Fortitude

Fortitude

September 21 is my daughter’s birthday! I would love to be going to visit her today. I have to admit, though, in one area I failed at least half the time. I rarely got a birthday cake baked for my loves. I have no idea why I consistently failed in that area. We had a lot of other birthday traditions that we practiced, but those cakes always seemed to get the better of me.  

One of the things we started at one point was decorating our meal table with photos of the honored person. I spent a day going through photos, both digital and printed, to choose the best ones or the ones that helped tell an interesting story. We have a pretty large table, so it would take a LOT of photos to cover the whole thing. I would put a clear heavy plastic cover over all of it to protect the whole scattered, jumbled, fun bunch of memories.  The collection would stay on the table for weeks, and sometimes we would switch from “our spots” at meals to enjoy a different photo grouping. What fun those photos brought! Such storytelling and teasing. Such love.

16" x 20"

Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on deep, gallery wrapped canvas

Ready to hang

Click here to purchase on my website. 

My autumn baby is a lover of all things fall, now that she is an adult. Sweaters, hot drinks, bonfires… So, in honor of her birthday, I have chosen autumn colors to work with for my daily challenge painting. The composition that I chose today is the uneven, or cantilever composition, which should be carefully balanced to work well. It is not a composition that I use a lot, so it is taking several layers and do-overs as I work today. A lot of mistakes are being covered, always leaving a mark to enhance the finished work. Sometimes, especially beautiful parts show up unexpectedly, and I am working hard not to cover them up.

The Birthday Girl is a hardworking, fun loving, dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. One of her favorite words is “Fortitude”. She is very good and keeping at something, not giving up, and working to make beautiful something that may have started as a mistake. And when her Heavenly Father brings about something in her that is especially beautiful, I hope that those around her see that, and work hard not to cover it up or ignore it.

Hebrews 4:14 – 16 (ESV) Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Acts 11:23  (NASB)

23 …  he [Barnabas] rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart [steadfast purpose ESV, firm resolve of the heart HCSB] to remain true to the Lord