HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!


Enjoy the listen :)





Great gifties for ANY time always available in my shoppee!

Etsy Buy Handmade blueyeduckstudios

wintersong

for any one and every one who knows loss

peace to you this holiday season and always

xo

~katey

My Dad. My Veteran.

Unforgettable - Nat King and Natalie Cole

IMPORTANT:

Press the ARROW symbol ONCE on the screen to play while you are visiting this post ~ thank-you.



He was born in 1924. He marked his years by quarters. He died 23 days ago at age 84 and 3/4s. He was not ready to go, but he walked through the veil into eternity finally surrendering to the Hand of God mere moments after he had dinner and he had a day of visitors in that hospital room. He had a procedure scheduled the next morning. This wasn’t suppose to happen.

God is sovereign. I am not mad at Him, but I am mad at a few other things and people. I didn’t really want to blog about this, yet I have thought of little else lately. I have addressed about 150 envelopes so far, I have become friends with Bud the headstone salesman, Mike the Funeral Director, and a small cast of other characters I never knew existed 23 days ago.

My Dad was not sick. In the days before this happened he insisted on making Mom drive their van around the block just to see if she still could. He made it clear he wanted me to ‘handle things’ and made an official appointment to be sure I did. He made several other eternal gestures that previous week that make us all now stand in stunned silence in hindsight.

"Twilight Regatta" acrylic n canvas board

Maybe it is weird, but inside each thank-you being mailed I tucked in a print of one of my Dad’s paintings. It is certainly one of my favorites. It showed what he was really capable of. It was done as a 4”x6” on canvas board when I had him painting postcard size. I wish it were 4 foot by six foot! I pushed him along through all my own art phases… artist trading card 2.5” x 3.5” size, postcard size, mini inchie size and so on - he always eagerly jumped into whatever whim I presented to him.

He loved the process of making art and waiting on the praise. You see, as artists that is what we do somehow. We make it and wait to see what the world says. Part of the lesson is learning to make it no matter what anyone says, but we still really get charged when there is the tiniest accolade awaiting the other side of the making of it.

My Dad was without question my biggest praiser. My art walked-on-water to him - even if it didn’t. He saw into it - the gift behind whatever I was making. Even if it was only a whiff of an idea… a plan to be rolled out and I was dealing in pieces and parts of a greater thing… he saw the thing too. He got it.

My Dad never made ‘proper’ art that we ever saw growing up, but he was unmistakably an artist. He was constantly moving and making. He was forever tearing apart a car, painting a wall (again and again), painting a car, buying a car to tear apart or paint, building something… dreaming. He rarely finished anything. He could see the end in his own head and sometimes that was enough. He made small pencil sketches when asked by a young daughter (me) or later, young grandson… we knew. Yes, he was an artist always.

Around his 81st birthday I set him up with ‘real’ art supplies. He was championing me in my eBay art selling endeavors and he was just bubbling inside. When he had his own paint, brushes, and the right sizes and kinds of papers and canvases he went to work quickly and prolifically. Many years of dreaming came spilling out. He made it then waited quietly for the praise. I wanted him to be content in the process regardless of praise (or none) - but he found plenty of applause from everyone and his small format art sold well on eBay when I offered it!

He painted nearly 2 years until potential changes in living location prompted his art supplies to be packed away. He struggled with his things gone, but slowly gained them back and bought new things, and began painting again as much as he could. I stopped selling his work after that initial pack-up of his studio since I didn’t know when or if he would paint again. I felt the need to hoard his work after that time knowing it was so limited. It was never the same as in those first two years he painted and made messes so freely, but it was clear once again he was an artist and no one could take that from him.

You can take the studio away from the artist, but you can’t take the soul out of the artist. You were expecting “you can take the artist out of the studio, but you can’t take the studio (art) out of the artist”… but I like my first version better.

The morning my husband was ironing my Dad's clothes for the funeral he noticed red paint on the nice white shirt Mom had given us for Dad to wear. I had to smile as I glanced up at myself in the bathroom mirror near where the ironing board was and saw green paint on the cuff of my own white sleeve.

