I am so excited to introduce you to Sylvia Robertson from Sylvr Pen today!

Behind the scenes, sacred synchronicity happens. I asked if Sylvia would like to share a poem, which I in turn would respond to with a mixed-media collage. After savoring her poem, I asked her to share a little of her experience behind the poem. And she did!

And now, here you go! Enjoy these words from Sylvia’s heart and pen.

When a Number Gets You Down (Your Age)—In Which I Reveal a Dirty Little Secret (Mine)

“The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” –Psalm 90:10 NKJV

“October 1, 2015.” I wrote it at the top of my journal page, and looked at it. It seemed ominous. Psalm 90:10 resounded in my head. I felt like I was standing at the head of a street marked with a big “Dead End” sign.

For so much of my life, autumn had been a time of new beginnings. New crayons, new pencils, new notebooks, new clothes, new classes, new adventures! I had taught school. I had home schooled. Before all that I’d gone to school as a pupil myself, and the brilliant leaves that drifted down to a clatter on the sidewalk had always excited my young heart. Their fresh color and crackling crispness had always said “new,” to me, not “old,” with a newness to match the prospects  of a new year: school-wise, grade-wise, and age-wise, too—for my birthday almost always arrived right at the peak of fall color.

But now my approaching birthday, and the turning leaves, and the chilling air, all seemed to speak of endings. And oldness! After all, I would now be officially old, wouldn’t I? In fact, I would have used up all the allotted days that Psalm 90 talks about!

“And,” I wrote in my journal, “it isn’t an age that tends to make people think of hopeful futures or educational equipping for them, or new energetic adventures. Instead it’s more associated with a lot of crass jokes about what doesn’t work anymore (in the body or mind), with slowdown and greatly diminished activity, and with the themes of out-to-pasture and end-of-usefulness.”

Well! Whenever you start thinking along such lines, you head yourself right toward the pits—and you’d better get yourself another think, and head yourself in the opposite direction!

So I did.

And as a result (of that and a surprise family birthday party that I think was my best birthday ever), by the end of October I had penned the following poem expressing my new heart-view.

[In upcoming Thursday (“Themesday”) posts on my blog, I plan to share in more detail how my spirit got turned around so totally. But for now, let’s just say that to great extent it’s a matter of what you choose to notice. For instance, that scripture verse above was composed by Moses… who,  at the age of eighty, led the whole nation of Israel out of Egypt, and who continued leading them afterward till his death at the age of… 120! (Selah! i.e., So there!)]

Autumn, 2015

Since I reached that day
of life’s expected limit,
something changed.

Each day after
glistened brighter,
first thing off,
even in the still-dark hour of my awaking,
a precious gift acknowledged,
a surprise.

“Every day I think of death,”
she said.

I think that’s also true of me,
I mused.

But nothing morbid in it,
nothing sad.

Only joy at realizing
what gift, daily, the alternative—
what still-breathing, singing
tide of opportunity—
like the piquant untamed autumn air,
full of color flying,
there at each window-opening.

***

“Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, -Psalm 92:13-14 NKJV

 

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Sylvia shares her penned prose and poetry at The Sylvr Pen. Click here to read about the “what” of her blog.

Copyright 2016. All Rights Reserved. Prose and Poem by Sylvia Robertson. Artwork by Kel Rohlf.

 

 

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.

(1 Corinthians 10:23 NIV)

When a good thing ends, I often feel lost. February brimmed over with purpose and perspective. I miss the daily challenge and journey. Now that our challenge is over, how are you feeling? Has life swallowed you up, like it has me?

March swept me up like a withered winter leaf in a gusty wind, carrying me right out of my routine. I sporadically write in my journal and mess around with collage and other media, but mostly I find myself rushing through the task of each day. Thankfully, I have slowed down a bit this week, and I want to get back to a rhythm with posting here.

I would like to continue to fan the flame of journal prompts and other creative links. Later this week, I plan to bring you a guest post.

Having the series in February kept me focused, so I wonder what would be beneficial and constructive here over the next month or so. What do you want from this blog? What have you enjoyed the most over the years? Let me know in the comments and I’ll consider them, as I create a plan for the next few months.

