Gratitude and Privilege

2017 has been a year of learning to appreciate the life I have, instead of longing for the life I thought I should have.  Gratitude becomes more and more a way of life.  I find myself grateful for the big things in life - that I get to wake up each day for instance and experience life again.  And I find myself also grateful for the smallest of things - the way the sun light catches the crimson in one of my paintings, or the way my dog runs to greet me when I come home each day.  Gratitude has helped me be a happy person much of the time.  And I am grateful for that!
I'm grateful for the women who have participated in my workshops at the Encouragement Cafe.  With your donations I sent almost $900 this year to charity:water.org.  Your honesty and compassion helped me learn important lessons.  And we had so many laughs and fun painting! I'm grateful to my partner for supporting my creative adventures without hesitation.  I'm grateful to my children for being so totally who they are - not who I might have thought they 'should' be.  Boy, have I learned a lot from them!
One of the quotes we explored in the women's program this year was this one by Joseph Campbell:
"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are."
With the onset of a new year, may you come to appreciate the privilege of being who you are more and more.  May you find gratitude for the tiny moments as well as the vast experiences of your life.
And may you continue to grow and learn and love. 
Below are some of the women mixed media pieces I made with Campbell's quote in mind.
Happy new year dear friends!  Love, Judy

There will be a short article about the Encouragement Cafe and these women in the March 2018 issue of UPPERCASE magazine.