I am the youngest of six. He was different with me. That is just the way it was. I have observed that where a teenager might have discord with his parents, he finds a special bond with his grandparents. Sometimes I wonder if Dad and I were more like that. We were past the kid-parent contention and more into the grandparent-grandchild magic - maybe because he was 40 when I was born and maybe because I went away to college and didn’t move back to our hometown for such a long time. Maybe it was because I 'got' him (I didn’t agree with him a lot but I got him… and he got me). When we did share a view point (especially about people) - we were like amalgamated metals.

I became the family historian and genealogy researcher about 15 years ago. Dad’s war stories became my war stories. I asked and listened over and over to get them inside of my head. This past July we set up a 10’ x 20’ tent at a local air show - featuring our collection of WWII photos and memorabilia - with Sam telling his experience live-in-person. He was fantastic and he was given the respect and praise so deserved.

He flew 38 missions over Europe in the belly of a B-17 Bomber. He was a waist gunner as well as an occasional tail gunner. I could go on for days telling you his stories.

He was honest. He was fair. He was sensitive. He was blunt.

I really only wanted to say that I miss him and I always will.

He called me Jayne.

~katey~D
http://www.blueyeduckstudios.etsy.com/

Read more about Sam from my previous blog posts.... please look

I wrote a little about him here (personal WWII photos): http://blueyeduckstudios.blogspot.com/2007/10/world-war-ii-thank-you-ken-burns.html

And I featured a little bit about his art here: http://blueyeduckstudios.blogspot.com/2007/06/d-day.html

My Mr BLUESKY

Mr Blue Sky ~ ELO

Yes... I have blogged the song before - but it is worth featuring again.

I want to introduce an amazing young photographer and the song fits my heart's joy regarding him.

Meet Evan of DriftStudios Photography...

(C)2008 EAD/DriftStudios Photography/blueyeduckstudios.com

Check out some of his work here on JPG magazine

DriftStudiosPhotography

"Eye of the Storm"

(C)2008 EAD/DriftStudios Photography/blueyeduckstudios.com

And this amazing photograph taken on the shore of Lake Erie as a storm came down from the north is available as a print on deviant art here:

driftstudios.deviantart.com/gallery

...along with an extended gallery of his work - take a look!

(C)2008 EAD/DriftStudios Photography/blueyeduckstudios.com

~(I love you, Mom)

COLORS

To listen press the "play" arrow

Phil Collins - True Colors

There is nothing like the fresh limey green of spring ... except of course the rich deep green of summer... or maybe the reddening of that green in autumn... or is it the rich green gone red gone rust gone brown before the snow of winter hides it all away?




We have a darling cottage shed in our yard
(I'll have to share pics one day).

A first cousin to this cottage shed is a tiny cottage closet sized shed. I have painted (opaque stained actually) both of them a rich forest green with crisp white trim and deep red doors.


The little closet shed I have shown here has reclaimed shutters as doors. We have hauled them all over the state in our many moves and finally gave them a home on this little structure.


In this season of transition I am trying out some new adventures of my own: one being a camera I am learning to use (no instructions please, I never read them!) and the other an editing program...again... trial and error as I won't be reading any of the user's guides ~ ha.


I have formal training in Visual Communications / Graphic Arts -- but that happened back when phones were connected to walls with curly cords and music videos existed only in my dreams (for real ... they did).



This photo editing thing is all very new to me. When I (normally) want an image a specific color or shape I naturally want to reach for gouache or ink ... not a mouse.

So here they are in all their newbie glory ~ a set of four photographs mounted on heavy 200 lb watercolor stock.

I will be adding them to my ETSY shop soon :)

Poets of the Fall

Another picture of the Work in Progress piece I am still working on (the Meadows of Heaven necklace I began to reveal in the previous post) and another reason to post a great Finish band -- this time: POETS OF THE FALL.

Someone Special ~ {Poets of the Fall}

I wake up to the sound of rain upon my sill

Pick up the pieces of my yesterday old thrill

Can I deliver this used up shiver

To how I pronounce my life

And leave it up to faith to go by its own will

Back row to the left

A little to the side

Slightly out of place

Look beyond the light

Where you'd least expect

There's someone special

A foggy morning greets me quietly today

I smell a fragrance in the wind blowing my way

And ever further I run to find herI yearn to define my life

Placing my faith in chance to meet me in half way

Back row to the left

A little to the side

Slightly out of place

Look beyond the light

Where you'd least expect

There's someone special

And she's here to write her name

On my skin with kisses in the rain

Hold my head and ease my pain

In a world that's gone insane...

