A Collection of Butterflies

Almost everyone collects something. I have several collections myself, including M&M’s, Care Bears, PEZ dispensers, bags, and foreign money, and quotes. Some of these collections are specific – I only want Care Bears stuffed toys, not all the other Care Bear stuff (puzzles, games, etc) and not the newest version of the toys (they’re honestly a bit creepy). Quotes, on the other hand, are only limited by my interest in the message they deliver, which is really quite vast.

Most people, I’ve noticed, tend to collect animals; I also know of some collections of specific objects (lighthouses, Nutcrackers, baseball cards) that are more readily available than some of the things I’ve chosen. And of course, some collections are worth more than others (rare stamps vs. PEZ dispensers for example).

Well, this week’s first prompt kind of goes along with this idea of collecting, except chances are good it’s not the actual object you’ll be using:

I chose this shoe because I happen to have a collection of images already – feet. I also collect other images, broken up into many different categories, but I admit my feet/converse shoe collection is one of my favorite. My little sister is slightly obsessed with them as well, so she’s added quite a few photos for me.

This weeks’ second prompt, in an indirect way, actually involves one of my other collections:  quotes. Except I called it “personal mantra”:

“A personal mantra is a positive phrase or affirmative statement that you say to yourself for the purpose of motivation or encouragement.” I used this image because many of us decide on a mantra, main goal, or verse for the year during our New Year’s celebrations and manic decision making. Although I hadn’t really thought about it in these terms, I’ve had one quote rattling around in my head all year:  “If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies.” So I think that would be considered my personal mantra for 2013. It goes well with my one little word (explore) and I definitely need to embrace some changes in my life.

So now it’s your turn. Take some time this week to think about a collection of images you have, or one you’d like to start, as well as a personal mantra for the remainder of this year (it’s almost half over already!). Do they go together somehow? Try to make a journal page with both and share it in the comments section! (Just FYI:  I wouldn’t recommend forcing the combination, as in picking an image and then coming up with a phrase to go with it. Not as meaningful.)

Spread Your Wings

This week for Mixed Media Monday I want to share this canvas I made for my friend Grethe. Come August, she’s moving about six hours away from here, which has been her home her entire life; although she’ll have her husband and puppy, she will be, for the very first time, too far away from her parents to drive over and visit. She has a close relationship with her mom, not quite as fun as Gilmore Girls but one that I find fascinating nonetheless.

It was this new adventure that inspired the design for her canvas. I wanted her to have something fun and cheerful, but also encouraging and meaningful. I wanted it to be something she could look at when she was homesick and remember that all journeys begin with that first (and sometimes most difficult) step.

Somehow I doubt this small token of my appreciation of her and her friendship the past six months said anything quite so profound; but I really like how it turned out! I used a fun stamp I got at Paper Pals (the girl), cutting out each piece on different colors and patterns. Then I put her on a chipboard butterfly so she’d really be able to spread her wings. The background was just a simple patchwork of colors, and of course a few pieces of washi tape for interest.

I already miss Grethe, I miss our lunches together and having someone to throw things at when I was in a playful mood (I never did throw anything, but it was nice to have the option). And I miss how safe I felt with her, although “safe” isn’t exactly the right word….just, more myself than with most people I guess.

I know that God has a great plan for my friend, and I imagine one day we’ll reconnect and our kids can have a play date. At this rate her kids will probably be old enough to babysit mine [smile]. I’m excited for her new adventure and proud of her for being willing to try – to spread her wings and see how far she’ll fly.

Fly In Formation

“The trick is not to rid your stomach of butterflies, but to make them fly in formation.”

~ Author Unknown

I realized something earlier this evening:  today was my last free weekday before the start of a new school year. Which led to another realization:  I haven’t really done anything to get ready, or even really thought about what I’ll be doing at the new school, because I’m still so excited I got the transfer!

I’m not really nervous to start at a new school; I know how to do this job, and I know I can do it well. In fact, I’ve been doing it well these past two years in this very District. I’m actually really excited that I will finally be working in an environment where that fact will be noticed and appreciated, which will go a long way towards helping me find a teaching job once I’m certified. And that may happen sooner than I expected. God is definitely working things out for me!

To be honest, I don’t really remember ever being nervous about anything. I have wondered, on occasion, who first described it as “butterflies in the stomach” and how they came to that analogy. I imagine it’s a soft fluttering of some kind, like when a butterfly brushes its wings against your cheek. That doesn’t seem so bad, though. I think a better comparison would be a flock of ducks. That would be unsettling! But so powerful if you really could make them fly in formation….

My New Wings

“If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies.”
~ Anonymous

I made this canvas this morning, and I’ve been thinking about this quote all day. This is one of my new favorites. It seems to represent so many areas of my life lately. All the things that have been changing, mostly positive changes, have been giving me a new sense of self – like emerging from the cocoon with wings.

In a lot of ways, I feel like a new butterfly. I’ve talked about this in other blog posts, although I’ve used a different metaphor (coming out of the cave); I have been changing and growing, and learning to see myself in a totally new way the past two months, and this transformation has been amazing. Well, now that I have my new wings, I want to see how far I can fly! I was born to teach, and to write, and to create. If I stay where I am, I feel like I’m suffocating.

That’s because one area I’d like to change in my life is my job situation; I love children, and I love teaching, but where I work now is so stressful it makes me ill. The worst part about it is that all of the stress originates with one person. I know that I should be praying for her – and I do – and that I need to have patience and be professional and respectful. Those aren’t always easy to do, and I definitely struggle with them, but after two years I don’t want to fight anymore.

Tomorrow I have a chance to make this change a reality; I’m stepping out in faith, trusting that God will continue to lead me where He wants me to follow.