Color Has Returned to My World!!

At last spring is here. Color has returned in the hues I love. Daffodil yellow, blue-violet hyacinths, periwinkle scilla, cotton candy pink tulips and more. I love spring. The other day I was out in pursuit of new yarn (not that I don’t already have piles of yarn yet to knit). It was one of those blustery spring days, but with each gust of wet drizzly air I could see the flowers bulging with life and the grass greening and swelling. I passed by Lake Michigan on my way ’round town and the turbulent inland sea was so exciting to watch green waves crashed in all directions. I imagined the days to come with sail boats and swimmers, but for now the day belonged to the wind and rain and the necessity of water to bring back the life that slept all winter. Strange that I would so love a stormy day. Spring makes everything seem beautiful and bright and full of hope. Of course the next day when I woke to a dusting of white powdery snow I was not as amused!! I had planned to plant my vegetable garden, at least the lettuces, but I’m glad I waited. The snow was quickly gone and the greening continued.

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Path Diverging: It’s November- Now What?

Path Diverging

Originally uploaded by bellafiore

So it’s November and so much has changed. We voted and elected a new president who promises to be the voice of change. Already there are those around the world who respect us more as a country just because we elected him. To gain respect just for making this choice is incredible. The power of positive thought and talk; to tell others that they will be included in the process of government for the first time, that there is realistic hope for the future. We have not felt THIS in a long time. The Bush administration ruled out of fear: fear of what to do. They inflicted fear upon us, using 9-11 as an excuse for the war we’re now mired in. They used it as a smokescreen to divert our attention from the numerous civil liberties they took from us and from the numbers of environmental laws they reversed. FEAR! I am tired of being afraid and hopeless. It is good to feel proud and hope-filled again. It is good to think that maybe there is a future for my children, that perhaps someone will take charge and lead us into and through the beginning of the 21st century with new ideas. So now what?….It is time to go back to work; roll up our sleeves and pour our energies into making our country what it can and should be. It is time for all those who have been left out for so long to finally be included again. Being an educator I am especially proud and hopeful for my students and the promise of what the future can be under this hopeful president who I think will govern, not rule, with humility-a trait that has not been part of the current administration. This has nothing to do with art-making, but everything to do with how I feel and it is as if a great weight has been lifted. To have HOPE restored is the most powerful of things. Let us hope that at least some of what has been promised comes to pass.

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