Artful Joy, Agony

If we forego what
Is destroying me right now
And look positive,
We see the cards written with
A heart unable to turn
Back time and resurrect one
Who loved utterly, mother;
The shallow spout platitudes, that firsts
Are hardest, understanding
Nothing about investment.
These Valentines are a gift
Polished in her memory
With hope to brighten the day
For someone who needs the love
Given with no expectation
Of any return, for there
Is none, the heart bleeds rivers,
Only words are left to carry
Life beyond all tragedy,
Some holy words, God-given,
Some created words forged here
In a mind that will not accept
Defeat, love and love and love
Will win, carry this long day
Into the next and further
Into a future where tears
Will buy living memory
And help a soul survive itself.
I am part stardust, dragon,
Feather, ink, paper, bone, strong
Enough to rise into skies
Streaked with morning’s hesitating dew
Washing me a new foundling
As the light pours over me
Burnishing my skin with color
Appearing evanescent,
I am hers, always, but life
It calls me to linger fondly
Carrying on brightly with purpose
She planted in me, even leaving,
There is no escape from who
I am made, drawn, charged to be.
The oceans wave, the moon reflects,
The stars in their orbits remain,
And I, forever, a poet
Shall be, with words, worlds, to spin,
Stories to complete and tell,
Until I reach Heaven where
Once more her embrace will enfold me
And I shall find my treasured peace.

I hope that this evening finds you well, and covered by happiness. As a prompt, if you have lost someone or something you feel empty without, take that feeling and expound on it, but also celebrate your honor to survive and create a legacy.

I think a lot of legacies these days, and I feel mine is cheapened by worthlessness, but there are so many things that contend against that negative surmise. I suppose we never know what treasures will be garnered from what we leave. Just now, I only hope that I can illuminate the day for someone with encouragement and inspiration, because really, what is better than that. If you can lift the spirits of another person who is treading in the gray of desperation, fear, loneliness, then you have spared a world of loss potential and given a gift that may generate lasting greatness.

I am grateful:

For bread and honey.
For salted chips.
For hot showers.
For dishwashers.
For puppy dog kisses.
For a bed that does not always require making.
For fuzzy footies.
For things stockpiled over years that are now seeing use.
For icemakers.
I have been given more gifts than I can employ and the capacity for joy.

What will you share with the world that you feel too costly to spare, but nevertheless know is your obligation?

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. I hope you found inspiration or encouragement and that you become more productive for the time spent here. There is a follow button you may use, or just come back when you are able. Make sure you share the expression of your love with those you hold dear at every opportunity. The world is an uncertain place, and you never know the future. As you go about your day be aware, it could save you trouble. Being safe is most important. Take risks, but manage them within control. God Bless and Keep You, All The Time!

Statement, May Be Fact

This sad, this bad,
It is not mine,
I will not accept
Who it says I am;
What it demands
That I become.
I shall break free,
Move away;
Choose another path
Far removed, gone.
I make myself,
My time, capturing joy,
I am happy,
I am whole,
I am now, always,
I exude love,
I am original creativity,
I share blessings,
I am courageous, real,
I am space, time,
And I give myself to You.

I am grateful:

I felt better today.
I was able to get up out of the floor.
Life has ups as well as downs.
This is only a part of who I am.
The process of editing photos helps regulate my mood.
Some pain can be well hidden.
Classical music is conducive to clear thinking.

As a prompt, take several minutes and then formulate a statement that reflects who you are this moment. If you are a visual artist, perhaps create a self-portrait or symbolic representation of your inner and outer-self combined.

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. Follow if you like, or come back as you can. Live the best you can and overcome the circumstances that trouble you, however, you may. Honor living as you will. Take good care.

The Cohesive Integrity of Creativity

Tough subject, this one, survival. What happened to you, all the nasty things you hate, regret, are not you. You are a creative being with unlimited potential. You are the person you chose to become up to this point and who you choose to be going into the future. Every moment presents itself, a blank, for you to fill with your original being and vision.

