1st week of Lent, Monday – With eyes closed, listen to the world for five minutes. Allow yourself to notice the subtleties of noises and the quiet in between. Think of the ebb and flow of life through sound only.
Category Archives: Reflecting
SATURDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY
Saturday after Ash Wednesday – With eyes closed, use your hands to hold your face. Run your hands over your features. This is the face given to you by generations of those who went before you. They live in this world because of you and your face. It is a God given face. This face bravely turns to the world in hope for good in the future. With eyes still closed, smile and feel this smile. Think of drawing the smile inside – to smile at yourself. YOU are worth your lovely face and its smile.
FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY
Friday after Ash Wednesday – Wrapping your arms around your own shoulders, give yourself a sustained, solid hug. Lean into this hug and hold yourself up. The person you are hugging has been given to you by God. Like God, you know everything about you and still hold yourself dear. Be God’s voice. Be there for you. Keep yourself in touch so you can be that needed friend.
THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY
Thursday after Ash Wednesday – With eyes closed, hold your own hands. Lightly draw each hand over the other, gently massaging every part. The stop and just hold your hand, feeling its warmth and life. Notice that you are a live gift to yourself. These are the hands your parents cuddled so admiringly. These are the hands that touch the ones you love, touch your future. Stay holding your hands for this session.
ASH WEDNESDAY
ASH WEDNESDAY – Use the well burnt match to make the sign of a cross on the back of your hand. Say ‘Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.’ These words are used at funerals to remind us that we are all part of the earth and will return to the earth in time. Close your eyes and breathe slowly, in and out. Think about the miraculous way you are alive now, able to realize the renewal of your blood oxygen with each breath. Continue noticing your breathing for this session.
5 minute Lenten Mini-Devos 2012
By Flossie Peitsch
LENTEN OVERVIEW: There are 40 days in Lent. (Sundays in this period are not counted as Lent.) The term Lent is derived from the word ‘lengthen’ as in ‘the days are getting longer’ in the Northern Hemisphere. Lent, a time of penitence, starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Maundy Thursday of holy week. The original Lutherans wanted Lent abolished as it is not a Biblical concept. Luther, however, said it was a good time to tell the passion story of Christ. It is traditional to give up something for Lent but it can also follow four (4)
Repentance – self-examination
Prayer – Pray about life issues, including listening to God’s word
Fasting – Limiting or eliminating something you enjoy, as you feel you are led to do
Service – Giving up personal time for others’ benefit
PREPARE: Pick a time when you will not be interrupted. Have beside you your Bible and light a candle. The purpose of the Devos is to momentarily simplify your spirituality in time by focusing on one thought or action. It is meant to bring a new awareness through some of our God-given attributes.
General Daily Outline
[Light the candle]
Say Out-loud
Show me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
[Daily Focus]
Say Out-loud
May the blessing of the Holy One who gives us life, the blessing of the Human One who heals our lives, the blessing of the Spirit who enriches our lives, be with us all during this sacred time.
[Extinguish the candle]
Week 20, Day 133 of BBB Missed out
Hi Janet, I applied for work in Wollongong but my qualifications…and being an artist may disadvantage me! They think it will take away from me being a teacher…Education Officer at my local gallery! Humph! Too few advantages
for gaining this much education!
Hi, Flossie, I agree with them. It will take away from your work and your incentive to work. It’s a hard one, juggling art and work. And dealing with other people’s perceptions of what is good for you or indeed, how long you will stay in the job is what employers see when they realize that you are an artist.
Anyway, something will come along that will be just perfect. Have you tried artists in schools programs or grants for community programs?
Flossie to self: A pathetic excuse! This is like saying to a musician, she can’t sell musical instruments because she plays herself. Being how ‘good’ an artist disqualifies one from being an art teacher? !!!@#%&+
Week 20, Day 129 of BBB Mother’s Day 2010
Dear loved ones,
Thank you so much for remembering me with a chirpy card, flowers, chocolate and champers…all favourite vices…on this special Mother’s Day. It is special because I officially have responsibility for only one of you anymore. Unofficially, of course, I will always feel responsible for you – as my mother did before me and her mother and so on. Some of you I gave birth to…I was remembering each of those occasions this morning as I sipped my tea on the balcony.
