The Day I Became A Protester

I was scared to go, and I didn’t have the faintest idea how to be a protester. As my patient husband can attest, I’ve certainly ranted and raved at home about issues. But the most radical political act I’ve committed up until this week was to vote. Except for maybe when I adopted a Black…Read more The Day I Became A Protester

Days at the (Art) Museum

As a kid, I was a bit of an anomaly. My grandfather created wood carvings, but, otherwise, I seemed to pop up out of nowhere - an artist born to an accountant and an engineer. An oddball, but never a misfit. My parents could not have been more supportive. My family moved to the countryside…Read more Days at the (Art) Museum

Vietnam, fires, and Christmas…

Vietnam, fires, and Christmas.... my excuses for disappearing from the blogging world since late October! (Lots more dramatic than saying my dog ate my rough drafts... although that could happen.) Vietnam: Still can't believe I got to do this - absolutely amazing trip to Vietnam with a Hope's Promise Connection Team in early November. We witnessed the…Read more Vietnam, fires, and Christmas…

Shattering Into Joy

When I brought him home five years ago, I was broken too. His leg had betrayed him, shattering mid-stride when the thrill of the race outpaced his physical capability. His passion had disintegrated into pieces. I, too, scrambled to collect the shards of a dream. Hope for someone I dearly love had collided with her…Read more Shattering Into Joy

Racing for Joy

That moment when you run… not because someone told you to, not for any tangible benefit, not to prove anything to anyone (not even yourself). But simply for the sheer joy of surging through the grass, under the sky, alive in this moment. When every cell of your being trembles with the present. When you…Read more Racing for Joy

The Deaf Dog Who Heard What Matters

Strange that I would start painting again, after falling off into deep discouragement earlier this year, with Henry as my subject. But Henry was truly special. He was completely deaf.  In a household clattering with four active kids, that was a blessing for him. And in a family with special needs kids, his disability endeared…Read more The Deaf Dog Who Heard What Matters

Sheer Gift – the Power of Art

The expectation of spending time with a dear friend and a mission of creativity already promised a portal to magic. Then we stepped inside Jives Coffee Shop in Old Colorado City to the strains of a violin and the glow of warm, golden wood. And I was transported into sheer gift. Nine am on a…Read more Sheer Gift – the Power of Art

Great Sand Dunes, Colorado

Suddenly sprawling at the foot of the Colorado mountains, the Great Sand Dunes are a gateway to a world simplified into sun, sand, and sky. Into texture, lines, and contrast. A portal into a magical, eerie other-world. A space where the barrenness only accentuates my love for those with whom I wander, swelling higher than…Read more Great Sand Dunes, Colorado

Summer Between

    This summer is all about harvest. I still live in the city, so I'm not talking about wheat crops. No, it's a season of celebrating the growing things I love most, my children. Our oldest is thriving in a serious relationship with a woman we adore; and he will move out of state…Read more Summer Between

The Lies Artists Battle

Sometime in January, my heart froze over. I just gave up, like when a blizzard hits and you cancel all your plans, resigned to curl up with your book and your cup of coffee. Like a glazed creek covered in white that refuses to move, I stopped even feeling the desire to paint. The perfect…Read more The Lies Artists Battle