The Abundant Harvest: Just keep swimming...

The Abundant Harvest: Just keep swimming...: Consistency...for me, it's been the most difficult word in the English language. So, in 2012, my BIG resolution is to do things with consist...

I have been on a “release-your-creative-self” kick lately.  I went to the women’s prison a few days ago and talked to over 50 young women about their creative natures.  Most of them agreed that it was their creativity that landed them in prison!  I hope I helped them recognize better ways in which to use their talents! 

I do believe that everyone has a creative nature.  God was the ultimate Master Artist and if we all have Him in us, then it stands to reason that we too can create.  Unfortunately so many people squelch that nature at a young age and by the time they get far into adulthood, they will quickly say, “I don’t have a creative bone in my body!”  I cringe when I hear someone say that.  I want to counter with, “Yes, you do. You simply don’t recognize it and give it freedom!” 

I just completed my second thorough, soul-searching study of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity.   I have done this study in two women’s groups and each time I have learned more about myself.  It is a good study that helps to release one’s inner creativity in ways that brings new beauty and spirit into one’s soul. The book helps one to realize that being an artist is not a title reserved for just drawing, writing, painting, etc.  Creativity is truly a spiritual experience.   

We make creative choices every day. We simply don’t recognize that we are being creative when we do it.  When we dress in the morning, when we choose our jobs, when we decorate our homes, organize our lives, choose the movies and books we read, choose the menu and the right recipe for a meal, organize a vacation plan and route………we are being creative.  It doesn’t take a lot to stretch that creative part of our brains and become more talented in any one area. 

Cameron says that “creativity is a natural life force that all can experience in one form or another.”  She talks also of how often suppressing one’s creativity can lead to depression, illness, addictions and other self defeating behaviors. I wonder how many people would be “healed” through something as simple a prescription as taking an art class or a decorating or culinary class.  I highly recommend the healing qualities of tapping into your creative nature.  It is balm to the soul and a definite stress reliever. 

I know personally.  At a time in my life when I was feeling most depressed and discouraged I made a life-altering decision to take an art class.  What a difference that two and a half hours every Monday night makes in my life. I can’t express how differently I see the world around me.  Eight years ago I couldn’t draw a recognizable stick figure.  Today I have six of my drawings on display at the Williamson County Public Library.  It is one of many art shows I have been in.  I am not a great artist.  But I do believe that my art is another expression of the miracle God created in me. I highly recommend you get in touch with your own creative side.  You might be surprised at what is hidden inside.    By the way, the African Savannah painting here is only my second painting EVER. I have been drawing for 8 years but just recently started painting.  I painted this for one of our guest rooms.   

Thanks To You All!

I have had so many amazing wishes for my birthday today. Friends and family have called, texted, emailed, sent cards, gifts, letters. It is wonderful to be remembered no matter how old you get. And for all of you who have asked.....the trip to Chicago was one of the best ever. Dan and I relaxed and rested and just had a great time. My favorite gift was the joy of seeing huge snowflakes falling as I walked down State Street watching the incredible Christmas light display mingled with the snowflakes. It is why I love Chicago at Christmas. It is truly magical.

And I can't say enough about how wonderful the people are. We were treated so well everywhere we went. Chicago is a big city with a small town friendliness. Another highlight was being treated to a birthday lunch at the Signature Room by Mike and Kim Galvan. Mike came to one of our coaching events here this summer and told us they wanted to hook up when we got to Chicago sometime so we did. The Signature Room is on the 95th floor of the Hancock Tower and the view is spectacular. What a fun experience......THANKS MIKE AND KIM! We had a great time visiting this wonderful couple.

We also spent an afternoon at Moody Radio with our friend, Melinda Schmidt. We taped an hour-long Midday Connection program which was a lot of fun. Being in the studio was so different than doing a phone interview and Melinda is such a great host.

All in all, this has been a memorable birthday for me and I am feeling VERY blessed by all my friends and family. Thanks to each of you who sent me well-wishes. Thanks for your friendship and love. Hugs to you all!!

