This is a photo from a recent Open Heart Studio workshop I offered. You might notice it is at Valley Hair. You might notice the easels, the colors, the open heart mantras.
It just so happens, that I five years ago, to the day I was in a different place. 5 years (to the day of this workshop) ago I had just learned about the possibility of having Thyroid Cancer.
I am in awe of the transformation that has unfolded in my life over that period of time. Painting has been a gift that has helped me to find presence and compassion (as well as the pure joy of creation).
In Open Heart Studio, participants have the opportunity to safely step into silence and color, to open to gentleness and joy. The gratitude I feel for the opportunity to share my delight in the practice, the meditative practice of painting, is enormous.
I look forward to continuing this monthly tradition. Stay tuned for some exciting updates about upcoming sessions.
The juxtaposition of this anniversary (of diagnosis) and the way my life has filled with color and compassion is a reminder to me that for each of us beauty can arrive that is unexpected. I hold a hope and a prayer for each of us that though the hard moments of life cannot be avoided, there is comfort and hope (even beauty) waiting for us.
