Author: Fragments of Light

Joy Comes in the Morning

Early in the morning, “joy” lingers at the door and howls longingly to come in. I can’t resist. I crack the door, and he slips through eagerly. I settle on my chair, and he nestles his silky head on my lap. His front paws creep up to join his head. He lifts his lanky back…Read more Joy Comes in the Morning

Art As Sacred Exchange

In the last ten days, hell-flames burned near; but hope-fire blazed ever more real. At times I felt trampled, like grass in a flood:  soggy and mud clogged, bent under raging billows. Sometimes I felt like a tree surviving a winter storm, battered but proud, lifting weathered defiant arms in worship. Many times Elijah’s birds…Read more Art As Sacred Exchange

Courage Not My Own

Someone I dearly love is battling acute mental illness. I am scared, I am overwhelmed. My heart breaks for the one I love. I am trying to be brave. I turn to the One who knows, who keeps track:  of my every tossing through the night, of every wandering of the one I love. I…Read more Courage Not My Own

Longing for Courage

On a silver Colorado day, white tree arms tease a dove grey sky and chill settles in my bones. I gaze out my window. Everything is blue, the color of cold. But, I am dreaming. In my mind I am far away:  remembering a shoreline with scattered boats, whipped by wind, weathered by salt. On…Read more Longing for Courage

Blaze

  A long time ago, I stumbled on a meandering meadow path. Vibrant wildflowers exploded, vibrating with hum of bees and butterfly flutter. The promise of joy lured me into the broad expanse. But within a few steps, dark clouds gathered and a mighty wind whipped grasses across my legs. Ominous thunder rumbled. Waves of…Read more Blaze

What Selling Artwork Means to Me

I slid the letter out of the envelope, with a check. My painting, Just to Touch the Hem, sold! I felt thrill of excitement to hold tangible reward for the work of my hands, but also a wash of sadness:  a sliver of my heart, gone forever. Two of my pieces were accepted into the Regional…Read more What Selling Artwork Means to Me

Song of the Galahs

I walked the streets of my dusty, middle-of-nowhere town buried in the heart and heat of Australia. For a year and a half, Alice Springs cradled my adolescence. Her far-flung small town ethos taught me lessons to savor for a lifetime –concern for neighbor, freedom from pretense. Aboriginal songs in the surrounding buttes carved a…Read more Song of the Galahs

Ready to Blaze

I crawl out from 2014 feeling a bit battered. Nothing catastrophic. Just the grinding and grating of a persistent challenge that prowls and growls at my heels. At the same time, I grasp for 2015 like a new pair of wings. White and light, bright with hope.  As I reach, I lift up my battered-ness…Read more Ready to Blaze