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Looking Forward with Hope
August
18

Written by: journeyoncanvas

08/18/2020 11:46 AM

The painting, below, is titled “Paradise Lost.” “Paradise Lost” is now finished: literally and metaphorically. I am moving on to new days which, I am trusting, will be full of new pieces of paradise. The journey does not always take me where I want to go, but as I look back I can see that the road I traveled was paved with unexpected wisdom. This painting captures a moment on my journey that feels pivotal. I have been doing much emotional work to be ready for it. Yesterday, I didn’t feel prepared. Today, I am ready. Time is wise and gives me what I need for tomorrow. The closing date on my childhood home is set for a week from now. I have said, “Goodbye” in a number of ways: mostly through remembering with family and friends, taking and archiving photos, journaling, and (in great measure) artmaking. It’s just a house- mostly empty. It was once a paradise full of life and beauty. This is a truth that has been long lost. It is no longer what it once was. I am at the end of a long journey in accepting this, that ironically, brings me home. I see meaning is not about a place, a person, or an event. It’s about how it has all shaped me. The journey did its work. It’s why I look forward with hope. Consider your journey and the internal work it has done for you. What work do you still need to do so that you can be ready for “What’s Next” and say goodbye to “What Was”? What steps do you need to take so that you can look forward with hope? Find a way to say “Goodbye” so that you can let go when it’s time. “Paradise Lost” brings me strange peace. It has been my way of being ready. It’s your journey. Find your way. Then, share what you learn on the journey.
Paradise Lost, 2020
Paradise Lost, 2020

Looking Forward with Hope

The painting, below, is titled “Paradise Lost.” “Paradise Lost” is now finished: literally and metaphorically. I am moving on to new days which, I am trusting, will be full of new pieces of paradise. The journey does not always take me where I want to go, but as I look back I can see that the road I traveled was paved with unexpected wisdom. This painting captures a moment on my journey that feels pivotal. I have been doing much emotional work to be ready for it. Yesterday, I didn’t feel prepared. Today, I am ready. Time is wise and gives me what I need for tomorrow.

The closing date on my childhood home is set for a week from now. I have said, “Goodbye” in a number of ways: mostly through remembering with family and friends, taking and archiving photos, journaling, and (in great measure) artmaking.

It’s just a house- mostly empty. It was once a paradise full of life and beauty. This is a truth that has been long lost. It is no longer what it once was. I am at the end of a long journey in accepting this, that ironically, brings me home. I see meaning is not about a place, a person, or an event. It’s about how it has all shaped me. The journey did its work. It’s why I look forward with hope.

Consider your journey and the internal work it has done for you. What work do you still need to do so that you can be ready for “What’s Next” and say goodbye to “What Was”? What steps do you need to take so that you can look forward with hope? Find a way to say “Goodbye” so that you can let go when it’s time. “Paradise Lost” brings me strange peace. It has been my way of being ready. It’s your journey. Find your way. Then, share what you learn on the journey.

Journey on Canvas Blog: A Place to Share Hope on Your Journey

Journey on Canvas is a spiritual autobiography and spiritual journaling site. The Journey on Canvas Blog will give you ideas for your spiritual journal and give you opportunities to share your spiritual story. This blog is also a place to find hope on your journey. Read, blog with me, and enjoy!

tears for dancing

Tears for Dancing, Age 42

The older I get the less I think about what I can get out of this life. Bad things happen here on Earth and no one is immune. I see my parents suffering, I watch terrible things happen to my friends and I see catastrophic events that create hell on Earth. Revelation 21:4 promises that someday God will wipe every tear from our eyes and the old order of things will pass away. I’m beginning to think that this promise isn’t so far away: it’s just waiting for us at the next stop. Maybe when we die we trade our tears for dancing and enter Heaven. Until then, I'm going to paint, I'm going to write, and I'm going to share when I find hope in this life. That's why I'm here at Journey on Canvas.