Grieving With Those Who Grieve; 2021; 10" x 13"; mixed media: watercolor, acrylic, graphite, crayon. Today I grieve… For women widowed too soon and fatherless children, For victims of senseless violence and those who love them, For children wounded, battling lies embedded before conscious thought, For millions across the world who lack access to healthcare,…Read more Grieving With Those Who Grieve
prayer
Painting a Prayer
A Prayer for Faith and Courage; 2020; 11" x 14"; ink on Yupo paper. A therapist once told me I speak fewer words than any female he's ever met. It's true. I possess a daily quota of words. And when it's up, it's over. I'm done talking. From sun up to sun down, I can…Read more Painting a Prayer
Hide Me in the Cleft
In this time of global chaos and fear, I ask God to hide me in the cleft of His heart. There, my soul anchors into unchanging hope. And I pray His Presence will radiate through me into a desperate world. Exodus 33:22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock…Read more Hide Me in the Cleft
All Flame
Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, “Abba as far as I can I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?” then the old man stood up…Read more All Flame
Shattering Into Light (2)
There is a tragedy that stalks me year after year. The precipitating event is over and done with, resounding in its finality; but the repercussions morph through time. It is a question with no answer, a terrible wrong that cannot be righted, a haunting that cannot be exorcised. Sometimes I am angry. Like Edvard Munch's…Read more Shattering Into Light (2)
A Prayer for My Country
Here in Colorado, I breathe thick orange haze of Western wildfires, even as Texans stumble through water-logged debris, and evacuees flee Florida. With all its warts and weaknesses, America is the country I love. Generations of my family fought for the freedoms I cherish today. I've traveled the world and witnessed first-hand the alternatives to…Read more A Prayer for My Country
Shattering Into Light
Here, taunting dark, questions stab, backwards bend. Shutting down, like sifting sands closing in. Tender, firm command: “Ask.” Gentle touch: Unanswerable questions, open wounds. Eyes downcast, hesitant, unable to hold this claustrophobic space anymore, I ask. “Now, listen.” There, in quiet circle of sentinel trees, I hear: not a mighty wind, not an audible voice,…Read more Shattering Into Light
Painting a Prayer
I’ll be honest. Prayer is often difficult for me, at least as prayer is traditionally defined – sitting or kneeling and talking to God. A couple main reasons: I am a person of few spoken words, and it’s hard for me to sit still. When I was in my early 20’s, I passed through turbulent waters.…Read more Painting a Prayer
Colleen Briggs Art & Writing 