Inspiration unintended

I'm not any sort of an art connoisseur nor have I ever been trained in art history or art analysis. So just because this is the second piece of art I've discussed on my blog....well...don't get any ideas that I'm cultured. ha! I grew up in Pasadena, Texas going church with my family at Sharon Lutheran Church. We always went to Sunday school before worship so my mom, dad, sister and I entered the building through the education and fellowship hall area (this was also the quickest route to the coffee and donuts). This painting is the very first thing I saw every Sunday after walking through the doors. I never knew who the artist was, when it was created or even what it was supposed to mean. But over the years, after having gazed at it Sunday after Sunday, I came to realize that I LOVED the thing. The colors, the way Christ looks so exhausted yet still in complete command of his love for the world, the light rays beaming down on the bay...I decided that the artist must be some kind of spiritually advanced person to reflect this picture of Christ's love. And I admired Dali throughout the rest of my high school years, college years and so on. About 5 months ago, I saw a program on the Gallery Channel about The Christ of St. John of the Cross by Salvador Dali. I finally learned all about Dali, his life, his darkness, his torture and his undertanding of his faith. I have to say that I felt complete relief in my new knowledge. I might have been disappointed to learn that the inspiration I always felt from the Christ of St. John of the Cross came from such a sinister place but I was instead inspired anew. Being witness to God saying amazing things through less than amazing people only cements my understanding of God's power and gives me, a regular person, the courage to go out there and see what God might say through me. I think we should all stop waiting around for ourselves to reach some certain level of 'spiritual perfection' and just say "I'm ready God. Use me now!"

This isn't what I planned

It's raining outside...a nice rain that I think the plants need. At first it was really storming with lots of scary lightening but now it is much more calm and more of a beneficial rain. So what should I do? Normally I go outside after work and water anything that looks thirsty and then just walk around with my hands on my hips taking a bug inventory and deciding what to do about them. But today I think I'm banished to the indoors. Well, I'll do what I always do. I'm a cross-stitcher and have taken on a project which, judging just from the size the of the thing, was sent straight from hell. When I ordered it I didn't realize I was getting the 16x20 version of one my favorite paintings...Paul Gauguin's 'When Will You Marry'. These are two sisters from Mataiea Village, Tahiti. The younger sister in the front has a beau and wants to marry. But she cannot until her older sister is betrothed. I just think the telling expression on the older sister's face could be on any of our faces. When I look at her, I imagine she's thinking, "Again with the marraige thing?!" She looks a little disgusted that this thing she probably wants (I only assume) still hasn't happened. And maybe she's even a little angry about it even before her younger sister brings it up, AGAIN. I think we all have dreams in our lives that we just always thought would happen...and that they would happen in a timing that's to our liking. I can't explain how we get that impression but we seem to be born with it. Every time I pick up my scroll frame with the massive piece of fabric (most of which is still blank even though I've been working on it for a year and a half) I look at that older sister's face and concentrate on her frustration. It's a human emotion...I think I won't deny it of myself. I'll allow myself to have it and once I'm done with it I'll move on to the next piece of thread.