Most of all I want to thank Tom, without whose agreement and cooperation, none of you would exist in the particular state you are now. I love Tom very much and am so glad he asked me to marry him. Just think what I would have missed out on!
I talked about all of you a great deal this past week as I presented artist’s talks in Wangaratta in conjunction with B, B & B. You are all part of the making of this art. I can’t beat that inspiritation (hmmm … a good title for my next exhibition??) or collaboration but I am doing my best to carry on with those at hand…lucky Tom and Patch (!)
Thank you for making my Day very happy. Now I have to get to work to finish a few pieces of art for Bendigo, help pick up the trailer and pack it to travel tomorrow, pack myself for one month away from home and pack up art materials to make while away… I think Hungry Jacks and Jamaican chocolate cheesecake from the shop are still on the agenda, too.
love each you very much and am still proud to be the mother of ’em all!
Florence Grace (nee Stumpf) Peitsch
‘Use it, Baby’
When faced with the seemingly insurmountable odds against becoming ‘an artist of note’, I frequently find myself at the point of despair. This happened again recently with my visit to Paddington where ‘real artists’ are presented daily to a buying public in the best spaces by the best galleries at the best five digit prices. When with immense bravery I inquired about whether I could send in a CV and some images for the Director’s perusal, I was met with a nonplussed stare. The cool receptionist tried her best not to be patronizing but what she said settled that. ‘Our Director only exhibits those who she herself has noticed on the art scene. Perhaps you could try the artist’s run initiatives and work at coming up through the ranks.’ This was actually good advice – for someone just starting out and in their mid-twenties. For me, on the other hand, it was immensely degrading. I am aware that I am not known in any capacity in NSW, but the presumption is that I am, therefore, not a quality artist. Should I believe this? No!
‘Use everything in your life to create art’ is what the playwright, Sidda, in The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood was told by her colleagues when her mother cruelly upstaged her once again.
Yet, in the still, wee hours of the night……..and I am awake, thinking…I could do without this eternal struggle.
Are you 55 and nearing retirement?
This Investment Services ad caught my attention. There I was flipping through the local news, minding my own business when I read ‘Are you 55 and nearing retirement?’ Yes, I am 55 but my life in the working world is just beginning not ending…or so it seems. I have no superannuation tidily waiting for me to mature. I even have no job ‘to leave’ as such. Art never stops being work without ever being real employment. I applied for a real job this week thinking a little cash in hand for all my wit and wonderful creativity wouldn’t hurt at ‘this stage of life’. My CV is burgeoning with accomplishment, experience, resourcefulness and resilience in the workplace but unless you look laterally, it does not add up to your average 30 years as a CEO. Should this be a problem for me? No and Yes. I am aware that my life choices have brought me to this point at this time. It has never been ‘about the money’ for me. On the other hand, yesterday I met a nice woman, an immigrant teacher who arrived here just 17 days after me some 30+ years ago. We are the same age. However, as a full time teacher for all those years, she retired last year on a very comfortable package while I am just now looking to start a monetarily profitable career. I sure hope I got what I wanted over that long time……
Banff 25th March
I am relaxing today…an easy walk into Banff to pick up wine for gifts for the composer and the work/study helpers and souvenirs for those at home. So much tacky stuff to choose from! I will punish my kids for their comments about ‘Mum’s useless presents’ and this time I will only send them a photo of the useless presents! Ha! That should stir the pot! Also I did a portrait session for one of the other artists – Bruce Gottlieb – who is creating 4D portraits as part of his residency here. It was surprisingly tricky to turn slowly on the spot yet be animated and interesting. I wish I had left on my signature rabbit fur coat to give a bit of texture to the ensemble. As my sister Erla said that coat (once her daughter’s) is travelling more than she.
Tunnel Mountain pictures
What fun! Today I hiked up Tunnel Mountain. It was very treacherous – icy paths with vertical edges and me with no spikes on my shoes or poles in my hands. Later, one of the locals said she looked at the condition but wouldn’t try it but too late, I was already back! I went on all fours and not only by choice. Great views and clear, windy and cold. The snow made perfect snowballs but I still can’t hit the side of a barn! I’ll have to practice up before I show off! I tried a rock climbing session thinking it could add to my skill set and strength but that will take more work before I show off there too.
