Category Archives: Artistic Writings

Art photo and writing collection relating to lifetime experiences.

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day

“Flower Study,” 1866, John Jessup Hardwick. Image from a page of the 2014 Desk Calendar, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store

Thanksgiving Day

I Remember When

November 26, 2014

“So once every year we throng upon a day apart, to praise the Lord with feast and song in thankfulness of heart.”  Arthur Guiterman, The First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day always brings me home again when I feast upon some of the tastiest memories of my childhood.  Breathing deeply in my reverie, O can almost capture the smells of the turkey slowly baking in the oven; the candied yams browning under a heavy blanket of ALAGA syrup; and the macaroni and cheese bubbling over onto the foil-lined baking sheet.  Oh, and just the thought of the buttery layers of the crescent rolls makes my taste buds dance with delight!  My eyes light up too, when I peek back at the sight of all of the finery decorating the table.  The fancy china, cloth napkins and crystal wine glasses carefully placed before each chair somehow made me feel regal and all grown up.  My, I feel as though I’ve gobbled up my Thanksgiving Day meal already!

There is more, however, that fills me up when celebrating this special day.  The time spent with my family and friends warms me more than any specially prepared dish ever can.   Along with my childhood Thanksgiving Day memories, I am grateful for the ones that I, shared  with those whom I love so dearly, will make this year…and I plan to hold onto them closely to enjoy for the rest of my life.

Wishing you and yours a very full and blessed Thanksgiving Day!

Peace and love,

Felecia

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A Still Small Voice

still small voice

Photograph courtesy of Ray Flanagan Photography

A still small voice…it seems the times that God speaks to me the loudest is when His voice is the smallest.

“And he said, ‘Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.’ And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:11-12

Tumultuous times can leave us feeling like we are in the center of a fierce storm. The roaring of waves and the clatter of thunder and lightening can be deadening.  Our emotions are tossed to and fro and seemingly the entire cloud-strewn sky comes crashing down on us before we ever reach the shore.  A still small voice…really?

Yes…it seems the times that God speaks to me the loudest is when His voice is the smallest.  What happens after we are shipwrecked?  When all is quiet and we awaken from the daze.  At that point we are broken, and in desperate need of mending.  Those are the times when that still small voice can truly resonate within us.  Although the fragments of our situation are scattered around us, we are poised to receive what God has to say; and His wisdom abounds. 

As the creator of the universe, God can calm any storm that threatens to turn your world upside down.  All nature and mankind are ultimately under His command.  He needn’t shout; He needn’t make a ruckus…His still small  voice is all that is needed.  It is up to us to listen to Him.

“Can you hear His still small voice?  Do you seek it during the storm?  When all else fails, and the pieces fall, listen for Him; He will instruct and inform.”  Felecia R. Weber, OntheWingofaDove.com

May you always listen for God’s still small voice…and may His truth speak volumes to your heart.

 

Peace and love,

Felecia

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Abounding – What’s in a word?

Abounding

Photograph courtesy of David Brown

Abounding – What’s in a Word?

To flourish, to grow,

to go far beyond.

An endless supply;

never ever wanting for more…

“Be inspired, explore, reach higher…soar!”  Felecia R. Weber, OntheWingofaDove.com

Abounding…what’s in this word for you?  If you can tell me, please do!

Abounding to me means a richness and overflowing of something.  It seems we tend to want all that is good in life…whatever that might be to you or to me.  I personally never look forward to an abundance of troubles or anything that will cause me pain.  But you know, even when that is exactly what I get, the more of the tough times I go through…the more the good times follow.  To me, that’s abounding at its best!

May your day abound with all of the things that your heart is hoping for.

Peace and love,

Felecia

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Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek

“Abigail,” graphite pencil drawing by Felecia R. Weber, OntheWingofaDove.com

Hide and Seek…it isn’t just a child’s game; many of us play it still.  But challenges will seek us out and find us, no matter how hard we try to hide from them.

“You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”  Psalm 32:7

This month is full of scary tales, lots of mischief and long shadows that loom their dark shapes along our paths.  It’s easy to hide away and avoid being seen, but it’s interesting to see what we find when we step out from our hiding places. Is that what we are trying to shelter ourselves from really all that bad?  Wouldn’t it be liberating not to be so concerned about those things that cause us to fret?

Hide and seek is a game I play to this day…although I do not like to admit it.  I hardly recognize it because it takes on many forms, including procrastination.  I bury myself under all sorts of tasks only to find that I’ve still got to face that big challenge or obstacle that is awaiting me in the end.  Hiding is the easy part…seeking is too…finding my way and deciding what to do with what I’ve found; now that’s the hard part!

Challenges are part of life.  They will seek out and find us no matter how hard we try to hide from them.  The important thing is that we need to be brave enough to step out and face them. When we do, they are not always as bad as they seem…especially when we refuse to face them alone.  God is always available and ready to help us to not only face, but also to accept and conquer anything that causes to hide…if we seek Him first.

When you find yourself beginning another round of hide and seek…why not let God be your hiding place.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised what you find when you seek Him.

Peace and love,

Felecia

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September

September

“Trees and Houses Near the Jas De Bouffan (Detail),” 1885-86, Paul Cezanne. Image from a page of the 2012 Desk Calendar, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store

September

I Remember When

September 24, 2014

“Remember me with smiles and laughter, for that is how I will remember you all.  If you only remember me with tears, then don’t bother to remember me at all.”  Laura Ingalls Wilder

My childhood memories include some of the best memories I have.  When I visit my parents’ home or reminisce about days gone by with my sisters, it is as though a floodgate of happy times has been pried wide open and I seem to float along them smiling and laughing along the way.  In my new series I Remember When, I plan to share snippets of my childhood memories with you.  Given what I’ve described about them so far, I hope you’ll look forward to having your heart warmed and perhaps even enjoying a chuckle or two while reading my musings.

