It is well...

It is well with me only when I have a chisel in my hand. ~Michelangelo

This is how I feel when I have a camera in my hands--not that my abilities are anywhere close to the artistry of Michelangelo--but I know what he means. It's thrilling to uncover details or hidden gems in things that would appear ordinary to most, or to see beauty in a decaying structure. Photography has opened my eyes to really SEE our world and what a beautiful place it is. It's caused me to take a deeper look at the mundane, find meaning in the insignificant, beauty in the banal, to...connect.

Carving is easy, you just go down to the skin and stop. ~Michelangelo

Many believe - and I believe - that I have been designated for this work by God. In spite of my old age, I do not want to give it up; I work out of love for God and I put all my hope in Him. ~ Michelangelo

Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it. ~Michelangelo

Discover your gift and share it with others. 

Blessings to everyone this Easter. Our weekend will be pretty low-key except for mass. What are you doing for Easter?

I Dreamed a Dream

As most of the world has seen by now, Susan Boyle walked on stage at Britain's Got Talent and proceeded to shatter an entertainment stereotype. Maybe our culture has finally (and rightly) grown tired of plastic, perfect entertainers parading on our screens. She truly opened the collective mind, allowing everyone who watched her to throw out their expectations of what a singer should look like. She is more beautiful than one hundred of the current pool of entertainers. What a gift she has!

I wish someone had warned me how moved I would be to witness the performance of this unassuming, humble soul. For the last several days I've been seeing links about her and avoiding them. I don't believe in cruelly poking fun at someone for their efforts simply because they look different from others. But because I was bored and had to watch something, I clicked on one of the YouTube links, fearing another William Hung performance. Initially, I felt sorry for this woman who was obviously being laughed at in such a public way. However, my pity soon turned to awe as she opened her mouth and let go that first note. When the crowd rose to their feet in applause and I saw the looks on the judges' faces, I became filled with emotion.

Look her up and be inspired. (I would include a video here, but embedding has been disabled on YouTube.) The lyrics to the song make this even more profound.

I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed

Venus, Cupid and Me

This is one of my favorite paintings by Titian. It has been hanging in my master bathroom since the fall of 2004. My daughter and I had gone to a Renaissance exhibit in Memphis and I just had to have it. At the time, I was 20 pounds lighter. These days I look at it and think: My body really looks like her. Why can't plumpness be fashionable? Immediately, I start to feel bad about myself. What was once my favorite print, has become a source of disgust. If only I could disassociate my own flabby tummy from it and return to the time when I enjoyed this lovely piece. Why should my similarity to the woman's shape change the way I view it? Isn't she still beautiful? Yet Venus seems to say to me, "No one would paint you. I'm afraid you're past your prime, dear." Then she sticks out her tongue, lolls happily with the animals and angels, completely comfortable with her rotundity. Saucy wench.

Actually, there are many things I love about this painting. Initially, I was drawn to it because of the Papillon at the foot of the chaise. Venus' body seems to glow against the dark scenery, lending an ethereal quality. Cupid reminds me of a Raphael angel with his round face and pudgy hands. I always wanted a nude Renaissance print hanging somewhere in my house. Little did I know that I would soon take on the likeness of the nude and end up with a complex.