2020
of gravity, causing everything to rise,
from the heavy earth up to the highest skies,
but you show me that Yours is the work of
coming down, of weighting what is light
so that I, like You, might enter into what
is least and raise it up to sound love’s
delight in heaven’s proper height.
—Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart by Jon M. Sweeney and Mark Burrows, p. 32
My heart kept humming the Forrest Gump Feather Theme song as this image came to be shared.
And somehow, it feels like “weighting what is light” is my hope and dream for my summer class at the Guild.
2019
“Contemplative life flows in a circular pattern… When we purposely build periods of reverence or stillness into our days, we practice gazing through the eyes of love, and we get better and better at seeing love everywhere we look.” —Mirabai Starr, Wild Mercy
2018
“Community seems to be God’s strategy and God’s leaven inside the dough of creation.” ~Richard Rohr
I give thanks for the vision and spirit of the Guild’s founders, Rich and Liz Caemmerer, as I read today’s Daily Meditation from Richard Rohr.
In creating this image, I remember intending to write “70×7” across the whole page. I wanted to sit a while with Jesus’ reply when Peter asked how many times he had to forgive a person who hurt him. After this morning’s reflection, maybe it was more like “writing lines.” Did anyone else have that type of punishment in elementary school?
Anyway, I was rescued and challenged…
If you look closely, you’ll see that I messed up the order… SO not my plan. Starting over with what was already in motion, I had to ask what forgiveness would look like, perhaps in the place where I messed up, and even more likely, in the place of my own heart getting upset when my plan didn’t work out.
“Seven Years of Wonder” is a daily look back at my creative journaling posts since 2014. I began this journey on Feb. 11, 2021, and hope to continue through Feb. 10, 2022. What am I learning about my art and faith journey thus far? What has remained constant? Where have I been changed? How is this impacting present and future art-making?
A deep bow of gratitude to you for keeping me company on this journey.
vonda drees art 