Eating at the Signature Room with Mike and Kim Galvan

Packing My Bags

This week Dan and I are flying to Chicago. I can’t count how many times we have made this same trip……..well over twenty five. All those years ago I would never have thought it would become a yearly gift. But every year, the week before Christmas we pack a bag of heavy sweaters and pants and our “Chicago” coats and boots and head to the Windy City. Because, like most people, I have a birthday. Every year. However, I happen to have a Christmas birthday that got overlooked most all the years of my growing up. Three days before Christmas often results in a personal celebration getting lost in the shuffle.

I often accompanied Dan to Chicago for speaking engagements about 25 years ago and I fell in love with the city. After a couple years of going there because of business, we began to go there for sheer pleasure and it became my annual birthday trip. One I cherish and look forward to all year long.

I am telling you this because this trip is probably not high on Dan’s list of favorite things to do. He hates the cold. He hates the traffic (we never drive. Did that once and understood why most Chicago cars are beat up). He isn’t a shopper and he doesn’t like crowds. Yet, each year at this time he never hesitates to book our tickets early, goes on priceline.com and gets us a four-star hotel on the Magnificent Mile, one of the most incredible shopping Meccas in the Nation, packs all his winter-weather gear, shuts down his computer and turns his brain to “vacation-mode” and off we go.

He does it for me. It’s as simple as that. For almost half our married life, each year I know Dan willingly and joyfully makes this happen because he loves me and he is willing to invest in our marriage even when it means going out of his comfort zone. For that simple reason, this trip is more than a tribute to me or a celebration of my birthday. It is a special gift from Dan that says, “I love you!” in a way that simple words can’t embrace. And that makes the trip extra special.

A few days ago, our neighbor friends, Leigh and Olin went with us to dinner. Olin is a good-lookin’-out-doorsy kinda’ guy and the place we went to is a plantation house noted for its tea rooms. They have over 120 flavors of loose-leaf teas they brew for you. They bring pretty cozy-wrapped teapots to your table with the specially brewed flavor of your choice for you to pour into dainty cups with flowers on them. Not exactly a man-kinda’ place! Leigh was so excited about going and told me she was in Heaven since she loves tea and Victorian décor. Olin didn’t balk at joining in the fun and even adorned a hat for a picture pose (there are many on the walls for patrons to wear if they desire to be festive).

That evening reminded me of the deposits Dan makes in our relationship that make a lasting impression. I saw Olin doing the same thing for Leigh. It was sweet and it was a statement that said, “I love you enough to go where you want me to go”. Powerful. It is the foundation of a great marriage. The willingness to love enough to give of yourself even when it isn’t in your comfort zone. It’s like giving a gift you simply can’t afford but you want to do it because of the incredible blessing it gives to both giver and recipient. You simply can’t invest too much in a relationship if you want it to be rich, vibrant and long-lasting. Dan sees that. Olin sees that. And Leigh and I feel blessed.

Valentine’s Day is always my favorite holiday. I have some great stories I have written about the ways Dan and I have invested in our long marriage to make it the best it can be. This Valentine’s Day we are going to be on a cruise in the Caribbean. I have some great tools to share with those who come on this cruise with us that will encourage them to invest in their relationships more abundantly whether it is with a spouse, friend, parent or child. I can’t wait to share them. Hope to see a bunch of you on Valentine’s Day this year! However, right now I am going back to packing for my Chicago trip! Happy Birthday to ME!

It's My Pleasure

During the rush of the season I am often reminded of this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King. “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven will pause to say, 'There lived a great street sweeper who did his job well'."

I am reminded of this quote because I am intrigued that so many people in the marketplace simply don’t get it. If you know the Miller family very well (and a lot of you do!) you realize that we don’t do ANYTHING with mediocrity in mind. In fact, I don’t think that word exists in our dictionary. For any of us!

I am intrigued that store owners and the people they hire to represent them to the public don’t “get” that this is the best time of year to shout from the rooftops: you give the BEST customer service and the BEST deals and the BEST quality.

