help.

Believe in Miracles!

Have faith when you think you don't any longer.

Have faith that you will learn something along the way.

Have faith that He will answer.

Have faith there is light and love at the end.

Hold onto hope in God and His plan for you.

Hold onto hope that He will guide you on your path.

Hope for more Miracles!

We may not understand why when we are standing in the middle of it. We may not understand when we think we are on the other side of it and quickly find out we are not. We may not understand why bad things happen to good people. We must have faith, believing, hope and prayer that God knows us. How personally He knows each of us is up to you.

Light & Love,

Jennifer