To listen - press the "play" arrow on the video above

Meadows of Heaven

To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

...But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control...

~ Philippians 3:20-21a

~ NiGHTWiSH ~

(from "Dark Passion Play")

Summer is falling asleep and so much is changing all around me. There is nothing new under the sun… so I should not be surprised by changes in seasons or in friendships or in the way the hearts of men (women/ children) wander and wonder.

As the night air gets cooler after each sunset I feel the trees in our woods getting sleepy and I see the acorns piling up in the tired grass in the morning. I absolutely love autumn, but it is so melancholy . .. And I am not sure what to do with that. I love it. And I regret it.

The colors of this sleepy season are my favorite - our entire home is clothed in olive and deep leafy greens… rich blood reds and wines…. muted golds and ochres…so earthy and rich and warm.


(instrumental version)

listen ...

In Christ Alone

RESCUE

~Newsong~

You are the Source of life I can't be left behind

No one else will do

I will take hold of You

I need You, Jesus to come to my rescue

Where else could I go?

There’s no other name by which I am saved

Capture me with grace I will follow You

My heart is Yours for life

I need Your hand in mine

No one else will do

Lord, I put my trust in You

I need You Jesus to come to my rescue

Where else could I go?

There’s no other name by which I am saved

Oh capture me with grace I will follow You

This world has nothing for me

This world has nothing for me

This world has nothing for me (I will follow You)

This world has nothing for me

I need You Jesus to come to my rescue

Where else could I go?

There’s no other name by which I am saved

Capture me with grace

I will follow You

Oh I need You Jesus to come to my rescue

Where else could I go?

There’s no other name by which I am saved

Capture me with grace

Won't You Capture me with grace

I will follow You I will follow You

This world has nothing for me

This world has nothing for me

Happy Little Ellies

Baby Elephant Walk by Henry Mancini

Once upon a time I painted some mini art (in watercolor ... and maybe some gouache though I expect I did, but don't remember for certain)...anyway... I made a series of 2" squares with a lil purple elephant.

I have resurrected the images and placed them on greeting cards. It is kind of a virtual recycle or upcycle of art I have already created. I have elongated them ('puters are so much fun that way) and added a funky waterycolory background....

I have them on ETSY for fun and promotion (you know, maybe someone will see them and come visit my shop and stick around awhile to see what else I have in there....)

http://www.blueyeduckstudios.etsy.com

Goodbye Friend...

I will be your friend...

Every day - and it seems like any time of day, I see a man walking his dog.


Strangely enough there isn't often much walking going on. Rather, the dog is reclined in the grassy treelawn watching cars and the man is standing nearby loosely holding the leash.



No matter morning, noon, or evening the two of them can be seen along a pretty stretch of our street near the woods. I was surprised one day recently to see them on the opposite side of the street, on the bike path, actually walking. The dog was sniffing the well groomed planters along the path.



The man always has on nice clothes. The dog looks absolutely royal. I imagine him (the dog) to be some sort of descendant from some great Japanese Emporer's dog. We first noticed them a few months ago - and our first thoughts were about how regal the dog was.

Seeing them daily - usually many times daily - we began to speculate that there was more to this than simply 'taking a walk'. I suggested that the man was recovering from surgery - and was perhaps a widower. The dog was helping him get out and back into health.



Each day we see them we think about the story of why they are there (since really, there isn't much "walking" going on). The man never smiles. He appears to be in distant thought.



About a week ago we saw the man and not the dog. He was holding a bag, so I thought he was out retrieving the dog's waste (as dog walkers are in the habit of doing around here thankfully).


I saw the man very early this morning. Again, alone.


He had a bag again...


He was sprinkling the dusty contents on the edge of the tree lawn in the woods where he and his regal friend had spent so much time this summer.


It finally dawned on me.