I am a survivor, but I am no longer a victim. I do not choose to pick the blood and bone out of its crypt, nor enshrine the pain in a display case. It is enough you know I know that isolated country no one chooses.

Dealing with abuse is a marathon that never ends, but we must not allow it to define us. We are shining individuals who invest ourselves in adventures, missions, relationships, and endeavors delivering us into the bright light where creative possibility can usher us into life’s center.

If you still struggle, embrace yourself with enough love, the same quality, and quantity of love you lavish on others allowing your brokenness to be transformed into compelling life-affirming activity. You can wrench beauty out of darkness by employing your creativity in the face of past adversity.

We must somehow forgive those who spitefully used us and lay aside our distaste of ourselves for having little or no power for defense. I do not mean these abusers are no longer accountable, time will have its way. Forgiveness does not exonerate those who damaged us, but it frees us from the adverse effects that can long poison our hearts, souls, minds, and spirits; such as bitterness, hate, inner strife, and vicious longings for vengeance. Our years should be spent in as much love, joy, happiness, creative productivity, and comfort as our lives can procure, not bound by ordeals long over.

Drive the energy of release, revival, into purposeful creative work that can impact the world in the way you wish. Build a marvelous fortress of ultimate glory and beauty on the framework that survived sieges of oppression.

I know it is not easy to claim freedom from the negative stories embedded in our minds. In all likelihood, there will be days when we cannot drag ourselves beyond the abyss of our terrors, our unresolved feelings of hurt and regret, but we were made with creative minds, endowed with imagination, able to change who we are. We must embrace the love, power, and will, that will take us to the pinnacle of success.

When the trials are over; when our escape is arranged; when done is done; we are free, at least as much as we choose to be.

Bytes of Gratitude:

This is Friday.
Days do not repeat.
The cold will eventually end.
Things cannot always go wrong.
My covers are soft and warm.
When all else fails, there is chocolate.
Who I am today is not who I will always be.

As a prompt, write down some things you have faced that have dealt with you in such way that you have become stronger. Weave the gleanings into a story, poem, or work of art.

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. You may click the follow button, or I hope you will come again soon. I hope I handled the material above with sensitivity. I do not mean to demean or dismiss anyone’s experience. I have, however, learned that for us to live healthy productive, proactive lives that we must use the tools we have, to form us into people of power. I firmly believe creativity is one of the most efficacious of the weapons provided in our arsenals. Sometimes I wish I had the scope to be a help to those dealing with the worse of the destruction, but no.

This world can be what we hope when we become the people of hope we wish to be. Be careful, smile, and create.

You did not breed it
But you alone have fed it,
Now just set it free.

Possessing Gratitude

Some were tricked, misled,
Into believing our days,
Our lives are only
Ordinary, when truly
Every single precious one
Is a gift beyond compare
Created for our pleasure.
When we lose the special sense
That we are each one unique
Living with distinct purpose
Placed where we are with reason,
We lose our frame of reference,
Unbelief can assault us
Tearing our lives asunder.
This day, this very one is
Never to be repeated,
Has not existed before,
Each moment is a blessing,
It is ours to fill with love;
The breath we inhale, exhale,
Could be our final one, last,
Maybe that does not fill your heart
With fear, awe, of God who gives
Or easily takes away;
Me, I pray for grace somehow
That I may share His great Love
In such a way that I reflect
Jesus in my words and deeds,
And joy, thankfulness today.

I wrote this in my “Brain Dump Notebook” which, I may have told you, is a cheap composition book from “Back-to-School” days at Wal-Mart. I think it was 99 cents. Every year I go to those sales and grab a few things. I have a collection of beautiful journals, some leather bound, others with wooden covers, I cannot bring myself to write in them. I would make a mistake and ruin the thing. The question this begs, if I cannot use them, what will become of them. Some of my craziness, but I never told anyone I had all my crayons in the box.

I think I will skip a gratitude list here. I have not been to bed since I wrote the last one. Too, just now, my pain levels do not facilitate an enormous amount of thankfulness.

