Sheltering Hands -Paint Party Friday

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord,

"My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust."

~Psalm 91:1, 2

His Shadow overshadows Life's Shadows.  
Take heart, be strong, 
There is great Hope 
In the midst of life's gathering storms

I am re-posting this drawing, because I am still ill and don't feel like doing much.  I've been sick for about two months now...   So, I finally went to see the doctor for the third time and she says I have pneumonia.  With antibiotics, I hope to feel better in a few days.  Which will be good, because I am speaking at a Women's Retreat this coming weekend!  Of all things, our subject is "Journey to Joy."

You are such a blessing to my heart when you come by.  Happy Paint Party Friday! ((hugs))

Their Guardian Angel -Paint Party Friday

When I was a little girl, my Mother gave me a beautiful painting for my bedroom.  "It's your little brother and you," she would say.  I loved that picture.  I would often fall asleep looking at it--knowing in my little girl heart that my own Guardian Angel was there beside me.  That print still hangs in my office today. 

This past week, inspired by that wonderful vintage picture, I drew my own version--only with sisters crossing the bridge.  I have the sweetest sisters in the world--and this is for each of them.  I love them dearly and I am incredibly blessed to have them in my life.

Above you see the wonderful artwork which encouraged me for so many years.  I did some research and I discovered there's an interesting backstory to this painting.

In the 1800s artists across Europe began selling paintings of guardian angels watching over young children as they traveled perilous pathways along dangerously high cliffs.

In 1900, a German postcard maker broke that tradition and published a painting by an unknown artist featuring two children and their guardian angel watching over them as they crossed a precarious bridge over treacherous waters

The postcard found an especially receptive audience in the hills of Appalachia, where just about every family used a broken-down, dubiously safe bridge to get home.  Those bridges were built over  steep valleys where flash floods and swift waters were common.

Over time, people associated the painting with God's protection in all of life's hardships.  Mothers and Grandmothers across the mountains began hanging this picture in their living rooms. Today the painting is recognized world wide.

Thank you, dear ones for reading this fascinating bit of history and for dropping by!  It is a happy treat when you visit.  I deeply appreciate your encouraging comments.

May God protect your dear ones and bring hope to your hearts.  Happy Paint Party Friday!

Wrapped in His Feathers -Paint Party Friday

I was going through some piles of my old artwork when I found a drawing I'd penciled onto lined paper, dated the year 2000.  The drawing struck such a chord in my heart, I put the idea to paper once again. 

My life has been so different since my husband passed away recently.  I have run into the arms of Him Who loves me so many times over the past few months.  Ah, He covers me with His feathers and keeps me safe, next to His heart.

He will cover you with His feathers, 

and under His wings you will find refuge; 

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

~Psalm 94:1

A Song of David 

Happy Paint Party Friday, all you lovely artists and beautiful people. Thank you for dropping by.

Angel Praises

Here you see an angel, face full of praise, rising toward heaven. The smaller photo is the original photograph before cloud painting!

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Speaking of angels, I am so very grateful for the intervention of these amazing beings in our lives. I have some wonderful stories about angels.

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When I was in my early 20's I lived with my grandmother, next door to my parents. One day Dad and Mom asked me to use their car to pick my brothers and sister up from school. On the way home, a tire blew out on the old Lamaze. Narrowly missing a cliff, we landed in the hedge along the edge of an old man's front yard.

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The little old man could not help, but he let us use his phone. However, because Dad and Mom did not own another car besides the one I was driving, no help was to be found. Dad and Mom stopped right then and there to pray that God would send help.

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Meanwhile, my siblings and I were assessing the damage to the tire. Just then a sparkling white tow truck pulled up--no insignia on the side of it. A buff fellow about my age, with long blonde hair and wearing sparkling clean white coveralls, jumped from the tow truck.

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"Looks like you need some help," he said with a grin. Then he hooked our car to his truck, pulled it from the bushes, and backed it down into the old man's driveway. "I can't help you change your tire, but I can show you how to do it." This he did, then with a wink and a wave he drove away. My siblings and I ran to the top of the driveway to wave our thanks, but to our astonishment he and his tow truck had vanished. The road was clear in both directions. There was no possible physical way that tow truck could have gone out of sight so quickly.

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Angels watching over us. Angels sent to help--in answer to the fervent prayer of our parents.