Blessing and Sprouts – Acrylic on Canvas 12”x12”

My sister-in-law has been on my mind lately; she has three young ones and is a single mom. They came to visit last week and I got a huge dose of young sprouts. I have no idea how she keeps her sanity. For the few days they were with us it almost felt like someone had opened Pandora’s Box right in the middle of our living room and it permeated everything we did or attempted to do. Even the simplest tasks such as cooking would be interrupted by the pandemonium. The boys were ornery, energetic and seemed to literally bounce off the walls. Her littlest of two years, was amazingly curious and she has such a beautiful radiance that you can not really get upset with her. She has a mischievous smile that will make any annoyance evaporate. I had forgotten what it was like with my son, but of course he was the only one. The mix of ages and interests is just astounding to consider taking on. I suppose when you start out with them new and adding them to your life gradually, you figure out how to handle it. I think I was just overwhelmed because it was completely out of my experience. I can honestly say though, I enjoyed having them here but was relieved to get back to my quiet comfort zone.
I do know I was thankful for the tools in my own mental toolbox to cope even for the short time they were here. Yesterday I mentioned Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth” this book is such a wonderful resource if you a seeking peace of mind. The day I bought the book I picked it up and read the first chapter and I was hooked. It spoke to me on so many levels and inspired me to further explore my Kansas Wildflower Series and to begin my experimentation of doing them en plain aire.

One passage struck a cord with me, and I’ll share it here:

“Seeing beauty in a flower could awaken humans, however briefly, to the beauty that is an essential part of their own innermost being, their true nature. The first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness. The feelings of joy and love are intrinsically connected to that recognition. Without fully realizing it, flowers would become for us an expression in form of that which is most high, most sacred, and ultimately formless within ourselves. Flowers, more fleeting, more ethereal, and more delicate than the plants out of which they emerged, would become like messengers from another realm, like a bridge between the world of physical forms and the formless. They not only had a scent that was delicate and pleasing to humans, but also brought a fragrance from the realm of spirit. Using the word 'enlightenment' in a wider sense than the conventionally accepted one, we could look upon flowers as the enlightenment of plants.”

There is much more to that chapter and the book in it’s entirety but this is the one paragraph that continues to inspire my current work with my wildflowers and on a deeper level explains human reaction the arts and the intrinsic desire to be creative. It has also dawned on me recently you can find the same joy, love and wonder when observing our own tiny sprouts.