For now, I leave you with a few glimpses of goodness that brightened my path:

Son #2 resumed his own blog this month. His series on pilgrimage made me smile and think.

Pilgrim’s Travelogue no. 1

Pilgrim’s Travelogue no. 2

Pilgrim’s Travelogue no. 3

The orchid display at the Botanical gardens(which I enjoyed with a good friend!)

And here are some whimsical and fun things that emerged from my visual/art journal in the past few days:

And the daily canvas challenge continues, with small or bold additions, depending on my mood, I guess. Today marked day 67! (Follow me on Instagram to witness the daily changes.)

In case you miss the journal prompts, here’s one to ponder:

What’s most beneficial for me, right NOW is . . .

Desire realized is sweet to the soul . . . (Proverbs 13:19 AMP)

 

We did it! 29 Days of Seeing NEW!

My perspective has been been enriched by your presence via comments and just knowing that you are out there loving yourself, nurturing your created self.

I would love to hear about your discoveries and joys, as you spent this month practicing self-care. I believe neglecting our own well-being limits our ability to truly care about others, to care about the people and the world around us, which we were designed to care about.

Here are three prompts that I regularly respond to in my journal. I give myself 5-10 minutes to quickly answer them. I like to visit these about once month, and especially if I’m feeling stuck, bored or even sort of depressed. (My sister, Gillian, gave me this idea, and I am so thankful she shared it.)

Here you go!

I want . . .

I need . . .

I cannot . . .

And as we say good-bye to this series, will you consider one more prompt as you look to the days ahead:

I intend to . . .

 . . . mercies begin afresh each morning. (Lamentations 3:23 NLT)

 

We’ve been working a little each day, or if you’re like me, maybe you took several posts and caught up in one day. Either way the principle of doing a little each day, truly does bring accomplishment and a sense of completion.

In my opinion, creative work is never finished, but renews itself each day. It takes a new twist or turn, like a journey. A finished product may signal arrival at a destination, but there’s always another creative adventure waiting ahead.

Where are you at today? Looking back marveling how far we’ve come or lamenting that this particular journey is almost over? Express your feelings in your journal or with art supplies.

Some practical advice, if you want to maintain this creative practice, notice where you’ve been doing this work. Did you like your physical space? Do you need to try a different place to stay engaged or does the comfort of the familiar appeal to you? What time of the day did you generally write in your journal or play with art? How often did that time get interrupted? Is there a time you’d rather set aside for yourself? Why or why not?

Did you try pairing? Did you find a favorite pen or journal or art technique that you found yourself returning to? How likely are you to continue giving yourself permission to play? List the benefits of this practice. Did the benefits extend beyond the practice itself?

If you don’t feel like answering any of these questions, try this prompt instead:

The creative practice that works for me is . . .

or try the I notice, I am surprised by and I am aware of feedback prompts to reflect on the journey thus far.

Or give yourself a break, and enjoy a warm beverage.

It is pleasant to see plans develop.(Proverbs 13:19 The Living Bible)

 

I hope as we have journeyed together, you have caught a spirit of adventure and a renewed desire to create with words and images in order to take care of yourself, to treat yourself, to give yourself time and space to breathe, to think and to dream.

What questions have surfaced as you’ve journeyed through this month? We haven’t really discussed how questions can be great prompts for your journal.

Try responding to a couple of these questions today:

Where do you dwell?

How does planning impact your life, your creative practice?

What would it look like to continue on the perspective journey, once our 29 days together comes to a close?

Questions can often be a great way to brainstorm a topic. A friend once pointed out that there is a quest in every question.

If questions baffle you, be gentle. Go play with images and a glue stick. I like this collage because of the images and words. I glued some text on the page, and later came back and made a blackout poem. I really like the phrase: “she is always and never the same”

It gives me pause. It could be another great prompt to argue with in your journal. Is this true? How can it be true?

It resonates with me. How about you?

to place fresh
such as these
where they can echo
those.

layering suggests only —
all.

anonymity
is one of the things most
endearing.