Wishing You a Grateful Heart on Thanksgiving

On this Thanksgiving Day, my goal is simply to be a kinder person and to express my sincere gratitude more often. I will start here with all of you that have come into my life or have reconnected through the internet. A heartfelt thank you to all of you who read my posts. Whether you visit regularly or occasionally, you and your feedback have helped shape my path. Just knowing you are out there, keeps me from feeling so alone and isolated. It really is inspiring and energizing being connected to a global sisterhood / brotherhood of like minded beings!

I am so grateful for each and every one of you! You who have offered me your friendship in good times and in bad; have celebrated, sympathized, advised and supported me. In truth, your kindness has made a lasting mark. Connected by fate, in one way or another, big or small, I carry a little bit of each of you with me always.

Thank you all, thank you very very much!

Here's a few quotes by people who say it so much better than I can.:

"Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone."  ~ G.B. Stern

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice."

~ Meister Eckhart

"Gratitude is the memory of the heart".  ~ Jean Baptiste Massieu

"It is not what we say about our blessings,

but how we use them,  that is the true measure of our thanksgiving." 

~ W.T. Purkiser

Wishing You Many Blessings Always

and a Very Grateful Heart,

X♥O

Saying Thank You

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 

"thank you," that would suffice."~ Meister Eckhart

Much of the day was spent locating image files of the paintings that sold this past weekend. After making a print out of the digital photo I take of each piece, the image is trimmed and mounted to a custom made notecard. For years I have thanked my buyers like this. There is still something to be said for a hand written Thank You note. It's a little tedious, but well worth the effort.  People love them and often keep them attached to the back of the painting. I think my regular collectors would be disappointed if they stopped getting them. It is a wonderful addition to the purchase, allows me another opportunity to express my gratitude and adds provenance to the artwork.

"Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone."  ~ G.B. Stern

A VERY VERY BAD HAIR DAY

After a cut and color (highlights and lowlights) from my usual hairdresser, she styled it and I thought it looked so good when I left. 

But look what I woke up to yesterday morning!! O M G !!

I don't know what she was thinking!! She said she has A.D.D., so I guess we shouldn't have been talking so much.  It was cut so short and wierd in the back! It was as long or longer than those long strands on the sides and I only requested a TRIM! It looks like a man's cut or worse. I had spent the last six months growing it long enough to style it the way I wanted it and now it is shorter than ever!

I thought the hair stylist was just taking a little off the top and around the ears like I requested! I even had brought photos of myself with the style I wanted!! Surprisingly, she doesn't want to see the photos of it, so I am posting them here for her and the world to see. Now I know why she didn't show me the back when I was there! Look how uneven, spotted and blotchy the color is and how choppy the cut is.

After emailing photos and getting advice from my sister in Florida, who's a hair dresser, I had my other sister, Denise, who is an artist, come over and paint in more highlights and lowlights in the back, above the ears and through the top. She also did some trimming to try to fix the back and break up the terrible, cheetah spots and squared off, sheep sheared look. She spent over five hours with me here yesterday. Meticulasly painting tiny strands of hair and working in stages, she was trying her best to blend the color and help me out. She did a great job and got it to look decent enough that I can now go out in public without feeling terribly ugly and extremely self conscious.

I know that this is really a very small, insignificant matter in the big scheme of things. I also know that I will be uncomfortable and a little bummed out about this for quite some time to come. 

Thank God for sisters though! I would be freaking out without their help. Thank you Gaile for your advice and Denise for your patience and artistry! I really owe you one!!

"Helping one another is part of the religion of sisterhood."  ~ Louisa May Alcott

"Sisters annoy, interfere, criticize.  Indulge in monumental sulks, in huffs, in snide remarks.  Borrow.  Break.  Monopolize the bathroom.  Are always underfoot.  But if catastrophe should strike, sisters are there.  Defending you against all comers."  ~ Pam Brown

"Our roots say we're sisters, our hearts say we're friends."  ~ Author Unknown

"Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other."  ~ Carol Saline