I don't know about you, but sometimes the pace of change in all spheres of life can be a bit much. Change is good....sometimes. Our culture lauds change (and the faster, the better) as the be all, end all of life.
Sometimes I think there are many who think change is THE marker of progress and progress is the maker of all that is good.
I disagree. Even though there are many good changes resulting in improved lives and outcomes, many of the things that are good and true have been with us from the beginning.
And, if we hold onto these unchanging things and keep practicing them and teaching them to others, we will contribute to adding to the beauty and grace in the world.
As Tolkien wrote, "If more of us valued cheer and song and food above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
It struck me that cheer and song and food are best celebrated with people, friends and family. Truly what hasn't changed - the joy of friendships, reading good books, the beauty of flowers, lingering over a cup of coffee and watching the sun come up, laughing with children...one can't improve upon these things with progress or technology.
I'm not against progress. Many things have added so much to my life and I'm grateful to them.
But in the appreciation of progress, I don't want to forget or despise the gifts of things that don't change which add so much to the beauty and joy of life.
Let's celebrate the things that do not change together!
Celebrating Things That Don't Change: Beloved Books
What are you favorite books that you read and reread?
Perhaps, these are the books you have loved as a young person and than introduced to your children, grandchildren, friends, and others in your life.
Here are several of my favorites (in no particular order).
1. All of a Kind Family series (Sydney Taylor)
2. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
3. Lord of the Rings (Tolkien)
4. The Mitford Series (Jan Karon)
5. Mandy (Julie Edwards)
6. Little House on the Prarie series (Laura Ignalls Wilder)
7. Ann of Green Gables (Lucy Maud Montgomery)
8. Pride & Prejudice / Persuasion (Jane Austen)
In this video we paint bookmarks to use in our favorite books this fall (or to give to others) featuring lovely lupines and a mountain covered in the late green grass of summer.
Celebrating Things That Don't Change: Zinnias and the Power of Persistence
In this video, we celebrate the beauty of zinnias who persist in the long, hot days of summer, even in places like Central California!
Persisting through the hot, long seasons of life is a gift, not in the moment, but in looking back.
I'm so thankful for those who have persisted when things were hard and draining. I think of my Mum who persisted through nursing school as a mom of three kids. It was a long, hard journey but she persisted. What a lesson to me when I found myself wanting to give up in my own nursing school experience! Persisting through the long, hard days of life is worth it in the end.
Celebrating Things That Don't Change: The Joy of Painting Flowers
Flowers are beauty, joy, grace! I'm convinced flowers are one of life's little luxuries extended to every single one of us.
No matter how place in life, no matter how much we have or don't have, we can enjoy the beauty and richness flowers offer to us!
Below is the sketch for the painting of the peony we create together.
Celebrating Things that Don't Change: Transition from Summer To Autumn
As we finish summer, autumn begins to peek out from under the warm haze.
Mornings began to have a hint of a chill, not cool enough for sweaters, but a foretaste of what is to come. The light hits a little differently. The sun disappears a little earlier. The birds began to change habits. A few geese appear.
Autumn is coming.
But not yet. For a few weeks we can rest in the glow of the lovely transition of summer to autumn.
What things do you love that continue to stay the same, year after year?
I'd love to hear. Send me a note: 888-C 8th Ave. #309 NY, NY 10019 (I'll write you back!)
Thank you for watching, painting and celebrating with me!!!
