The Soulistry Blog

Australian calligraphy artist Gemma Black was recently in western Canada teaching a variety of workshops, including one named Art Deco. I first learned about it a couple of years ago and wanted to take it soooo much. I talked about it with the local calligraphy...

As Holy Week continues for Christians around the worldwe pray to you, Mirroring God.  As we look at the face of another at work, at the bank, crossing a border, panhandling, in Hospice care, passed out on a street, at a meeting, in traffic, in the Emergency roomon tv,...

"Soulistry - Artistry of the Soul" is about making the connection between creativity and spirituality and last evening, trying to find a youtube video that would show me how to make cotton/silk flower broaches (creativity), I re-discovered the importance of patience...

A story ... some realizations ... a tender 'memory ... and some conclusions.Faith: One day, in a town troubled by drought for many months, villagers decided to gather and pray for rain. On the appointed day, the people gathered. One little boy came with an umbrella....

A sunset - yes, a sunset! And no, it's not a black and white photo. That's just how it looked that particular night at Yellow Point on Vancouver Island - expansive, beautiful, and breath-taking. The beauty of the sunset with its stark sky, water and land reminded me...

When the busyness of life grabs us, or when we think we have no time, energy, creative juice or zest for life, perhaps it is time to ask ourselves “Where’s the balance?”   Maybe we don’t allow ourselves to simply “be” and instead, we focus on ourselves as a "human...

Whether it’s listening to music, recommending a restaurant, listening to the opinion of another, politics, religion, looking at art, we all have our own perspective, our own viewpoint, our own experience of what we see / hear / taste / feel. When I created this...

It was a full moon.  And as I took this photo, I found myself delighting in the wonder of the globe in the sky that shone so brightly - until hidden by clouds. How often our light is hidden by the clouds we encounter in our lives - clouds of fear, isolation,...

If you’re a dog-person, you’ll know ... how much dogs love ... how long dogs love ... how far dogs will go for you If you’re a dog-person, you’ll know the meaning of ... faithfulness ... loyalty ... forgiveness ... unconditional love If you’re a dog-person, you’ll...

For Kylene, Stuart and their children, the word 'hope' seemed like an empty phrase. But sometimes, a little hope in hearts; a little hope in prayers; a little hope whispered, spoken, cried, shouted becomes reality. Quite a while ago, I read something on a local...

The saying "It's always darkest before the dawn" originated with prolific English writer Thomas Fuller in 1650.  Those were dark days then.  There have been dark days since then.  Many feel that there are dark days now. Before closing the blinds recently, a wondrous...

One little drop of water doesn't seem like much ... by itself. But when droplets of water are put together, great things can happen!  Parched dry crops become nourished by life-giving rain. Flowing rivers abound with salmon. Glistening snowflakes can be a reminder of...

when Darkness began and a loved one left too soon dreams went unfulfilled, a serious illness was diagnosed a pain wouldn't leave,  finances were unsettled the future was frighteningwhen Darkness overwhelmed, the voices of love, hope, joy and peace spoke softly through...

I love stories of "new beginnings" and this is one such story ... and a true story at that!  It is a story about a clock, a very old clock that began its journey long, long ago, in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands (birthplace of my late husband Hans van der...

The words are often sung prior to and at Christmas but ... the words are words for all times:  "Do you see what I see?  Do you hear what I hear? Do you know what I know?"  And those words invite reflection: Do we really see what others see? Does everyone see the pain...

A child asks the everpresent question and the parents try to respond. Sarah: "Daddy, Mommy, I don't understand why some of the kids are so mean to Juanita and Shiandra. They say it's something about them not being really part of our country because they don't have the...

Today.   Today I took a photo of three red maple leaves, prepared the garden for winter, went to our local Farmer’s Market, visited a friend who is recovering from surgery, went to a fun community sing-a-long of the Mary Poppins movie, and voted in our local...

I am a person.  That may seem to be a rather strange thing to post, but before October 18, 1929, in Canada, women were *not* persons. But on October 18, 1929, Canadian women were declared "persons" under Canadian law.  And for that, I give thanks to five 'persons'......