Delays, Blackouts, and No Internet Connections

"Tickles from God" 24 x 18 acrylic canvas

Yes, I’m “On the Road Again” and my blog is late because sometimes I’m stranded where there is no Wi-Fi or online connections. Family concerns and adorable grandchildren have called me away. I hope you’ll stick with me until I return in a few days.

Before we left, we watched the All-Star baseball game on television between the National and American Leagues. We had to. It was in Minneapolis our long time home and the place where we met. Like fools we searched the bleachers for family and friends, an almost impossible fete. Don’t get me wrong. We love Fort Myers. But in our heart of hearts we’re always searching for home.

Meet another young girl and fellow artist who is always thinking of home. When Akiane was born in 1994 she came “trailing clouds of glory,” as Wordsworth gemmed, “from God who is our home.”

Even at the age of two she spoke of light-filled people, friendly faces, and colorful beauty not seen on this earth. To express her thoughts and feelings to her mother, she painted and drew portraits and landscapes that can be seen on her web site. Those memories which most of us forget at birth, seemed to stay with Akiane.

"First Daffodil" acrylic on canvas

Her portrait of Jesus was selected by another young boy who was featured in the book and movie “Heaven is for Real.” When his parents asked him what Jesus looked like and showed him the familiar pictures that most churches use, he said “No.” every time.

When he saw the painting of Jesus that Akiane had painted clear across the globe, he said: “That’s him. That’s Jesus.”

Was the boy coached? You’ll have to read the book or view the movie to judge for yourself. But as far as Akiane goes, the impossibility of that happening is near impossible. Akiane’s mother was an atheist. She thought her daughter was having dreams or using her big imagination.

Over the years, because of her daughter’s conviction and God-given talents, she became a believer in Christ.

 Currently, Akiane’s work can be seen online and at Mardel. Here is a link to her gallery:  http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/prodigy.html 

Don't skip the video at the end... it really is a "must see".!  

"Looking Outward" mixed media, real window/glass, acrylic canvas behind

To Coin a Phrase: It's the Children, Stupid!

"First Daffodil" 16x20 acrylic on canvas (now showing at Coconut Point SW FL Co-op Gallery)

Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we lose our imagination. We bump into reality. We scrape our knees on expectations. We feel the slap of human adversity. Oh, that we could capture the awe of discovery as children do.

My three-year-old granddaughter mailed me a picture of a "person." The only recognizable parts were the round ball for the head and a robe for the body. Her mother wrote the caption: "This person is starting to grow feathers and turn into an owl." Sure enough, there were scribbles (feathers) where arms should be, and the eyes were round saucers with dots.

"With these Hands -- Hope" 16x20 oil on acrylic under painting

Children have a lot to teach us about letting go and about suspending belief, if only for a moment. They teach us to ask questions like: what if? Why? and How? Great thinkers and leaders of the past asked those questions, and today we reap the benefits. Spiritual leaders of the past asked similar questions and their answers renewed faith and restored hope in times of suffering.

For a short time, children are pure and undefiled. They are suspended in time, sheltered by a birthing cocoon. As Wordsworth penned, "they come trailing clouds of glory from God who is their home." If more parents recognized this fleeting, fragile period of blessedness, they might be more respectful of the life placed in their care. They might be more gentle, more tolerant, more forgiving of the crying infant flailing about in a new body in a strange new world; an infant "trailing clouds of glory" from its creator.

"Day Dreams" 11x14 oil on canvas

One of my favorite photos of my oldest son and daughter is titled: "The burial of an ant." The children are playing in the sand, and they spy an ant lying on its back. Recognizing the ant is dead, they proceed to cover it with sand. Their sadness over the death of one little ant made me smile. My lessons on respect for life had sunk in. Payoff, I guess, for all those baby birds we rescued, the stray dogs and cats we took in, my refusal to kill a mouse in our house that drove me scrambling up a chair for protection. If there was another way, harming any living thing was the last resort. In our house, we all became experts at trapping stray mice or lizards in a glass jar and depositing them outside.

"India Rising -- The Lost" 18x24 mixed media on canvas

This respect for life seems to be slipping away in our society. More people are using violence or murder as a means to solve problems. If they can't fix a relationship, or if it's inconvenient, they eliminate it. If someone gets in their way, slows them down, or makes life difficult, they wipe them out. Even greed plays a part in our society's lack of respect for the rights of others.

Children bring us back to basics. They force us to examine what's really important in life. Their wonder in discovery, their appreciation of simple things, their willingness to believe, simply because we tell them so is a remarkable testament of their faith and trust.

"Mother and Child" brush drawing in oil on panel; monochrome