I looked into what sort of dog this beautiful friend was. I am pretty certain he was a Shiba Inu. I see clearly now what sort of friend he had. God Bless the man.

Silent Reverie

Mixed Media Painting & Collage over Antique Pages

http://www.blueyeduckstudios.etsy.com/

Sing it PROUD

I do...





http://www.nationalprayer.org/

Greetings....

*

Do check out Thomas Newman's souundtrack for WALL.E ~ but I still think his work on Lemony Snicket's is outrageously the best!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Greeting Cards

Can't Get You Outta My Head Cards

THANK-YOU Cards

"Look at this nifty art" Cards!

Please look in my ETSY SHOP for cards cards cards (and original art)

From sand to sky - starry starry night

Switchfoot -"This is Home" - THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA



I love not-too-hot walks along Lake Erie. There are piles of inspiration everywhere along the various wash lines. I stumble and shuffle through the debris ... large trees... pieces of weekend parties offshore (oh those boaters toss some no-no's in the water sometimes!) ...

In those long wisps of wood and beach rubble I see shapes that beckon to me ~~ a fish or a sign or a whimsical creature waiting at the tip of my brush -- I never see just "driftwood". It is like seeing a bunny in a cloud for me ... the wood calls to me to be painted or transformed. I especially like the oldest, deepest wash lines - where the wood has been dried and weathered the most.

When I wander from the older, dried wash lines - I move closer to the lines of pebbles and seek that illusive beach glass we all crave. So many more beachcombers are scouring the edge of the water for it now that there seems to be less. Blue used to be the magic find - but now it is yellow, orange, or red. What or if I find any good sized pieces depends on the lake and what she brings in and when. I was surprised last summer to get a bucket load (literally) after a storm - it is the most beach glass I have ever collected. I still have it in a bucket - waiting for some transformation.

Wood is still the most wonderful for me. Two years ago (about this time) I spent a coldish stormy June day with my family (on my birthday) collecting the best load ever. I ended up drying those treasures and painting about 100 pieces that sold on eBay over the following year. Last spring I went with my son & his friend to another beach nearby and about froze... I have since found my best collecting to be serendipitous - just whenever and wherever - with no assignment in my head... (oh so hard for me!).
And so it has been this spring - on warm Sunday evenings - strolling with my boys and just being calm. I grew up on the very same beaches. When I moved away for college I never would have imagined my life's journey would plant me back along this same water so that my beaches would be my boys' beaches.
God is so kind.


~joy in the journey,

katey~D

ORIGINAL Contemporary FOLK ART ~ Direct from the artist (me!)
A Seaside Angel- mixed media painting - on genuine Lake Erie driftwwod

I have used acrylic paints, crackle mediums, antique mediums, and varnish -- the results are amazing rich coloration and depth!

Approx 11” by 4.5” (irregular) and about ½” thickCollected and dried by me

Ready to hang or display on a shelf ~ Hanging hardware included

TITLE: Starry Starry Night

http://www.blueyeduckstudios.etsy.com/

kitchen blessing

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"The Kitchen is the heart of the home"

La Cucina e il cuore della casa

Detail of Current work "La Cucina" mixed media 5" x 7" ~ on ETSY

"Jesus, King of Angels" - "Jesus, Rey De Angeles"

(c) Fernando Ortega Camino Largo CD

http://www.fernandoortega.com/

Jesus, fulgor del cielo, rey de Angeles,

Ilumina esta casa con tu ser;

Quita de mis suenos toda la maldad;

Fulgor del cielo, guardame en tu paz.

Hiciste que huyeran los demonios

Y con tu voz calmaste al bravo mar;

Tu gracia diste al hombre pecaminoso,

Eso es lo que soy, mi redentor.

El universo es vasto e inmenso,

Pero cuando cae un ave ti la ves,

Y ves las ansiedades

Que me encuentran, me envuelven, me atan.

Te amo con mi vida y mi corazon;

Manana quiero amarte mis y mis

Y despertar proclamando tu bondad

Hasta que me acueste a dormir.

El universo es vasto e inmenso,

Pero cuando cae un ave ti la ves,

Y ves las ansiedades

Que me encuentran, me envuelven, me atan.

