Ideas...Yikes!

My friends gave me a little digital voice recorder for Christmas. Early yesterday morning thinking about my daughters birthday some words popped into my mind...of course I was running water in the bathroom and knew I wouldn't have time to write things down and still get to the office. I grabbed my towel and ran out of the bathroom to find my purse...here is what I recorded as I got ready for work...

For my Esther...

My Pookie Bear
With curly hair
Is in my minds eye now.
She dances there
With skin so fair.
Her "pat pat" hugs abound.

For Star -Star shine
Burdens divine
A spirit's battleground
The child has grown
Potentiality unknown
How all of life unfolds.

I trust to you my God above
To quide hersafe. And in Your Love
To keep her heart within Your care-
Evil cannot find her there.
She's my joy, my precious one
My Pookie Bear my Star Star one.

Rarest Truth

Last night I had a few spare unscheduled moments ...and I didn't even have new music to learn so I played with words and thoughts of friendship....

Rarest Truth

In whom can my heart trust?
On whom might my heart rely?
I ponder such and breathe a sigh,
The list is short, in truth untried.
My quest for trust most oft denied;
But rarest truth, the sweetest name
Is that of friend - no higher aim
The rarest truth, the sweetest name
Is yours true friend, one in the same.

Always engaging

As I left my house this morning the fog was hanging heavy in the air. The pond behind my house was as clear and smooth as glass. I was captivated by the almost surreal beauty of what is so familiar in this moment transformed.

This afternoon the sun is shining bright and clear. ...the beauty of creation, ever changing, always engaging. Today I am thankful for sight - the ability to see, to percieve, to experience.

Counting Blessings

As a little girl I sometimes got to spend the night at my cousins house, or a friend's house. I was ALWAYS the first one to awaken. I just couldn't wait to see what wonderful things the day had in store. As an adult I do occasionally like to "sleep in" but I still look forward to each day with anticipation of new opportunities and blessings.
Lest you think I am a niave Pollyanna (well I am, sort of) I hate that bad things do happen to good people. I was saddend to hear a special friend recieved a diagnosis of cancer this past week. When we spoke just a short time after hearing the "C Word", she was upbeat, composed and spoke with clarity. She is as am I, an optimist. Her hope and faith are inspirational. There is such great value in that optimism and the perspective that results. She will not be defeated by a disease - rather she will "infect" all that she contacts with her hope, faith and optimism.
Today I am embracing my day. The joy of purpose, trust in my heavenly Father, the blessing of friendship, the anticipation of hope...each day is still and always, a new beginning, a fresh look, a new opportunity.

Writing grant proposals ....

I have been working on three different grant proposals today. Each of them is designed to fund specific aspects of ongoing arts programming. It can be frustrating and time consuming. There are some times I want to "just forget it" but when I think about the programs and the people who enjoy them and benefit from them I am re-energized to craft a quality proposal.

The photo was taken at one of our summer concerts with a USO theme. The summer concert series is free...30 free concerts during the summer! I so love seeing people enjoy the concerts. (more than 6000 each season) Families with young children will arrive with chairs and blankets. Because of the relaxed atmosphere everyone enjoys the entertainment and smiles are abundant. Some of our audience members are very elderly, and I am always surprised and impressed at how many of the season concerts they choose to attend. This program is such a great resource for our community...here's hoping all my grant proposals will be funded!

BIG return on investment

This is my very first post and a new experiment for me. Today while in a technology workshop for nonprofits I decided today is the day. I'm going to blog!

I think about the arts all the time...it's my job. On some level everyone understands that the arts enrich our lives. But what I pondered was how many understand just how vast the return on an investment in the arts can be.

That statement alone is so multi-faceted that I almost hesitate to throw it out there. I have a good friend who has invested countless hours of time in muscial development. That investment translates into the ability to create for the listener an enjoyable emotive experience that transcends time and space. I have an aquaintance who has invested funds and expertise in raising funds to establish a historic building as a wonderful art gallery. That investment impacts the community and every individual who sets foot in the building for years to come. My colleague is an art teacher, she invests in students. Her investment does much more that create some nice pieces for students to put on their parents refrigerator. Her investment builds critical thinking skills and those students who are involved in the arts are proven to score higher on standardized tests than their peers, they are 4 times ...okay I'll not bore you with a ton of statistics.

What is clear to me is that an investment in the arts - no matter how it is made, (time, talent, education, expertise, funds etc) always brings a powerful return...so the arts do enrich our lives, they enhance education, they also build understanding (that's for another day) and they boost our economy. (Think about tourism and why you travel...) Check out a couple of sites that I work with http://www.minotarts.org/ and http://www.integrityjazzfestival.com/



From my own experience, invest in the arts in what ever way stirs your passion and you will truly find a "big return on your investment".