However, I am painfully aware of how few people take seriously that they are the “face” of the company they work for. When I am in line at a checkout counter and the checker never even makes eye contact or gives me my total, I am astounded that he/she even got hired in the first place. Does no one in management TRAIN employees anymore? Does no one monitor them? Do employees care so little for themselves and how they come across to the public that they simply do what is necessary to get a pay check and offer no more? I suspect those are the very people who continually complain about the economy and their employer and look for ways to collect unemployment when they are ultimately let go. They are the people who when asked “How are you today?” will reply, “I’ll be fine in 30 minutes when I can go home!”………..

MLK said it well and I heartily embrace the message. If you are going to do ANYTHING, do it with GUSTO! Do it the best you possibly can in order to prove your worth to the company. Those success stories of people who rose from the mailroom to the CEO didn’t happen because they settled for mediocrity. They worked hard and proved themselves. Every step of the way. I know it is a busy time of year and people are frazzled but each of us owes it to ourselves to be the BEST we can be in every area of our lives. I know from personal experience that what you sow you will reap!

Have a happy Holiday and go shopping with a smile on your face and a lift in your step. Hopefully you will run into some clerks and sales people who will reward you with a resounding, “It’s my PLEASURE!” (and if you want to get a good dose of that, take a lunch break and go to Chic-Fil-A where that response is eagerly expressed by everyone who works there!)

A Chapter Closes

Daniel and I just returned from his father’s funeral. It was, as expected, a bittersweet time. We celebrated a life well lived yet, mourned the closing of a chapter of his life and ours. Dan’s mother died nine years ago. We were surprised his father lived as long as he did. We have, as a family, said our goodbyes to him countless times thinking the end was near...but he always rallied and was still singing hymns and trying to cheer others up till the end.

Daniel and I have talked a lot about how this really is a chapter closing in our lives. All the countless trips to Ohio to spend holidays and birthdays and Father’s Day and Mother’s Day have come to an end. Yes, we both still have a few relatives in the area but any trips north from now on will be, well….different. Very different. We figure we have made well over one hundred journeys to Ohio (a nine-hour trip) through the years. Hauling kids, grandkids, gifts, toys, baby gear, bicycles, and luggage. Our now grown children have incredible memories of sharing times with Grandma and Grandpa. Some are hilarious. Some have shaped who they are in some form or fashion. These grandparents left major footprints on all our lives. Especially mine.

I was kind of thrown into the Miller family on a snowy evening just before Easter in the early spring of 1967. I had met Danny Miller (as he was known back then) on my very first day of college at Ohio State University (branch campus) in the fall of 1966. I was seventeen and he was eighteen. I had never heard of the Mennonites and the Amish. I was not accustomed to going to church and never knew the concept of Christianity. Through Dan I learned and grew and began going to church. I became a committed Christian at eighteen and he and I joined the very small choir in the Brethren church where we ultimately got married in 1968.

I came from a single parent home, never really knowing my father. Mom had been divorced three times. During the time I dated Daniel, my mother was going through a very difficult time in her life and was very threatened by my new-found “religion” and Daniel’s interest in me…taking me away from her. On that snowy night I first met the Miller family, I was locked out of my house because I was fifteen minutes past my 10:00 pm curfew due to our staying late at church to practice a duet Dan and I were doing in the Easter pageant. I was a teenager with no place to go, scared and crying. Dan called our pastor who instructed him to take me home to his family farm. Little did that pastor know how that evening would change my life.

This was the sixties. I had on a mini-skirt, make-up, fancy hairdo and jewelry. I certainly did not look like the conservative Mennonite girl Dan’s parents would have picked out for their son to date. Not by any stretch. And to add to the drama….I had been kicked out of my house. Definitely not how you want to meet your potential in-laws. Daniel and I had been brought up in very different worlds. Mine was very worldly compared to his staunch conservative Mennonite upbringing. He was searching for a new meaning to his beliefs and I was searching for someone to show me a better way. I have no doubt that God orchestrated our connection.

