Arts education includes not only the visual arts, but also music, culinary arts, and all forms of creative expression.
The difficulty in auditory performing arts education is that excruciating learning period before clarinets stop squawking and violins stop screeching. Unlike my mother, who couldn’t stand it and sent me and my clarinet out to the shed across the driveway to practice, the teachers can’t send the students outside to learn! At least not all the time!
Those darling violin students that I introduced you to yesterday do not sound (yet) like the YouTube video I posted of beautiful violin virtuosos. God bless the teachers, students, and appreciative audiences who recognize the learning process and love them through the squawks and squeaks!
Listen without covering your ears!
Support arts education in your schools and in the independent Arts Academies that teach visual and performing arts after school and on weekends. God bless those teachers! Ya gotta love ’em!!
“In today’s world, despite ample material development, too many lack inner peace. One way to counter anger, jealousy and competitiveness is to cultivate non-violence and compassion towards others.”
When you have a friend who’s down, You may not be able to physically lift them up, But you can bend down to understand And massage their heart and fill their cup.
Giving comfort to others who hurt Seems to lift my spirit as much as theirs. Compassion is directed in as well as out, It’s a two-way street, an up-the-down stairs!
“And you? When will you begin that long journey inward?” – Rumi
I am certain that my friend, Lilie, is on the road to inner peace. Yesterday she quoted the wisdom I copied above from Rumi on her WordPress blog, Tea and Toast with Kindness.
I learn a lot by reading the ruminations of others. This week I especially appreciated the writings of Dr. Perry in his blog,
Dr. Perry, posted a blog titled, It’s OK to Have a Bad Day. It caused me to internalize this inward journey for peace and think about the habits I have worked to develop in order to be my own best friend.
He quoted Emerson, who wrote: ““Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Traveling inward, looking for contentment, I have found that I need to consciously adopt habits that foster inner peace:
Forgiveness
Positivity
Self-Acceptance
Recognition of Limitations
Confrontation of Temptations
Elimination of Blame
Hope in the Face of Despair
Celebration of Where my Hope Lies
Life-long Learning
Prayer
Reflect
In the process of traveling the Road to Inner Peace, it is important to stop every now and then to look back. Consider your progress or regression. Have you every noticed when you’re traveling up a hill that you don’t realize how steep it is until you look back at the incline you have just traversed?
Likewise, when the road is on a decline, you may not realize how drastic the angle until you stop and look back up to the place you began. Reflecting on where you started and seeing how far you have improved or deteriorated can be very helpful.
Dr. Perry, in the post I referenced above says it this way, “After a period of time, reflect on what you have learned and gained from the negative event or interaction in your life. More often than not you will find that you have learned something. Perhaps you will discover an inner strength that you were not aware of or a higher purpose for your existence.”
Find Purpose
In her September 27th, The Godly Chic Diaries posted a WordPress guest writer. She introduced Matik Nicholls by saying, “I’m a firm believer that if you have a pulse, you have a purpose. I say this with my whole heart, Everyone needs a blessing. And if you have the ability to bless others, be a blessing. And when you are a blessing to others, you will find ‘joy unspeakable’ in the process….”
Guest Blogger: Matik Nicholls wrote: “Every gift, ability and blessing we have is for the service of others. We are blessers not blessees! We carry the presence of God wherever we go for a greater purpose than just for us to be happy. It is our privilege and purpose to transfer the blessings of God to others!”
Traveling life’s road, I take joy in the journey. Spreading it’s my goal.
With The Godly Chic’s help, I discovered this new website, and decided to subscribe to it. The author, Matik Amilcar Nicholls, has created an inspirational web blog at http://www.Authenticjoy.org. This handsome, positive-thinking young man resides in the beautiful islands of Trinidad and Tobago.
On his site, he shared, “I am an engineer by training, having graduated from the University of the West Indies with a B.Sc. Computer and Electrical Engineering (with honours). More recently, I completed an M.B.A. with the Heriot-Watt University. I also have a certificate in Applied Theology (class valedictorian) from the Millennium Bible Institute and currently I am pursuing an online programme with the International Coaching Academy to become a Certified Coach.”
Naturally, reading about him, I am inspired to want to learn more. My Road to Inner Peace is made more successful when I can join hands on the journey with people like Matik. People in other parts of the world. People whose life stories are far different from mine, but who share the common purpose of wanting to “Be a Blessing.” I encourage you to let Matik’s JOY infect you as I found it to be quite “catching” indeed!
Like me, spreading joy – and the source of his joy (his FAITH) – is what Matik says he is all about. He wrote, “I love Jesus. I love spending time with Him. I love His mercy that keeps flowing endlessly in my life. I love what He stands for: love, grace, mercy, peace, truth, freedom, humility and transformation. I am committed to these values. I’m committed to doing my part to preach the gospel, heal the sick, feed the poor, comfort the hurting and free the oppressed… I enjoy seeing people walk in the fullness of all that God has for them to be and do.“
I follow the posts of a delightful lady – “Time Out with Lois.”
