Thoughts and prayers

An ornament made from old book pages, some bits of lace and ribbon, and a jewelry charm piece that someone gave me.  I saw one similar on a blog (possibly Prima) but I made my own from bits about the studio.

And a few holiday cards that I have been painting.

In the aftermath of last Friday's tragedy, I have been crying, questioning, praying, and thinking.  I am currently re-reading Night Visions, searching the shadows of Advent and Christmas by Jan L. Richardson and I also recently read Matched and Crossed by Ally Condie.  In Condie's books, her characters have come across a poem that was made illegal by their government - Dylan Thomas's "Do not go gentle into that good night" and they repeat the line about "the dying of the light". In Night Visions, Richardson writes:

There is no dying of the light--
just the washing of a bowl,
and overturning it for night.

She goes on:

In the turning of the bowl
is the turning of the world,
and in every moment
somewhere
the day is turning into darkness.
...
Make us bold
in the darkness
to protect each other's slumber,
and make us courageous
in the night
to guard each other's dreams.

May your days be filled with joy and may we all be courageous in the night to protect our children and guard their dreams.
Thanks for reading,
Chris