Jesus, fulgor del cielo, rey de Angeles,

Ilumina esta noche con tu ser.

Jesus, King of angels, heaven's light,

Shine Your face upon this house tonight.

Let no evil come into my dreams;

Light of heaven, keep me in Your peace.
Remind me how You made dark spirits flee,

And spoke Your power to the raging sea.

And spoke Your mercy to a sinful man;

Remind me, Jesus, this is what I am.

The universe is vast beyond the stars,

But You are mindful when the sparrow falls,

And mindful of the anxious thoughts

That find me, surround me, and bind me . . .

With all my heart I love You, Sovereign Lord.

Tomorrow, let me love You even more.

And rise to speak the goodness of Your name

Until I close my eyes and sleep again.

The universe is vast beyond the stars,

But You are mindful when the sparrow falls,

And mindful of the anxious thoughts

That find me, surround me, and bind me . . .

Jesus, King of angels, heaven's light,

Hold my hand and keep me through this night.

Current work "La Cucina" mixed media 5" x 7" ~ on ETSY

http://www.blueyeduckstudios.etsy.com/

blessings in all the rooms of your home,

katey~D

Voice of Truth

I am struggling to get out of the way of what God is doing in my life.
I am faced with Him requiring I surrender everything ...
and the tighter I hold on, the more He is showing me
I have to let it go...
Playing tug'o war with God it stupid.
Call me stupid...
and yet... with open hands (at least in my mind)
I again look into His eyes and trust Him
with all that I love and hand it all back to Him.
It has never ever been mine to hold onto.
All that is precious to me is more precious to Him.
All that I love He loves more.


Part I - Mark Hall of Casting Crowns


Part II - Mark Hall of Casting Crowns


Part III - Mark Hall of Casting Crowns



I am not certain which song it is he wrote at that moment ... I think it might be "Voice of Truth"... and here it is...



Oh, what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And he's holding out his hand
But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win, you'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says
"this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
Oh, what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me time and time again
"Boy you'll never win, you'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to meI will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
but the stone was just the right size
to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don't seem so high
from on top of them looking downi will soar with the wings of eagles
when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus singing over me
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says do not be afraid
And the voice of truth says this is for my glory
Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe (I will choose to listen and believe)
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believe 'Cause Jesus you are the voice of truth
And I will listen to you.. oh you are



~~~~

I Timothy 1: 15 ~ "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all."


~ xo ~
standing in His grace,
katey~D

"While she is here in my arms..."

FOX NEWS:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The 5-year-old daughter of contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman was struck and killed Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle driven by her brother, authorities said.

The girl, Maria, was hit in a driveway on the family residence Wednesday afternoon by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by her teenage brother, said Laura McPherson, a spokesman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

McPherson said no charges are expected.

"It looks like a tragic accident," she said.

She said several members of the Chapman family witnessed the accident, which happened in Williamson County just south of Nashville.

The brother apparently did not see the little girl, McPherson said. She did not have the name or exact age of the brother, only that he is an older teenager.

The girl died later at Vanderbilt Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Laurie Holloway said.

Chapman, originally from Paducah, Ky., and his wife have promoted international adoption and have three daughters from China, including Maria.

Chapman has won five Grammy awards and 51 Dove awards from the Gospel Music Association.

The singer's Web site said that Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, were persuaded by their oldest daughter to adopt a girl from China. The experience led the family to adopt two more children and create Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation and ministry to financially assist thousands of couples in adoption.

The Chapmans did missionary work at Chinese orphanages in 2006 and 2007, according to the Web site.

"After our first trip to China, my wife and I knew our lives were changing — our eyes and hearts were opening to how big God really is, and we have wanted to experience more of that," Chapman says on the Web site. "We've really wondered whether or not we should just go to China and stay there. But I don't think so. I believe God is saying, 'I want you to go, get your heart broken, your eyes opened, and then take this story back to the church in America and around the world."'

Chapman also has released a book about being a father entitled "Cinderella: The Love of Daddy and his Princess."

She spins and she sways to whatever song plays, without a care in the world.
And I'm sittin' here wearin' the weight of the world on my shoulders.
It's been a long day and there's still work to do, she's pulling at me saying "Dad I need you!
There's a ball at the castle and I've been invited and I need to practice my dancin'"
"Oh please, daddy, please!"
So I will dance with Cinderella while she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song, cuz all to soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone
She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed
She wants to know if I'd approve of a dress
She says "Dad, the prom is just one week away, and I need to practice my dancin'"
"Oh please, daddy, please!"
So I will dance with Cinderella while she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song, cuz all to soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone
She will be gone.
Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowin' and tellin' us all they had planned
She says "Dad, the wedding's just six months awayand I need to practice my dancin'"
"Oh please, daddy please!"
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms'
Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella

I don't wanna miss even one song,

(even one song)
Cuz all to soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

~ Steven Curtis Chapman

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MEET MARIA CHAPMAN HERE...

http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/inmemoryofmaria/

