"Soul Garden"

I'm so excited as I was able to retrieve my etsy account (yay!) so I've listed these great little 'village' pieces that I've begun creating (visit here).  This year was a strange year, with a visits to doctors, labs, physiotherapists, etc, etc and also losing some of my online accounts like facebook and blogger but I'm so happy to have the etsy account once again.  And I am feeling  pretty darn good these days so for that I am grateful.  I've come to realize that this year was a time for a shift in my life.  I'm still learning - to say 'no' to those things that deplete me, and to accept whole-heartedly the good things that come into my life without questioning whether I deserve it.  Throughout this year, I have to say that my family, painting and reading have kept me sane and happy.  It's interesting how challenges can not only grow a person but direct you to those things that are the absolute most important.  As difficult as those valleys can be, I know they are necessary.  And, though we are expecting flurries and dropping temperatures, I am thankful for the littlest things...the wing chair that was the first big purchase my husband & I made after we were married, it was the place I nursed and read to my babies and toddlers, and even still snuggle with these same girls who are now my teenagers.  I am thankful for a good meal and great conversation and laughter with my family.  And I am especially thankful for my public library, both for the opportunity to work as an Art Program Co-ordinator and for the great selection of literature, and for the support that I have received in my creative life.  And for my faith which sustains me.  I am eternally grateful.