Intervention or coincidence?

I was displaying some of my oil paintings recently and my friend and I were sat behind the display so we were looking at the back of the canvases. She pointed to one of the angel paintings and asked if I had deliberately painted men on the back. As we looked closer, it was obvious that on the back of the canvas, as the light shone through, there appears to be two men on the angel wings! The one on the right looks like a man in a suit and the one on the left wing looks like a man in a hood. Now there is no way I have done this deliberately as it out of my skill zone. So is this angelic inspiration or mere coincidence? Too many times 'Godincidences' happen in my life.

Below you will see the front of the canvas that displays a male angel and the view from behind this painting which shows the two men. Let the viewer decide!

arts and crafts

The results of my creative energies were put on show at a craft fayre at which I had a stall, over the weekend. Not a very successful day though as I think it was the wrong fayre to use. However, not deterred, onwards and upwards as they say. I have now made a variety of skirts, bags, phone socks, specs cases and a host of other accessories, not to mention having fun oil painting on canvas.

 I have an email for anyone who wishes to gain further information at essellcreations@live.co.uk. I will happily send photos and information.

To me, art and crafts are a satisfying hobby as I create things, most of which, up to now, I have given as gifts to friends and family. I have, however, branched out onto ebay, so watch this space for further news

Friendships

Friends come and go throughout life and some friends remain. Since finishing work I now have a selective group of friends with whom I keep in touch. The phrase ’you choose your friends but are stuck with your family’ caused me to think about the friends that I choose. All have different qualities but each one has similar views and opinions to me so there is a personality connection. I feel equality between us and a respect of each other. So I am comfortable around the friends that I choose and can relax and enjoy their company.

So why is it that friends come and go throughout life? Is it based on circumstance or personal need at the time? I have had friends who have moved far away and have inadvertently lost touch and I have had friends where we have drifted apart perhaps because opinions or needs have altered. I do believe that people enter life for a particular reason and when that reason no longer applies, another friend replaces the last. My ‘life’ friends have provided me with various lessons whether that is as a role model, for support, guidance or love.  Some of these are still in my life and some not. 

Basic needs for any person are to feel loved, secure and accepted and friends provide these needs, but not all friends appear according to the rules of the cosmos, they are should also be sought and encouraged by the individual. Friendship is a two way process and so involves giving as well as receiving, so if this world is not too keen to give rather than receive, remember that a true friend is a ‘giving’ friend

Need a Label?

I was discussing last week with my daughter, the value or necessity of  attaching labels to people and it made me consider the ‘labels’ that I’ve either put on myself or have been given throughout my life. Apart from the descriptive tags of mother, sister, etc, these labels can cause a certain behaviour which is expected.

Shakespeare’s in his play ‘As you like it’ wrote-

‘All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players’

If I therefore have a label to conform to, am I in control or acting a role for the benefit of others?

 I don’t necessarily object to labels because they can give defined rules, responsibilities and expectations as my nursing career was governed by the rules of the NMC and my education role held specific responsibilities and expectations.

My point is, do labels help or hinder? Do we use them too liberally; are they restrictive, controlling, cause us to conform? Or does a label describe a stereotype that we can dismiss so easily?

When I first retired I realised that many of my life long labels no longer applied which was quite liberating but also made me think how I had probably  been defined by these labels and now that they did not apply, then ‘who am I now?’  This identity crisis only lasted a couple of hours because I’ve picked up more replacement labels!! I am now an artist, a dressmaker, and best of all- a retiree!

So now, if I therefore have a label to conform to, am I in control or acting a role for the benefit of others? I think that I now have the control because I can now decide whether to play on this world stage or just be a spectator – but that’s another label isn’t it?