~~~~~~~~~

an old post on adoption...

http://blueyeduckstudios.blogspot.com/2007/02/adoption-and-pink-things.html

.

I ADORE YOU

I Adore You

(Phil Joel from the "Bring It On" CD)

After many requests - I was finally able to get this little piece of art professionally reproduced as a giclee in two sizes: 6" x 6" and 8" x 8". I love the vivid colors and heavy art paper and am so happy to be able to offer it in my etsy store!
www.blueyeduckstudios.etsy.com

I looked everywhere I knew to find the music that inspired it so you could hear it - but there is no youtube or music track on playlist that I can link, but I did find this one place (just press the play arrow when you get there usign the link below ~ thanks!).


http://www.last.fm/music/Phil+Joel/_/I+Adore+You+(Bring+It+On+Album+Version)

Before the Throne of God Above

(please press play for music that accompanies this post)

I was having what I thought was a ‘bad’ day - or week - or season… whatever. Then I started looking around. I guess we all have these moments of awakening, but I am amazed at how easily and how often I don’t look beyond my own nose.

Last Friday a vibrant young man we are acquainted with came by to explain his passion… the mission field…specifically Missionary Aviation. He knew at age 8 that he was created for this one thing and he has not stepped off the path in pursuit of obedience to this great call ~ Matthew 28: 18-20 ~ Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.".

He has been called to a place where there is mortal danger and a culture that hates him and his God. He sees them with the eyes of Christ and with the purest love and compassion. I think I have been missing that same view in my own self~ness.
I saw part of the movie “The Kingdom” and (on a lighter note) “Ironman” - each dealing with terrorists in middle eastern locations and my heart fought to look at the people there through the eyes of this gentle missionary pilot/mechanic.

Today I saw more numbers adding up from the tragedies in Myanmar and in China. I can’t count that high. I wandered off from the online news sites looking for colorful images to get inspired to paint something with meaning and substance today … and I was sucked into another place I hadn’t anticipated when I found those colorful images in Darfur. Beautiful people in gorgeous hues - suffering in ways we just don’t know anything about.

I often hear the cries to blame God. I hear the question “How could He let this be?”. I might feebly express in response that He is in control and that somehow it all will get resolved to His great glory and to our own salvation if we open our hearts and believe Him…

But it is impossible to embrace all that without trusting Him.

I trust it is beyond comprehension. I trust I just don’t know the details. I trust Him.

I know one thing - He loves us with an everlasting love. I know He has a plan for every soul - every face I see in every news reel - every skeletal child in Darfur - every person trapped under rubble and every person swept away by water in the cyclone … and every housewife, teacher, unemployed dad, wayward son, pregnant daughter, and big executive.

In the summer of 2006 our area was ravaged by a freakish 100-year flood. Most of us were unscathed, but for the few places that were washed away - it was their own Katrina. I remember when we arrived to “help” in a small neighborhood of condos that were completely submerged in murky, silty mud (by then receded) that the world on that one street had lost all color. It was as if we stepped into a black and white movie set. Everything was a pale hideous gray-tan mud wash. We stopped at the very first unit and walked up to a still-in-shock husband and wife who were standing out front (they had been rescued by a boat from the 2nd floor window a few days before - I saw them on the news). We introduced our little family and said we were there to help. We went inside and began emptying the contents while their minds reeled. I sifted through wet mud to find mementos I thought might be washable. It was all so surreal.