I had a lot to learn about living a Christian lifestyle and about the amazing heritage Daniel came from. The first time I experienced Christmas at their house I was shocked that there was no Santa, no tree, no fun and festivities. Instead it was solemn, quiet, and over quickly. Each person got one utilitarian gift and we read scripture and that was about it. I, being raised “heathen” was used to my mother (who was usually on welfare) borrowing money at the holiday and my two sisters and I having elaborate Santa Christmases and lots of food and family time with relatives (all women...all the men had been divorced out!) We had a lot of “cultural” differences to overcome and lots of compromises to make.

(Ray and Clara at our wedding March 23, 1968)

The years have created lots of changes in our own lives and also in the lives of my in-laws. They became my parents in so many ways. Daniel’s mother and father became mine. I have no doubt what-so-ever that they grew to love me just as much as they loved their own children. And I have no doubt that God put me in their lives to teach them more about Grace and normal", Love and Family. Dan’s mother, Clara, told me that many times. Dan’s Dad showed it to me in many ways. I wrote them handwritten letters for years. When Clara died, Ray told me many times how much those letters meant to him. I sent him pictures and we visited when we could. Lots and lots of drives to Ohio.

I know the Amish and conservative Mennonite heritage Daniel and his siblings grew up in was very restrictive and caused frustration and at times, anger. But that upbringing left an indelible imprint on Daniel of strong roots, good work ethic, integrity and spiritually. No family is perfect. Ray and Clara didn’t have an exemplary record for parenting and in marriage. But there was a strong spiritual, ethical and cultural thread running through their lives that fulfilled a need I had, as a disturbed teenager-searching for something to hang on to. And there were roots Daniel knew he didn’t want to deny in spite of his strong desire to break free of the confines of legalism.

During these days following Ray Miller’s death and burial we all welcomed the familiarity of those roots. The beautiful Amish-made plain pine coffin made by “Apple Dan”, the hand-made spray of apples, corn shucks, fall leaves, and wheat we put on top of that coffin, the lifting of A-Capella voices singing all the old favorite hymns we learned in many years of going to church; the lines of Amish coming to pay their respects and gratitude to a man who provided transportation to them in their own times of need; the comforting meals provided with love and care by countless Mennonites; the long-time neighbors who expressed tearfully how Ray and Clara had touched their lives in so many ways. All those memories. All those expressions of love and kindness and goodness.

The chapter may be closed now but the story doesn’t stop with their deaths. Their progeny consists of five children, fifteen grandchildren, and so far sixteen great-grandchildren. And that’s not counting members brought into the family through marriage. The family tree will continue to produce and be fruitful in many ways. And we will remember the good times we spent at Grandma and Grandpa’s house... And I, for one, will always be grateful for the role they played in my husband’s life and in mine and the heritage they gave to our children. A chapter closes but the story continues………

Illustrative Artist vs. Fine Artist

I want to address a question I have been asked by many people. It came up again last night as I was showing the proof copy of my newest children's book.....When I Am Quiet, to a group of creative friends. My dear friend and collaborator, Rose Gauss, did an amazing job on the beautiful illustrations. The group had seen some of my drawings on the wall and know I take art classes and make my own note/greeting cards with my drawings. Even though they LOVED Rose's illustrations, they asked why don't I do my own illustrations? The answer is very simple. When I draw, my art is very detailed and precise. Like this:

That might look good hanging on someone's wall or for the front of a note card, but it would bore a child to death. I have tried to be whimsical and less "controlled" in my drawings but it just isn't in me.

Rose is an illustrator. She can draw amazing whimsical, carefree characters that I simply don't know how to do. In illustrating you have to be able to project action, emotions, facial expressions, etc that would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for me to do even though I can draw. My art is VERY different from what would best fit a children's book. Now look at two of the pages from the new book and you will see how very different Rose's gifting is from mine.

www.RoseGauss.com

Rose creates images that engage the imagination and makes the child want to read more. She is perfect for what I want to portray in my books. She “sees” what I write. I am thankful we are a team……and very blessed by her talent. We have a tacit agreement. She won’t ask me to do her job and I won’t ask her to do mine! We are both very comfortable with our gifting and collaborating to create something we both can be proud of.