September reminds me of all sorts of “new beginnings” when I was a child.  To me it meant the end of summer and a fresh start to a new school year, the excitement of buying new school clothes and supplies, and getting acquainted with new classmates. I loved walking to and from school with my sister and cousins, crunching through the dried leaves that littered the sidewalks; and squinting my eyes so closely together in the sun that the scarlet, rust , and yellow autumnal colors adorning the trees all blended together like glittering balls of fire against the deep blue-gray sky.  Mmmmm, I can almost feel the warmth of the rays brightening my face as I write!

So tell me, won’t you, what is your favorite childhood memory that happened in the month of September?

Peace and love,

Felecia

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The Beauty of Change

beauty of change

“The Banks of the Bievre near Bicetre” (Detail),1898-1910, Henri Rousseau (Le Douanier). Image from a page of the 2014 Desk Calendar, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store

 

The beauty of change is hidden sometimes…but oh what wondrous splendor there is to experience when we find it.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…”  Ecclesiastes 3:1

I am sure you’ll agree that change can be uncomfortable.   In fact, it can be down right scary, ugly even.  We all have a certain way of doing things, a certain level of comfort in knowing what to expect, for the most part, from day to day.  When our routine, our way of life gets disrupted, it can seem impossible to see the beauty of change.

It is easy to see the beauty of change between the four seasons,  The gradual melting of winter into spring is a welcome transition full of brightness and hope.  Then that brightness fades as the blaze of summer tempers itself into the subtle coolness of autumn. When change takes place in our lives, things don’t always happen so serenely.  Often times it comes from out of nowhere, and it throws us way off balance.  We can hardly stand to face it, let alone see the beauty of change.  Is there really such a thing?

Honestly, I can say yes.  The very word “change” indicates that something is about to or has become what it was not before…it is in that transformation where the beauty of change is found.  The life changes that I have experienced just recently seemed at first to be horrible.  Actually, they were terribly painful and the residue still coats my days.  But what they’ve spawned is a resilience that I could never have mustered without going through those changes. I do not understand why they happened, but I have come to accept and embrace them.  In that alone is a quiet beauty that I enjoy…knowing that whatever changes come about down the road that I travel in life, there is only good awaiting me when I arrive at my destination.

“There is beauty in change, in that I never doubt.  When I face them and embrace them, I know goodness will come about.”  Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

Peace and love,

Felecia

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When Mistakes Happen

When Mistakes Happen

“Soap Bubbles,” 1859, Thomas Couture. Image from a page of the 2014 Desk Calendar, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store

 

When mistakes happen…it’s what we do with them that makes them invaluable.

“With men it is impossible, but not with God:  for with God all things are possible.”  Mark 10:27

I suppose one would describe me as being somewhat of a perfectionist, so when mistakes happen, they truly dig deep into my skin.  I am not unique in wanting to do everything that I set out to do as correctly, efficiently and effectively as I can. It gives me such a sense of satisfaction when I know I have done something to the very best of my abilities and the outcome of whatever it is has gone well.  On the other hand, no matter how hard I try to avoid them, when mistakes happen…they are hard to accept and sometimes even harder to remedy.  What can we do to fix them?

Although that question can be answered in as many different ways as there are mistakes to be made, I believe there really is one response that is appropriate for them all.  When mistakes happen, they can be the most valuable resources that we can ever come across.  Huh?  Yes, mistakes really can cause us to learn and grow in ways that we never would have if they’d never taken place.  In my own recent experiences of journeying through the phases of my husband’s illness, although his disease was more of a challenge rather than a mistake, I can tell you that along with the heartache and rocky roads, many blessings watered the paths, and now I am enjoying a lush harvest.

Many times we face situations that are so overwhelming when we are in the midst of them that it seems much easier to just give up and throw in the towel rather than facing the challenges head on and battling them to defeat.  I’d reached that point on numerous occasions during these past months.  “Oh that I had the wings of a dove; I’d fly away and be at rest.” (Psalm 55:6), was not only the theme for my blog…it literally became my mantra!  Looking back, even in that imagery, it takes a heavy effort for a bird to take off and soar high into flight.  It took an immense amount of discipline, courage and an even greater amount of surrendering to God’s enabling power to handle all that was required to meet the needs of my husband’s care.  But, being the person that I am today, stronger, more confident and capable of managing life’s storms, I can honestly say that I am grateful for the challenges, and mistakes, that cluttered the road.

Mistakes…let them happen…and when they do…let God see you through.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Philippians 4:13

Peace and love,

Felecia

 

 

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Abundance – What’s in a word?

Abundance

Photograph courtesy of Martin Watson

 

Abundance – What’s in a word?

Wealth, fullness, having it all,

and never having to worry.

Security, prosperity, luxury,

overflowing, not ever having to hurry.

Might, power, contentment and ease,

never running out, doing what you please.

Abundance is like that and although it is very nice,

it should not be taken lightly, for it comes with a price.

Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

What’s in this word for you?  If you can tell me, please do!

Having an abundance of anything connotes the good things in life and having plenty of all that we could ever want or need.  Even though having anything in abundance often times requires hard work, commitment and determination, knowing that there are blessings overflowing around the corner makes it all worth it.

May an abundance of goodness shower you day.

Peace and love,

Felecia

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