The street was buzzing with volunteers and residents by midday and we recognized one particularly cheerful face go by in a truck. We found him a bit later diligently and joyfully emptying a unit down the road. It was the hopeful missionary aviator … and the unit was his own family’s.

Last Friday he reflected on that flood and explained he would have had to get rid of everything anyway. There was no bitterness or sense of loss. He knows trust - he trusts the One who holds it all and who brings the rains and shakes the foundations of the earth.

Each of us has had or will have our own flood, famine, earthquake, and fire … all as breathtaking to each of us as these huge global events that capture our hearts and leave us feeling so tiny.
I stand before the Throne of God Above only by His grace - I can stand nowhere else.

http://www.maf.org/home

Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face. ~ Job 13:15

Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ~ Luke 12:23-25

He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." ~ Mark 9:36-37



Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea,
A great high Priest whose Name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.


When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.


Behold Him there, the risen Lamb,
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace.
One with Himself, I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God!

One with Himself, I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God!

~joy in this journey,

katey

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PACTEC (humanitarian subsidiary of MAF)

PACTEC (Partners in Aviation and Communications Technology International) exists to support national efforts to build the capacity of its leaders to relieve human suffering.
PACTEC is fast becoming an integral part of serving our world's developing nations. Providing expertise in aviation, communications, distance education, and other technologies, PACTEC is a hands-on partner. PACTEC multiplies the effectiveness of other humanitarian organizations and government agencies by overcoming communications and transportation barriers.
Visit http://www.pactec.org/ for more information.

Fair Feathered Friends

If I Flee on Mornings Wings ~ Fernando Ortega

If to Heaven's heights I fly
You are still beside me,
Or in death's dark shadows lie,
You will stay close by me.
If I flee on morning wings
Far across the gray sea,
Even there Your hand will lead,
Your right hand will guide me.

Fair Feathered Friends


A poor play on words perhaps … I know.

Fair weathered friends, on the other hand… are those ones who are there for you if you don’t expect too much from them... or if you give what they need when they need it (this can be hit or miss) or any unknown list of requirements you weren’t given a handout for… Still, a friend is a friend no matter the hoops each requires we jump through. I cannot imagine that I haven't been fair-weathered myself at some time or another in my life. I think we each get lost in the process at times and it happens.

I like weathered friends best - you know, ones who have made it through the storms (yours or theirs) and are still present on the other side of the black clouds... like a peely painted sturdy strong barn door - still protecting, guarding, and opening... and welcoming you inside.

Anyway... I am speaking of friends of another color … well… even more so of a different species.
“Pets” we call them - cause we pet them or we especially care for them and indulge them … making them “pet” or specific… I don’t know. I just know there are those who “get” pets and those who don’t. It’s okay either way. We can’t and shouldn’t all have green hair either. I "get" pets and when a pet dies I cannot say I equate it with the loss of a child as some do (and for them perhaps it is that) - for me it is a different grief, but a grief still.

We have had any number and variety of pets through the decades. It is almost an unwritten requirement of the American Home Education culture to teach responsibility or some such societal expectation by having pets. Our many pets over the years were absorbed into our family because of simple desire, love-at-first-sight, rescue, or even by surprise.
The surprise pets may have been the best ever: our Duck Family.

Lyle, Dolly, Special Ed, Trouble, Stubby, Sinker, Weena-Ballerina (THE original Blue Eyed Duck), and Pat … and then, Grand Ducklings Crash and Splash.

Splash stands alone as we just lost dear old-timer Sinker this week to natural causes. He was the last of the original clan of eight wonderful, whimsical, always-make-you-smile Duck Family. I can openly tell you that as we scooped him up for his burial, he looked much like a rubber chicken all straight and stretched ~ even in death this friend gave us a smile.

Some of our ducks met horrific deaths to raccoon raids, car strikes, and even disease. We cried and got mad, frustrated, and so on. This time it was different - and perhaps that is why the grief is so very still and small and quiet. There was no emergency vet visit this time and no sad goodbye in a sterile room. This was quick and not completely unexpected. And it is okay.

