It is the small simple things of life that bring us peace.



Monday, January 26, 2015

Creating Yourself, part 2

Life is about creating yourself. I have many thoughts to share about that statement, many of which are still swirling around in the salad spinner brain.  And, dear readers, I think you also have thoughts about how the events of your life have led you to be the person you are today as well as the person  you want to be.  I think in the process of creating ourselves we incorporate a selective process where we attach ourselves to what we want to be and try to move away from that which we do not want to be.  In the process, we create the person we are happy to be. 

As I mentioned in the last post, I was creating myself when I started this blog.  Little did I realize that it would, in turn, lead me to other bloggers who are of like mind as well as some who have given me insight into different avenues of thought.

Through an internet search one afternoon I found the Preservation in Mississippi blog which has kept me in touch with preservation efforts in the other state that I love and call home in my heart. I have travelled virtually all over the state reading about the preservation of and sometimes the loss of historic treasures.  My love of old buildings was buried deep down inside, I knew it was there, but it needed to come bubbling up to the surface.  It needed to be released so I could incorporate it into my life - part of the creating process.

From that blog I found Suzassippi's blog after she became a regular contributor to Preservation in Mississippi.  She recently wrote a lovely post that shared our chance connection and how we connected through post office murals and cemeteries. She shares words about historic places (and pictures, too) and introduced me to the Living New Deal project.  She also writes about life in Mississippi as well as her trips home to Texas and a dear horse named Rio. She likes good food, pots of tea, and good wine!

Suzassippi in turn led me to other bloggers that have expanded my world.  She introduced me to Lana at Hickory Ridge Studio.  Lana shares good recipes on her blog, writes about her love of music and horses, she quilts and does needlework, and is a working mother with a precious little one.  Often she shares about her struggles with the lack of time and so many things she wants to do.  I relate to that struggle and it encourages me to know that I am not the only woman with not enough time to do the things I need to do, much less the things I want to do.  Lana also is a super photographer and catches the Mississippi landscapes to share with her readers.

She also introduced me to LindaRe's blog, Between the Gate Posts.  LindaRe is a genealogist who  describes herself as a community researcher who intertwines family stories with historical events.  She has some amazing stories that are heart wrenching to read, but need to be shared so they are not forgotten.  I'm thankful for her dedication to sharing these stories as she is also busy tending to her family.  LindaRe also includes photographs and illustrations of the people and events she writes about, bringing reality to the stories.

One last blog I want to mention before I close is Southern Lagniappe.  Janie is a photographer who shares fabulous pictures from around Mississippi along with beautiful devotional thoughts.  She has the artist's eye for capturing nature and I'm grateful that she shares it on her blog.  Flowers, trees, and nature always lift my spirits and her blog inspires me to keep on working on my photography skills. 

Thank you to all of you who blog and share your world with me.  You have inspired and encouraged me more than you will ever know. 

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for the acknowledgements to all of us who do this "work" on top of our regular work. It is a highlight of my day. I particularly appreciate your description in the first paragraph of how we attach ourselves to what we want to be, move away from what we do not want to be, and in the process create the person we are "happy" to be--it's the last, create the person we are happy to be, that really captures it. And, the sun is shining in Mississippi today!

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    1. I'm going to have some more posts on this creating topic as it is intriguing to me. Thank you for your comments, and I checked the campus web cams today and the winter sun was beautiful!

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  2. Thank you so much for your kind words. I've been a full time artist and to have to step away from that was welcome at that time and also very hard. I'm so happy I've found you and Suzassippi and the many other bloggers that help fulfill that artistic side of me. I love seeing your home there in Texas! Maybe one day I'll get to travel a bit more and I definitely want to spend some more time in your beautiful state.

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  3. Lana, it must have been very hard to step away from your art work, but your blog is filled with your artistry and creativity! Our blogs are an extension of ourselves. I hope you can get to Texas (let me know if you are down this way) and I'm hoping to get to my dear state of Mississippi later this spring!

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