Where Are Your Feet Taking You?

Where are your feet taking you?
When I look at the foot of a newborn baby I love the little toes and the soft dimpled skin. Where will these feet take him or her? What will they accomplish in the first year of their life? Infants make such incredible leaps of growth and learning those first few years. The first baby steps are always such a marvel to watch. I’ve been told when I was a year old my sisters taught me to walk by putting tubes of toothpaste in my hands to make me think I was holding onto something. It is a false security but it worked. I have given my grandchildren and children a toy to push until they feel comfortable on their own.
Often times when we learn or try a new skill we say “take it in baby steps.” I have found that to be true in most cases. It is easier on the mind and body to ease into something new that’s out of our comfort zone. The steps I have taken into unknown territory have been deliberate and conscience but not necessarily baby steps.
When I take the opportunity to listen to my heart and say “YES” to the things it calls me to do it often means take a leap. My fist trip to China was just that. I didn’t have time to ease into the discomfort or to take small steps I jumped in, committed, did what I had to do and jumped head first. It was not something I can say was easy or that everything fell into place. I had some very scary and uncomfortable moments where I questioned myself, my abilities and my sanity.
Just like a baby needs help in learning to walk, we might need assistance in accomplishing our dreams and visions. When we ask God or higher power to help us with a project we don’t always hear the answer right away it may come through someone else. When others respond with help I believe God sends them in answer to our request. When I was asked to put together a 5 week curriculum to teach in China using power point, I panicked. An answer to my prayer came in the form of a new friend who was my house guest. She helped me put them all together and taught me how to do power point.
When I have followed my heart and listened it has been terrifying and exhilarating. My feet take me where my heart leads. They have taken me to China four times, the Philippines and places in the U.S. and Canada. I’m a firm believer in being a “YES” to what our heart calls us to do. It may sound a little crazy but the rewards are great. Where have your feet taken you and where are you going?

 

Love The People

I grew up in a home with parents who both loved people. Consequently people loved them too. My father never met a stranger, everyone he made contact with was a friend.I used to think it was because he was a salesman. Over the years I realize it was just who he was; a people lover. He saw good in everyone, which occasionally got him in trouble but he made it through. There are many attributes that both of my parents have that I admire and am grateful to inherit. The ability to make friends with new people is one of the qualities I am happy they passed down to me.
My life has taken me a lot of different directions, including foreign lands the past 3 years. It is through the people I have met in these travels that my spirit has been influenced and gone through an evolution of sorts. I have found that individuals have discovered themselves through their own journeys and when they share their stories with me it changes the way I see things. I feel rich with friends who have become my mentors with the way they live their lives. I want to share a story of one of my new friends.

Last weekend I was blessed to travel to Edmonton Canada to babysit my grandson while my son and his wife worked there. I got to play nanny while they did some videography work. When I arrived my son ( who has also inherited the trait of loving people) informed me I would love the concierge they met earlier in the day. He and his wife spoke so highly of this lovely woman who they were ready to adopt as a new best friend. I was excited to meet her the following day.
Patience is from Ghana. She has lived in Canada for a number of years. She moved to Edmonton 3 years ago to help her sister in law raise newborn twins. Until 2 months ago she was a housekeeper at the hotel where we were staying. She was hurt on the job and prayed that God would find her another job soon. Three days after that prayer her boss called her in and said “Patience we get the most compliments from the people on the floor you are working, we need to have you meet everyone not just the patrons on the 6th floor.” He promoted her to be a greeter as people enter the hotel to do what she does best “love the people.”
She is a natural people love and server. A woman of incredible faith in God and not afraid to say it. She met my kids and immediately helped them get settled in their room and fell in love with my grandson. She insisted they let her take their laundry home and do it for them. When I met her we became fast friends.
She touched my heart with her stories of faith and miracles in her own life and others. She sees life as so rich in blessings and acknowledges God for everything she has. The bits and pieces of her personal life that I heard were never a complaint but I could sense it was not easy. She kept praising God for all he gives her.
One of the stories she shared was about a pregnant woman who entered the hotel and she of course greeted her with excitement and love. The woman shared that she was happy but the baby would not be normal. Patience asked her name and what the baby’s name would be. She immediately went to another room in the hotel and prayed for the baby to be born normal. Two months later the woman returned to the hotel with her healthy newborn baby to thank Patience for her prayers.
Patience is what I would call a prayer warrior. I don’t know if I have ever prayed with such faith. She would like to return to her homeland in the next year or so ( God be willing she said). I told her I would return with her. I have something new to add to my vision board. “I go to Ghana with Patience.” There are people to love there and she and I can find them. She called me two days after I returned to the states to make sure I arrive safely as she was praying for God to hold my plane in his hands and get me home to my family.
My life is so enlightened by the people I meet. There are so many good people I have met that teach me about service and love. They have left a mark on my heart and a smile on my face when I say their name. I never want to stop looking for the good in others. There are so many people in this world that can impact us and be resources of love from a higher source. I consider Patience an earthly angel. I hope you have some of your own too.