Friends - real life friends, online friends, and pets ... all so different, yet those lil birds get into our hearts and nest there and when they go - that empty nest aches until we are again blessed with new residents. We are never quite the same as we are molded and reshaped by our experiences with them flying in and out of our lives ...

I am so thankful for all my friends ~ everywhere ~ every kind.

joy in the journey,

katey~D

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. ~ Proverbs 18:24

PS: I am really looking forward to PRINCE CASPIAN May 16th - the next in the Chronicles of Narnia (movie) series

...and now for some completely UNrelated art! This is a mixed media T-shirt in my ETSY shop - created from my Cat Scream series of paintings.

http://www.blueyeduckstudios.etsy.com/

Bend and Break

If only I don't bend, and break

I'll meet you on the other side

I'll meet you in the light

If only I don't suffocate

I'll meet you in the morning, when you wake

~Keane "Bend and Break"


Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

~James 1:12

forgiveness

Forgiveness (Jim Witter/Bobby Tomberlin)

youtube created by Kennyvert

Little Mickey Johnson was my very best friend

In first grade we swore we'd stay that way to the end

But in seventh grade somebody stole my bike

I asked Mickey if he knew who did it, and he lied

Cause it was him...

And when I found out it hit me like a ton of bricks

And I can still see that look on his face when I said

"I never want to talk to you again"

Sometimes we lose our way
We don't say things we should say
We hold on to stubborn pride
When we should put it all aside
To waste the time we're given seems so senseless
And one little word shouldn't be so hard...
Forgiveness...

A little card arrived on my wedding day

"Best wishes from an old friend" was all it had to say

No return address, no, not even a name

But the messy way that it was written gave it away

It was him...

And I just had to laugh as the past came flooding through my mind

I should have picked up that phone right then and there

But I just didn't make the time...

Sometimes we lose our way
We don't say things we should say
We hold on to stubborn pride
When we should put it all aside
To waste the time we're given seems so senseless
And one little word shouldn't be so hard...
Forgiveness...

Sunday morning paper arrived on my step

First thing I read filled my heart with regret

I saw a name I hadn't seen in a while

Said he was was survived by a wife and a child

And it was him;

Oh, I found out tears just fell like rain

And I realized that I missed my chance

To ever talk to him again

Sometimes we lose our way
We don't say things we should say
We hold on to stubborn pride
When we should put it all aside
To waste the time we're given seems so senseless
And one little word shouldn't be so hard...
Forgiveness...

Little Mickey Johnson was my very best friend

Buy Handmade on ETSY

Etsy is a "place to buy and sell all things handmade"

Etsy Buy Handmade blueyeduckstudios

This is a neat gadget that is generated by etsy for those of us who sell there - it is called a "mini" and you just simply click on an item and it will take you to that page in my shop. Pretty Neato Frito :)

Enjoy!

~katey

my own SOUL PANES

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SOUL PANES (c) 2008 BLUEYEDUCKSTUDIOS

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I have created an entire series of wearable art called SOUL PANEs (c) 2008 blueyeduckstudios.

You can wear them around your neck, let your window panes wear them, or hang them from the rear view mirror to dress up your car.

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Image and frame: 1" x 3"

Window tie-on included (thin black ribbon suitable as a necklace, too)

(Ball Bead Chains / 30" necklaces are also available separately)

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Each SOUL PANE(c) varies.

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They are created using fresh miscroscope slide glass, copper, leadfree solder, various findings, chain and/or ribbon, altered images/transparency film/orignal art (usually miniature prints of my own art), and/or charms. Because each piece varies in style and by ingredients you are getting a one-of-a-kind item.

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A combined shipping discount on multiple purchases is available - please ask for more details based on your location. My Id is the same on ETSY and on eBay

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thanks! ~ joyfully, katey-D http://www.blueyeduckstudios.com/

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www.blueyeduckstudios.etsy.com

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ALL PHOTOS & STORE CONTENT ARE (c)2008 BLUEYEDUCK STUDIOS. Artist retains COPYRIGHTS to artwork.SOUL PANEs / SOUL PANE (c) 2008 blueyeduckstudios ~ katey-D