WHERE HAVE YOU BURIED YOUR TALENTS?

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say "I've used everything you gave me". ~ Erma Bombeck


God does not hide our talents. He expects us to uncover what he has given us....and use them. I have discovered that talents usually end up becoming our PASSIONS.
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Passions can be reading, writing, running, cooking, or sewing. Passions can be singing, dancing, photographpy, playing a musical instrument, hunting, gardening, or playing a sport. Passions can be anything that makes you yearn for knowing and doing. A passion is an emotion! ♥...a feeling, a desire. You can be passionate for something for a season, or a lifetime......and as you pursue your passions, you realize that God has shown you a talent/s.....one's that you never realized you had. God's WORD, concerning talents, is very clear.
DON'T BURY THEM!
The following mini-sermon describes exactly what I mean~

Carol Nelms has been my art teacher for the last 6 years. She is not only a teacher/mentor/friend, she is a fabulous, understanding, encouraging, talented instructor. Carol has the patience of Job. She knows how to bring out the best in all of her students. She works individually with each of her 30+ students (teaching 5 sessions/week). Some students have studied with her for 15 years, some for 3 months. Some students paint with water colors, some with acrylics, some with oils. Everyone of her students have one thing in common..... A PASSION TO LEARN ♥

      (This was my first painting.)

Did you know that snow is not white? and the sky is not just blue. Mountains are not all green, and water is not always blue. As an artist, you have the priviledge of making it anything your little heart ♥ desires! Water can be thalo green, trees can be burnt umber, skies can be a mixture of alizarin crimson, yellow ocher, ultramarine blue.... any color that is pleasing to you!  The artists' palette of colors is limitless.  Just like the imigination, tubes of paint can be mixed together to create endless hues, values, intensity, tints, shades.

Taking art lessons has taught me so much more than just applying paint to my brush from palette to canvas.



Things I have learned from my paint brush:

♥ On every surface you are used, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to paint.

♥ You can always correct the mistakes you make.

♥ You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand.

♥ The most important part of of you will always be what's on the inside of your master.

♥ Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

Whether you are a painter, a blogger, a poet, a runner, a baker, or candlestick maker........learning to think "outside the box" and using your imagination are key elements to developing your talents!  I suggest reading THIS BOOK.  "By capturing the very essence of Da Vinci's life and genius...Michael Gelb guides us in a discovery and understanding of the boundlessness of our own full human potential."

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

                                                   Albert Einstein

WHERE ARE YOU HIDING YOUR TALENTS?

YOU MAKE MY HEART "BEET" FOR YOU!

We love the "simple" things, the unexpected, the "out of the box" experiences, the "I can't believe you did that" events....the "are you for real?" kind of moments, the creative, one-of-a-kind items!

This Valentines Day, instead of candy, diamonds, chocolate, etc., we both gave each other ... BEETS ... go figure ... a total of 12 LONG STEMMED RED BEETS! (for the past few trips to the grocery store, we have been looking unsuccessfully for fresh beets. I had seen a few great recipes for beet chips and wanted to try it).  I purchased 6 fresh beets, and he purchased 6 fresh beets!
What exactly are the odds here of us both doing this, without the other one knowing it? Maybe 45 years?

Gotta tell you, though, the King still has the romantic touch! His homemade card made me laugh!


February 14, 1967~ ~ Yes, that is 1.9.6.7. 

Was that was 45 years ago?This hand written love letter, meticulously written by the KING (well, actually he is the biggest teddy bear ever, but shhhh don't tell him), still makes my heart skip a beat or two! ♥

God's Word has a lot to say about LOVE:
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.  
  1 Corinthians 13:7-9

 (photo taken by my friend Brenda Patton)

HAPPY 37th BIRTHDAY WALTER!

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   ~.| |~ ♪ ♫ HAPPY ♫ ♪
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  {░♥░♥░} ♫ BIRTHDAY ♪ ♫
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Born on a Sunday.....December 8, 1974, at 6:09PM, weighing in at 8 lbs 1 1/2 oz!!  You had a head full of hair, and were 2 weeks late! ( of course, Mother dearest here is 2 months late posting this, but...hey, I'm your Mom!). You were the FIRST baby in THE FAMILY, the first grandbaby, the first great-grandbaby, and A BOY!

How does a Mom write about her 37 year old son, without leaving out too many important details of his life, except to say:

© Cynthia A. Sieving
THOUGH YOU ARE GROWN

I remember years ago, you were so little then.

Sometimes,I can't help but wish,that you were small again.
I've cried when you've faced heartaches, and saw, that as you grew,
nothing broke your Spirit, instead it strengthened you.
I'm filled with mixed emotions, as I hold back all the tears
and, with much pride remember, back so many years.
When I first held you in my arms, if only I'd have known,
the years would feel like moments, after you had grown.
You aren't a child, though in my eyes, I guess you'll always be,
that baby boy who changed my life, and means the world to me.

Being Your Mother

Being your mother means that I have had the opportunity to experience loving someone more than I love myself. I have learned what it's like to experience joy and pain through someone else's life.
It has brought me pride and joy; your accomplishments touch me and thrill me like no one else's can. It has brought me a few tears and heartaches at times, but it has taught me hope and patience. It has shown me the depth, strength, and power of love.
Being your mother hasn't always been easy, and I'm sure I've said or done things that have hurt or confused you. But no one has ever made me as satisfied as you do just by being happy.
No one has made me as proud as you do just by living up to your responsibilities.
No one's smile has ever warmed my heart like yours does; no one's laughter fills my heart with delight as quickly as yours can. No one's hugs feel as sweet, and no one's dreams mean as much to me as yours do. No other memories of bad times have miraculously turned into important lessons or humorous stories; the good times have become precious treasures to relive again and again.
You are a part of me, and no matter what happened in the past or what the future holds, you are someone I will always accept, forgive, appreciate, adore, and love unconditionally. Being your mother means that I've been given one of life's greatest gifts--you

I had you all to myself, for 2 short years before your first sister came into the world. Sometimes it is hard to remember that solo time with you. 

The first 37 years have flown by. The next 37years will be filled with lots of love, laughter, and new exciting experiences. I am so proud of you, Walter.

I love you. ♥ ♥ ♥