Artist Zhang Le Work

Artist Zhang Le work

I love all art and have really come to appreciate Chinese art. There are a few street artists I have purchased from. My first day in China I was in Beijing. While walking around we wondered into a little art museum across the street from Tienemen Square. A young man approached me speaking English. He explained that the art in the room was all students trying to raise money for more education. That grabbed my heart right away (whether it was true or not.) I especially love the cherry blossoms so purchased that. The fish and blossoms apparently represent prosperity and the koi is strong and independent. Of course I had to have that one too. I think I am a sucker when it comes to buying from students.
Another painting I purchased was basically an accident ( if there is such a thing). I was downtown Xingheng touring a museum with a student. I saw a village entrance across the street and asked if we could go over there. As we walked into the courtyard we noticed 3 men playing a game with some large blocks. I looked around me and saw paintings on thin paper were hanging over windows. I communicated through my student my inquiry about the paintings and who did them. They pointed to the old man playing games with them. When asked to see his other art he invited us into his home.

One room about 12×12 was filled with hanging art pieces. Mountains, flowers, birds, rivers, and canyons. All of them were beautiful. There were scrolls of art stacked 3 feet high on the floors. In one corner of his room he had a 10 gallon drum hollowed out, topped with a cooking wok. He made a fire in it and used it as a cook top stove. A mattress on the floor served as his bed and a large table in the middle of the room served as his art stand. After his friend read my friend’s palm and told her what was in store for her future and past we each purchased a painting.
While walking through campus my last day in October I came across a young artist working on a painting in the middle of Italian Square on campus. Zhang Le is his name and his art spoke to me. He’s a recent graduate June 2013) from Luoyang Normal University. He has studied art for 7 years but has been a life long artist. He loves friendships with foreigners because they can exchange ideas of how to mix east and west in his art.He combines Chinese traditional ink with color to make that blend.He had beautiful scenes of villages and large pink peonies (Luoyang is famous for their peonies gardens).I was completely broke and had $30 left in my purse to get home on. He was delightful and wanted to sell me a painting. It was painful to walk away from him without one of his masterpieces. I did get his email and started communicating with him.
I decided I wanted one of his art pieces to be the cover of my book. He was so excited when I told him this and he was eager to create whatever I wanted. When I returned in May I wasn’t sure how I would find Zhang. As I was walking across Italian Square one afternoon I spotted him sitting on his little stool surrounded by people while painting a mountain scene. I made my way through the crowd and greeted him. He was so excited to see me and visit. The piece I requested from him was completed and hanging in the Sias cafe. We chatted as we entered the cafe to see the painting. As soon as I saw it I fell in love with it. This young man is very gifted and will continue to be my friend and family. He gave me a family discount because he says “we are now family since we have become close friends.” The beautiful painting of a village on a mountain side now hangs on my living room wall.

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