Find the Joy & have some soup!

Today I am sitting at my table looking at the components of one of my Goddess chokers, they are simply beautiful and celebrate the triple aspect of the Goddess as reflected in the stages of the moon......they were also the absolute first piece I ever designed and created many years ago.  A part of me is kinda sad to see it change but excited at the same time, like the old friend that has come back into my life its like being able to build something new on the foundation of something old.  Funny how foundations are so important, yet we take little or no time to look at them unless of course the structure itself is showing cracks that must be addressed.....well for me its not what I did.

Many of you have come to me and asked me what changed, how come I went from the mentality I was in to this new positive one, strong and happy one.....did I suddenly win the lottery? or have a huge windfall? did my problems just magically disappear? no, no, and sadly no.....they are all still there, even the lack of funds that plague our everyday life, it just is what it is, the difference is simply in the fact that I took a good hard look at my foundation.....what every other aspect of me is built on....no I don't mean my parents, what they did to me or what I feel they didn't do for me, no I looked at me, what I had done, who I was, where I came from, how I created the life I have and how my mindset was also ALWAYS going to affect the life I have....truth is that I could still decide to drive myself nuts worrying about all the things and people that I can't change, but there is no joy in that, my life is really filled with joy, I have a loving husband, a beautiful family that loves me to no end, some blood some chosen, I may not have fillet to eat but we have healthy and happy meals with each other daily.....we have a warm home when the weather doesn't freeze us up, and we have each other to help when our knees get weak, so much to find joy in......the simplest and most complex of things all come down to finding the joy in life and I did....and it was in me the whole time!

That is what changed, that was the breakthrough......

Once that happened all my art changed with it, the same things and mediums I had been doing before suddenly started to shine differently, almost glow in my heart........I stopped looking it as work, I was quite often saying "my work" but it is not work it is my love.....my love of the Divine, my love of life and my love of me that comes out in all the wire I twist, or the clay that slips through my fingers as it molds itself into some creation that will delight me and someone else......that is my big secret.  I do not plan my art it just flows, I do not control it and make it do what I want I have learnt through the many years of creating that there is no control, the energy must move you and you must allow it to move through you, to hold onto it, try to manipulate it or make it into what you think is best is counterproductive to what I do, afterall the art it comes from my connection to my soul, my Spirit, my love of the Divine, not from my brain, eyes or hands that would make it mortally inspired and well yea that is just not the way it is for me........maybe others but not me.

To paraphrase my daughter "I just got up one day and decided to design the life I wanted and loved"  and walla here it is! and I love my life!

ok now back to my redesigned choker, my two bracelets one of Green Aventurine and one of Citrine.....of course after the beautiful lunch with my men of last nite's soup which I have shared here in case you all would like to try a down home Portuguese favourite of mine........Have a great day you all!

Calde Verde 

Potatoes
Collard greens
half a small onion
2 garlic cloves
Chourizo or linguisa if you are really lucky and have it 
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs olive oil

chop onion and garlic coarsley, chop chourizo, saute in soup pan with olive oil, when carmelized add potatoes that have been peeled and chopped to bite size roughly continue to saute till the potatoes look slightly translucent around the edges add water to cover and cook let it cook til potatoes are tender

meanwhile cut collards into strips, only the leafy part none of the longer stems they are more bitter, so if it has no leaf its not part of the soup

add to the soup when potatoes are tender and cook till the greens are tender, add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!