From "Valley of Vision"

Compassionate Lord,

Thy mercies have brought me to the dawn of another day,
Vain will be its gift unless I grow in grace,
increase in knowledge,
ripen for spiritual harvest.
Let me this day know thee as thou art,
love thee supremely,
serve thee wholly,
admire thee fully.
Through grace let my will respond to thee,
Knowing that power to obey is not in me, but
that thy free love alone enables me to serve thee.
Here then is my empty heart, overflow it with thy choicest gifts;
Here is my blind understanding,
chase away its mists of ignorance.
O ever watchful Shepherd,
lead, guide, tend me this day;
Without thy restraining rod I err and stray;
Hedge up my path lest I wander into unwholesome pleasure,
and drink its poisonous streams;
Direct my feet that I be not entangled in Satan's secret snares,
nor fall into his hidden traps.
Defend me from assailing foes,
from evil circumstanced,
from myself.
My adversaries are part and parcel of nature;
They cling to me as my very skin;
I cannot escape their contact.
In my rising up and sitting down they barnacle me;
They entice with constant baits;
My enemy is within the citadel;
Come with almighty power and cast him out,
pierce him to death,
and abolish in me every particle of carnal life this day.

Holy Sonnet XIV

Batter my heart, three-personed God; for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
Than I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurped town, to another due,
Labor to admit you, but O, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captived, and proves weak or untrue,
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betrothed to your enemy.
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again;
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

~John Donne

Don't Let the Weather Affect Your Mood

I Cannot Draw...

Lord Frederick Leighton (1830-1896)
Biondina
Oil on canvas, 1879
41.3 x 52.1 cm (16.26" x 20.51")
Hamburger Kunsthalle (Hamburg, Germany)

There are many mediums which are considered "Art," but usually the word applies to a picture captured by paint. I cannot draw, never could. I come from a family full of artists. In my house there is an oil painting from my grandpa, my sister did a beautiful pencil portrait of Roman and myself, my mother is skilled at paper crafts, and my father did some graphic design. Me, I am lucky if I can make a tree recognizable to a 5-year-old! Yet I have such a great admiration for the skill and talent of the artists in my family. How can they take what is seen or imagined and capture it with a few strokes of their hand?! It is such an amazing gift! If any of my children are so blessed I look forward to seeing how they capture the beauty of the world around them.

It is odd what strikes our fancy when we are young! The painting above is one I loved to stare at when I was little. I wanted to be just like that girl, she seemed so sweet and pleasant, and so comfortable with herself. I had not seen it in long time, and then it came up on Pinterest recently. I wonder who she was and what her life was like to give her such a serene countenance. It is as if the painter found her in the middle of a pleasant daydream. It is intriguing to catch people in such moments...How would you look in such a moment?