She refers to her very tall, deceased husband as “He-Who.” That’s short for “He-Who-Took-Long_Steps.” He-Who was well over 6′ tall … maybe 6’7′ or so.
Lois loves to quote things He-Who used to say. And I love reading her quotes. Today she said he loved to turn things around.
Lois wrote, “He-Who always liked to turn them around, on purpose. Like ‘You can kill two stones with one bird’ or ‘Easier done than said’.
Lois was on a trip and made a big u-turn. She said, “Age is not why I’m doing this. I did it before I got this age. Who can remember if you starve a cold and feed a fever or feed a cold and starve a fever? I don’t take any chances, I feed both!”
She is quite a character… must have rubbed off on her from He-Who!
Have you ever made a big U-Turn in life? Lois did it to retrieve a journal she had left under her pillow at a motel the night before. She said she put it there to see if the tooth fairy would leave her any money! I told her I’d make a big u-turn to retrieve my journal if I forgot it in a motel.
I’m almost finished with this one.
I received that journal in July of last year, 2018, from my friend, Sue Woodruff. I finished the journal I was on, and then in September a year ago, I began this one. It has that dedication page I showed you in a post earlier today:
In addition to answered prayers, I use this book to write the ideas that inspire me when I am up in my sanctuary. Then I carry it down to where my computer is to jog my memory and inform my daily post. It’s full of heart-felt thanks, ideas, plans, poems, pictures, newspaper articles… I’d hate to lose it!
Do you have an item you’d hate to lose? One you would gladly do a u-turn to retrieve if you left it behind somewhere?
What item has that specialness to you?
What U-Turn have you made in your life?
Or do you anticipate one on your future?
If you want to be an example of “love”
in a world where peace, joy, and kindness
sometimes seem like rare commodities,
I think we should not only teach these skills
to our children, but practice them ourselves regularly.
Some of them are “Duh, of course!”
Others are “Hmmm… Do I do that?”
Do I even know how to check the tire pressure?
Am I conscientious about asking questions
to get to know people better?
Do I give people the benefit of the doubt
all the time?
This list is from “frugalfun4boys.com”
But, it applies to all people… to adults as well.
Which of them resonate with you?
Cheers! Have a great Friday night. We’re headed to the neighbors. See ya tomorrow.
This post is dedicated to my #1 Grandson.
He recently graduated from college,
received his well-earned diploma,
and has a couple of part-time jobs,
equaling 100% employment.
It was not an easy road,
but he has tenacity…
He stuck with it.
He did it!
I am so proud of him!
Happiness is living life true
In a way that allows you
To be all God made you to be
And doing it on a path of integrity.
No one says it will be easy.
Sometimes it’s light and breezy,
But mostly it’s just hard work
And determination not to shirk.
So, run the race of life with grit.
Set your goal and stick to it.
When times are tough, keep going –
You crossed the finish line knowing
You Have the Power!
Congratulations, Mike!
Did you, or do you have a person in your life who used their grit and tenacity to achieve a goal in spite of all odds? This post is for you!
And if you are in the midst of a struggle – wondering if the blood, sweat, tears, and heartache, setbacks and discouragements are worth it. Believe in your goals. Believe in yourself. Stick with it.
My journey from amputation through rehabilitation on to recovery has taught me many lessons. One of the most important is the difference between belief and trust. For most of human history, just about everyone believed in some version of a god. In Europe, the existence of God was accepted as given. What divided people was […]
According to that post by Ann Kaplow,
learning how to be brave includes:
following good role models,
feeling the fear and doing it anyway,
letting go of harsh judgments,
having faith in your process,
accepting all your feelings,
being kind to yourself and others,
carrying supportive people in your heart and mind,
committing to the here and now,
learning from everything, and
telling your story authentically.
Looking to the Son for Bravery
For me,
learning to be brave also includes daily asking God to free me from:
cowardice in the face of danger
weakness, knowing His power is at hand
anxiety about tomorrow,
bitterness toward anyone,
laziness from work,
failure before opportunity, and
doubt, when His assurances are mine.
For you,
looking within for the courage that’s there,
looking up for the support that’s yours, and
stepping out in faith … will start you on the path
To the Success You Seek
Step out in faith today. Accomplish more than you dreamed possible. What’s one of those goals you intend to bravely tackle?
I sent a Happy 30th Anniversary card
off to our son and daughter-in-law today.
Some goals don’t take courage at all;
they just take getting off your butt and doing ’em.
Happy Anniversary, Ty & Monika. I know you are bravely tackling several tasks today. Just putting one foot in front of the other takes courage some days.
Written
on September 13, 2019