Will you think seriously about how precious each day is? Will you express your love to your dear ones more frequently because anything can and often does happen? Will you realize that your creativity is not to be hidden away like extra bedclothes saved for guests? Keeping the good things that would bring you joy for later, can you break that habit? Will you use your unique gifts, talents, abilities, to bring the world closer to the beauty and wonder it needs to survive? If we are to save the world, we must convince the world it is worth a future.

As a prompt, pick any of the ideas above and expound upon them. If you are an artist other than of the written word, turn one of those things into work.

Thank you for taking time to read my meanderings. I hope you enjoyed your time visiting Haphazard Creative. You may follow the website, or you may make your way here again. Be love, inspiration, encouragement, joy, to others you encounter. Look for the gifts in the moments of the day. Do not take time for granted, it is remarkable. Please, be aware, trust your instincts, lock your doors, and be careful out there. God bless you and keep you in all your ways.

Good-night.

Creativity & Pain: A Relationship

The title may seem ill-advised to some, but lend me some time.

We all deal with pain, different types, and some of us more than others. There are many varieties from which to choose, although most, maybe all, of us would prefer to avoid every category of diversification.

An exciting byproduct we frequently observe is that following the experience of an intense episode of suffering, anguish, pain, there is a sudden period of explosive creative growth.

The cause, being the pain presents an obstacle of some sort, such as slowing us down physically, causing us to curb our appetites and consumption of things, so we earn less. Also making us realize we can indeed survive without a partner, we may lose a portion of our livelihood and thus our place in society, or learn we must make allowances for a change we did not foresee. While we deal with such hindrances, our creative faculties engage, discovering unique new methods to overcome the problems, determining how to better allocate our creative resources, building our personalities stronger, more adaptable, flexible, with significant advantages, and extending our abilities to move within our interior and exterior world. The creativity within each person is a solution engine built to magnify and consolidate gifts, talents, skills that destroy blockages to achievement. We are created for greatness and the creativity within us fires the forge to make us do and be more than we expect.

I fiercely believe that creativity and love connect us directly to the Master Creator, God. Our creative drive is seeded from His divine omnipotence. It likens us to Him and joins us to the Love that fills every part and parcel of space and time. We are never deserted, never alone, though we may battle loneliness, trouble, unpleasantness. The spark of creativity, which inflames our desire for achievement in a sudden blaze of imagination, is love working through us to procure a better more fulfilling life. We are led to situations, circumstances, where gratitude becomes a close companion, and we notice for each struggle and defeat there are multitudes of positive benefits.

Our creativity by ushering us into abundance, ameliorating or alleviating our pain, gives us the possibility of closeness with the Creator, Christ.

Our surge, vast and ocean-like, of creative genius, does not justify or abolish the reality of our pain, but it is a consequence that makes future encounters with the monstrosity more bearable and helps mitigate some of our anger and resentment.

Time and again we become aware of people who seem to have conquered the world and reached life’s summit, but when we are invited to an intimate discussion and learn their history, we are surprised by the monumental adversity they overcame.

It is no wonder that ingenuity, love, strength, and yes, creativity, are products of trial, discomfort, tears, pain. We only learn to mine our depths when there is nowhere, no one else from whence and whom to seek our answers. Only God willingly gives wisdom, creativity, love which merge to lift us beyond our limited vision and belief of how our personal best is to be obtained.

We are, everyone, endowed with gifts, talents, abilities, revealed amidst suffering, fired by creativity, placed with us to take us beyond our dreams, crowning us with lives we never thought possible.

So, when the hurt is great, the loss is deadly, the break is more than can be handled, the disappointment heartrending, hold on. Creativity, wisdom, love, change, a breakthrough is coming, maybe only a breath away.

I am grateful:

I ran the dishwasher today.
I washed some clothes.
I took a shower and did not have to stand in drainage.
I finished the red velvet muffins.
I started another book.
I wrote something.
Life is challenging but worthwhile, and good.

As a prompt, write about a time when pain drove you mad, but afterward, you found yourself driven to create, or do art about it. Whichever you prefer.

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. Please follow, or if not, come back. Take care of yourself, do good, and be a blessing when you are able.