What sort of house will your heart live in?

I was reading through Ann Voskamp's blog the other day and this quote really struck me, especially as the theme at Art Journal Journey is houses and at Mix it Monthly is home.

This quote made me think about what sort of house I want my heart to live in. Will I allow my circling, negative thoughts to become a prison for it? Or will I listen to the truth and make a place of refuge?

Art Journal Journey - Silence

Silence is the challenge for January over on Art Journal Journey. After the rush of the Christmas season, silence is welcome.

Silence in the midst of the rough and tumble of life.
Silent healing moments.
Silence in the rush.
A silent moment to breathe and listen to my heart.
And then to quiet the desires of my heart and listen beyond them…
…to the still small voice that leads me in Truth.

Embrace the silence.

Art Journal Journey - Home

Art Journal Journey's theme for this month is Home. (Click the button in the sidebar to see how everyone else has translated this theme)

For me, home is more about a feeling than an actual place.

It is the place of refuge from the world.
The place of comfort.
The place where my heart is.
The place of safety.
The place of warmth.
The place where my loved ones are.

Home is in my heart.

F is for Fitness

An A to Z of Me has reached F for fitness.

Fitness is important to me. I make sure to have five sessions of at least half an hour a week where I use a mixture of weights, trampolining, and strength training. Added to that I walk, garden, and do housework :) If I miss a session I feel it and miss it.

I also feel that keeping my mind fit is important. What is the point of a fit body if my mind is atrophying? I read a lot, discuss, and teach to keep my mind fit.

But more than this I need a fit heart. Not just in the physical sense but spiritually as well. What comes out of the mouth flows from the heart, so if my heart is right then how I interact with the people around me will be healthy.

Fall Fearless and Fly #6

Headline Prompt:  Divided by God:  What does "God" mean to you?  How do you access"God" or the divine or the sacred in your life?

Color Prompt: Metallics - gold, silver, copper, bronze, or all of them!

Quote Prompt: "This is my simple religion.  There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy.  Our own brain, our own heart, is our temple; the philosophy is kindness."  The Dalai Lama 

For me the answer is simple - God is my light and life and breath, the very beating of my heart. Without Him I cannot live.

How do I access Him? By prayer. By listening with my heart. By looking for all that is good and pure and right and just.

Some of the details don't show well in the photo. I wanted to keep the colours gentle rather than bold to show the gentle way that God deals with me - His patience is boundless for which I am hugely grateful :) The green is for life, the yellow for light. The gold heart in the woman is a smaller, not-yet-perfect reflection of the larger heart standing in for God's heart. Lines radiate from the large heart to show God's influence on my heart, my mouth, my eyes. 

Hop on over to Artists in Blogland (use the Fall Fearless and Fly button in the sidebar) and check out everyone else's take on this prompt.

A few projects

As I write the floor in my art room is scintillating.  As is the ironing board, my clothes, and even parts of my face. Here is the reason:

This is the fabric my 13yr old daughter has chosen for a long flared skirt. The cobwebs are in gold glitter. Which gets everywhere. 

Continuing in the black theme, my husband bought a black sketchbook for me. Here is my first doodle in it:

And I came to yet another page I had prepped in black in my current journal (what was I thinking?!)

So I lightened it with some black and white patterned paper I picked up recently. Then it was crying out for some red, so I added a heart. Then I needed some words so, rifling through my book of miscellaneous useful stuff I found a quote by Henry Vaughan:

Sickness and death you are but sluggish things and cannot catch a heart that hath got wings.

 Of course, now wings needed to be added to the heart.

It set me thinking about what makes a heart fly even in the face of difficult circumstances. 

For me, it would be hope and joy. In the words of the old hymn, I 'have a hope that is steadfast and certain' in my faith, and a joy that is deeper and more long-lasting than simple fleeting happiness. These things I have irrespective of my circumstances.

What makes your heart fly?