Coming Soon.

I entered the summer with a mission. 

To change. 

Or rather to try to stop changing. 

Not making any sense is it?  Allow me to explain.  

I could sum up the past four years quickly.  "Dream big, then bigger, then even bigger!  Try out all the hobbies, be the best mom, the best artist, the best marketer and business woman.  Run yourself silly.  Always look to the next big thing. Make plans. Lots of plans.  Detailed lists matter.  Detail them even more. Have a life plan for the next five years. Try to get noticed.  Spend lots of time on social media to get noticed."

I mean, I just can't bear to go on because all that just feels yuck.  It feels like a line I once read in a Shauna Niequest book where she had journaled to herself "DO EVERYTHING BETTER".  Isn't that such a sad, hopeless thing to write?  

Then along came the last six weeks or so.  Something changed.  Through songs, books, quotes, scriptures, and other people, my thoughts and life have done a 180.  I can't tell you how many times over this summer, in the most ordinary of moments, I've heard God whisper "Sara, This. Is. It.  This moment, all of Heaven is holding their breath to see how you will worship.  When you respond with grace and patience, cook your family a beautiful meal, mow the grass, or pull the weeds with gladness....you are serving me, worshipping me, delighting me.  Right. Where. You. Are.  This is it!"

I don't have a life plan, other than to worship my Jesus wildly.  That doesn't look like a million followers or a dozen "likes" for me.  But it does mean pushing past the thoughts that everyday is mundane, that boatloads of dishes are boring.  It has made me see how important my calling is, as both mama and artist.  Things have gotten a lot simpler around here.  Every time I show up to create with my paints I get a bit nervous at first.  I feel like the whole world is peering in through my studio window, noses pressed against the glass all wondering "What will she do with her art?  Where will it land? How will she reach us?"  But the truth is I make the art because the peace of God shows up when I do.  It's plain and simple.  Art is my thread connecting me to God, stitching this part of my day with that.  

My family, my home, my friends, my community, the things that make my heart ache, the garden, the farm, my neighbors, nature, my health, my mind.....these are as much a beautiful piece of art as any other.  They are like paintbrush and paint, music and lyrics, thread and needle.  I need them, they need me.  

It is out of that place, where my first series of art has shown up.  I've had the same art in the shop for a while and it truly still has my heart (or it wouldn't be there at all).  However, I feel a new story coming on.  I call it "Grace and gladness.  Trusting and treasuring."  

Grace for my girls, my Brett, myself. 

Grace from my Father. 

Grace to stop trying to do everything better.

Gladness for the shade of blueberries,

the deep laugh of my girls,

the wonder of wildflowers,

the beauty of a butterfly. 

Trusting I'm enough,

trusting I don't need a better marketing plan,

trusting God for my life plan,

trusting I don't have to have all the answers,

trusting each day is art and a gift.

Treasuring the hugs from my girls,

treasuring Brett with homemade cobbler and hand-holding,

treasuring my story enough to journal, photograph, and savor it,

treasuring my art and creating out of the deepest part of my soul,

treasuring friendships,

treasuring the miracle of every single day. 

This collection of art prints and original canvases (as seen above) will debut mid-July, in addition to a brand new blog look!  

With the new look and new art both, I won't be diving into the world of advertising or changing into a flashing neon sign.  I simply pray and hope to reach down even deeper into my roots and let what's buried there shine and bloom up here.

I'll keep you updated.  In the meantime, stick around for posts on my favorite nature supplies for kids,  camping adventures, chasing the light, and what I've been eating! It's going to be a fun summer on The Rosy Life!