Order

I often produce pages I'm not that fond of. It may be something to do with the colours, or the composition, or the fact that I made a great big ooops and it didn't turn out better (in my opinion!)

This is one of those pages.

However, the elements on it made me think of growth - it's on my mind a lot lately. The leaf and the flower spoke to me of order. There is a progression or order of things. You don't get the flower before the seed has put up a stem and then a leaf or two.

I often find that I will unconsciously do several pages that seem to have the same theme. The post from Friday says the same thing in a different way. Perhaps there's something I need to learn...

Strength with gentleness

I got part way with this background and was loving the pastel shades. The softness of the colours made me think about kindness and gentleness.

I have encountered several women who are strong women. And there's nothing wrong with that. We need strong women. But that strength wasn't tempered with gentleness. There was a stridency to their voices, a pushiness to their manner, a lack of empathy in their words and actions.

Gentleness and strength are not polar opposites. The two can - and should - go together. Strength can damage if it isn't wielded with gentleness. It can overwhelm those whom it should be used to protect and comfort.

Be strong.

But also be gentle.

Building upwards

One thing builds on another. It sounds simple. Obvious, even. But there are times when we forget and want to start at the top. How often have you looked at the journal pages of people who have been journalling for years, while still a beginner yourself, and wanted to make pages like that? Admit it. We've all been there. And there's nothing wrong with a desire to improve, to grow.

But you have to put time into your foundations.

Everything else rests on your foundations, and if they are too thin, too narrow, too flimsy, then whatever you build on them will eventually fall down.

And we can't build from the top, diving straight in with the complicated stuff. No. You have to put in your hours playing, learning, building up your skills, seeing what works, and working out your own style. None of this time is wasted. It all makes for solid foundations.

More ATCs

A few more ATCs from the batch of backgrounds I made a little while ago. I'm in a swap, so these are on their way to Sue Marrazzo. Check out her blog - she does some great stuff with texture.

Pattern and shape

Sometimes there are just patterns and shapes, not words.

Do you ever feel that you've finished the page but there aren't any words to go with it? As a journaller, it feels strange to not put words on a page. But sometimes there just aren't any.

From the feel of this page I can tell that there isn't a lack of words because I'm sad - the colours are too bright for that. I love the feel of this page. It's just that when I look at it, I'm not taken off on a train of thought except to think that I'm happy with it as it is.

So sometimes there are just patterns and colours. And that's OK.

Feeling good...

What more can I say? Feeling good today :)

Not brave

I have never been told so often how brave I am as I have this week. Yet what I did - shaving my head for charity - was not brave or courageous. By definition, bravery and courage are about facing danger or pain, or conquering fear.

None of those things applied. After all, I just had a haircut, and my hair will grow again. There was no pain, no danger, no fear.

I think what people really meant was that I had made a sacrifice - an act of giving something up for the sake of something else regarded as more important. Making a sacrifice is a part of faith, so I see my act as obedient, not brave.

Ripples

You never know how far the ripples are going to go when you throw a stone into the pond. And when they hit something - a rock, the bank - they bounce off in another direction, sometimes cancelling each other out and sometimes joining together and increasing the amplitude.

Everything we do and everything we say sends out ripples. Some of them die away harmlessly, hitting nothing on their outward journey. But some things impact on other people as they ripple outwards.

Sometimes this can be positive - two sets of ripples cancelling each other out in a moment of reconciliation; ripples joining together, increasing amplitude for a shared good cause.

But sometimes those ripples have a negative effect - the joining of ripples in the escalation of an argument; opposite ripples causing flat water in the death of a relationship.

So make sure that the stones you throw into the pond are carefully placed.

Done!

So here we are, before and after. (If you're wondering 'before and after what?' see my blogpost here)

Thank you to everyone who sponsored us. If you haven't and would like to now that you can see the evidence :) here is the secure link:

www.leukaemia.org.au/mpn

Bigger

Sometimes you just have to do something that is bigger than yourself. In our independent, self(ie)-obsessed world it is seen as normal to 'look out for number one.' But God calls us to something different.

I've been reading Philippians this week. In chapter 2 we are called to do things out of humility, not rivalry or conceit. We are called to 'look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others.'

When we look outside of ourselves and choose deliberately to serve the interests of others, everyone benefits. If we are all so busy looking to serve one another, we stop comparing ourselves and trying to prove ourselves. It becomes about the other person, wanting the best for them.

There is a reason that service feels good. It's what we are made for.