choose the master that sets you free

a woman stood on the block; a slave for sale once again. This was her third time standing on this platform. Her third time absorbing the penetrating stares of the men determining if she was fit for their use; their bid. Having withstood two masters who'd decimated her will, her trust, her faith in humanity through rape, abuse and misuse, she stood before them in utter defeat and loss. As the final gavel fell on her purchase, she listlessly followed the tall white man through the crowd to the exit.
Once outside he turned to her: 'You are free.'
Too stunned to react, she stared in perplexed disbelief.
Once again he said: 'You are free. Go where you'd like. Do what you want. Say what you feel. You are free.'
Coming out of her stupor she asks, 'free? to go anywhere I choose?'
'Yes, anywhere you choose,' he replied.
'Then I choose to go with you.'
On this day, the woman chose to live the rest of her life as a servant of Abraham Lincoln.
choose the master who sets you free.

fruit on the bottom; hope on top!

www.encaustikits.com

Hope is not what you expect; it is what you would never dream.
It is a wild, improbable tale with a pinch-me-I'm-dreaming ending.
And it is always much bigger than anything we think of as possible in and of ourselves. Hope comes in a size too big so that we have to grow into it.

And the stretching of ourselves in this change brings pain and anguish and at many point along the way it feels as if you either misread the hope that you'd felt, or you just flat out question whether you were actually, properly, equipped to hope for what you did in the first place!

Growing into that hope-moving faithfully in it involves a trusting with a depth and selflessness of which you didn't realized you were capable. You live a day high on the beauty, clarity and thankfulness in the 'coming true'of it, only to wake the next morning questioning your sanity and the vision you'd thought was so clear and decidedly yours a mere day earlier.

I believe in hope. I believe it the gift of hope to lift our spirits, enliven our days and give us a sense of purpose. Hope is God's grace incarnate. Hope is the living out reality of heavenly inspiration. Hope is the blessed gift, unique to each and every one of us, that is proof of God's immeasurable love.

And it is hard. To hold onto this intangible. To substantiate this unknown. To realize this mystery in our 'see it then believe it' minds. But we must work through this hard. We must step forward into this pain. We must continue to walk and not turn back. We must realize that it is not to be seen before it is believed, but rather we must believe in order for it to be seen.

This is hope. This is faith. And this is grace. God asks this of us; to live in faith-to believe. And in this faith to take the next step, and the next, as he reveals them to us, the next: So that the hope may become manifest only through his guidance in our faithful following. There is no other way. For only in this, only in the faith is the belief rewarded and made real. in love. trish.

open letter

To amazing people,

To thank and acknowledge the gentle, honest strength that's been touching my days.

You are generous and guileless; offering your best simply because there is nothing else. Your motives are to bring about smiles and joy-to instill warmth and delight-to offer refuge, retreat, comfort and care. You spill genuine interest, honest compassion and deliberate attentiveness. Through your generosity you more often than not create more of this comfort, care and joy than you yourself experience! Whether a momentary communication or a long lasting connection, you put the best of yourself in every breath of your day. You've touched me and made a difference. Caused my eyes to open a little more, my heart to warm a few degrees and my spirit to lift a bit higher-To aim for your level of performance-To dole out generosity and grace as humbly and freely as its been given. Your blessings do not go unnoticed. You stand apart from the norm and spread your own gentle cacophony just by remaining true. You lead in quiet genuineness. Oh that each day I come just a baby step closer to your beautiful way of walking this life. in love. trish.

If you are left wondering to whom I am writing, it is you.

Today I felt the pain again. I struggle with it because I fear it means I am weak. I fear it means I am becoming less myself and sucumming to the ways of fear that tied me in the past. I know better!-yet, it is still there. I struggle to understand this infliction of pain on my new sense of self. I realize that progress and growth come in fits and starts sometimes. One has to pull back to self and look at what's worked and how to move again.
So, I let myself move slowly. I put aside expectation of what I think I should be doing and feeling and being. I step with surety and gauge my movements before leaping. I still leap mind you, but with this growth and new sense of self comes the ability to listen and see the sense in each leaping before I begin the run for the ledge! And I get there more swiftly. I get there with more strength. I get there through shrinking external struggle. I recognize that the struggle that may be there is entirely self imposed. That my fear rests purely in lack of trust in myself and my path.
In this recognition I begin to shrug off the bits of fear still lingering on my wings. I loosen the grip of the last vestiges of angst and test my wing span for flight. I ignore the potential for picking up new fears in flight and let the wind catch me. Leaping in confidence born of release and faith. Faith, hope and a handful of grace. Sometimes it's all I've got. And all I need. 200 feet and one day at a time. in love. trish.