Tag Archives: creativity

With God ~ It’s all good

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Hi, friends. It’s good to be back and say “hey.” But being away on a writing sabbatical was an amazing experience. This was different than writing any other story I’ve done ~ and way more fun than many, too.

Story of With coverThat in itself is noteworthy because due to some changes in family plans and publishing plans, I ended up with a firm deadline for an open submission and only a few weeks to plan and write half of the story. Long, painful days but it was FUN! Only God could do that. And Allen Arnold’s unique book, The Story of With, helped.

In it, Allen invites readers to consider a creativity paradigm shift. God is with us. Matt 1:23 says Jesus would be called Emmanuel, God With Us. Allen asks since God is with us, why do we try to do our creative activity on our own.

I’ve always asked God about what to write and where to submit. How to write the story. But spending time with, and inviting God ~ not to join me as I write but ~ to let me join Him in what He aims to do through me and my words led to an entirely different experience.

FAR SIDE OF THE SEASomeday I’ll pen some posts about the ah-ha moments that made me laugh. Or cry. Or simply stop and praise God.

For now I just wanted to say “hello.” I’m back. And this is the next book I’ll be writing a review of. It looks to be a taut and compelling read. Roseanna White says this: “A complex and riveting tale that you won’t be able to set aside. Bravo!”

Meanwhile, I’d love to know what you’re reading now. Shalom.

Book Review – CONFESSIONS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND by Michelle Cuevas & Jacques Papier

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Jacques Papier is a charming new voice in fiction ~ whimsical and philosophical by turns, making his memoir the perfect book for any age reader. CONFESSIONS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND makes me wish I still had littles around to read stories to.

JACQUES PAPIER Memoir by Michelle Cuevas

As the book says on the back cover, poor “Jacques has a sneaking suspicion that nobody like him. Teachers ignore him when he raises his hand, he is never chosen for sports teams, and Francois the family dog won’t stop barking at him! Thank goodness for Fleur, his sister and constant companion, who knows what he’s thinking even before he does. Then Jacques discover a devastating truth: He isn’t Fleur’s brother; he is her imaginary friend!”

This shocking discovery sends Jacques on an existential, life-changing journey of discovery to learn what makes us us? What is important? Braided with simple yet clever observations and naïve interpretations are mature insights.

As I share a few of my favorite morsels, I don’t have to worry about spoiling your experience when you read the story. This book is chock full of delight, whimsy, and wisdom.

Jacques says our world has a deficit of words. He gives us a list of things he’s observed that have no word. Like Jacques, they exist but somehow they are also lacking identification. Such things as “a square of light on a floor made by the moon … secret messages in alphabet soup … ships that want to stay sunken.” And this snippet shows just how much he loves his sister (despite his being imaginary): “There also is no word for … when someone has a smile that looks so lit up, there must be a lightning bug caught in their head. (For the record, I would petition this word be called Fleur.)”

BK REV - JACQUES - Red Roses 407 crop copyIn chapter 53 Jacques ponders what makes people different and/or valuable. He comes to the conclusion that every person is amazing ~ and most people don’t realize that about themselves because of their perspective, “like a flower that looks down and thinks it is just a stem.”

This story is delightfully creative and filled with things we adults, busy with important stuff as we are, don’t take time to notice. Sounds, for instance. Jacques remembers “the hum of Father’s lawnmower, ticking of clocks, sizzling pans and clicking spoons … the sound of my parents’ voices through the floorboards.” And light, “the shapes of the sleeping furniture.”

Kudos to Michelle Cuevas for bringing readers this book (and humbly taking second billing to Jacques). The cover so aptly portrays the essence of the story. Probably the best I’ve seen! CONFESSIONS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND is captivating. I enjoyed it twice: Once as I read it and another as I shared story and quotes with my husband. Jacques may be imaginary, but he has come to live at our house.

I was going to bundle the review of this short book (168 pages) with a couple others, but it is too good for that, It deserves its own space!

 

Hope & Beauty ~ THE BUTTERFLY AND THE VIOLIN by Kristy Cambron

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A Mysterious painting breathes hope and beauty into the darkest corners of Auschwitz–and the loneliest hearts of Manhattan.

BUTTERFLY & VIOLIN K Cambron

“…As Sera untangles the secrets behind the painting, she finds beauty in the most unlikely of places.”

THE BUTTERFLY AND THE VIOLIN is a powerful story, well told … beautifully told. ‘Tis a gifted writer who can not only open a window for a reader to peer into a different world, but transport the reader there. Kristy Cambron transported me to another world ~ and I don’t feel as if I’ve quite returned yet.

On finishing the story, I closed the cover and felt strangely untethered from my overly hot summer home. Also bereft at leaving behind this place Cambron had so thoroughly delivered me to. I still haven’t analyzed the why. I’m not certain I want to. But I do know that this tale displays our urge to create beauty and the power of beauty to infuse hope. That message resonated with me. I suspect it will with you. (I’ve posted about creativity before. You can read my encouragement here.)

ED n Karl + redwood copy crpThe quiet, reverent awe this book provoked reminds me of walking among the giant redwoods in John Muir Woods.

Below, the blurb from THE BUTTERFLY AND THE VIOLIN ~ which I highly recommend.

“Manhattan art dealer Sera James watched her world crumble at the altar two years ago, and her heart is still fragile. Her desire for distraction reignites a passion for a mysterious portrait she first saw as a young girl–a painting of a young violinist with piercing blue eyes. In her search for the painting, Sera crosses paths with William Hanover–the grandson of a wealthy California real estate mogul–who may be the key to uncovering the hidden masterpiece. Together Sera and William slowly unravel the story behind the painting’s subject: Austrian violinist Adele Von Bron.

A darling of the Austrian aristocracy of 1942, talented violinist, and daughter to a high-ranking member of the Third Reich, Adele risks everything when she begins smuggling Jews out of Vienna. In a heartbeat, her life of prosperity and privilege dissolves into a world of starvation and barbed wire. As Sera untangles the secrets behind the painting, she finds beauty in the most unlikely of places: the grim camps of Auschwitz and the inner recesses of her own troubled heart.”

 

Creative Influence

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Had a lively conversation this morning with my son about friendship and how great friends spur each other to new ideas, greater creativity. He was pleasantly surprised to learn that J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis were members of the same literary discussion group in Oxford, England ~ The Inklings.

Great art touches people. We want to see it for ourselves. We travel to it,study it, watch documentaries about its creation, learn ways to preserve it. No surprise though ~ God the Ultimate Creator has planted part of Himself in us and I believe our creativity is one slice of that.

I love observing some of the forms creative expression takes. My mother-in-law painted portraits & landscapes in oils and watercolors~~also pictures or designs on clothes!

 

My cousin Ray, battling brain cancer for perhaps 15 years, makes lovely wooden vases and bowls.

 

Friend Kay leads a group called Creatively Connecting with God.

My daughter-in-law Sandy painted beautiful designs on furniture and makes any room into something lovely. I suspect when camping, her tree stump table has a few flowers or acorns on it at mealtimes.

Watching HGTV, you often hear home buyers say they want to put their own stamp or style on a house. Then there are the visionaries who turn a train car or concrete bunker into an amazing home. (Have you SEEN the movable apartment one guy has in New York City made from a garbage dumpster?!)

I’ve always been nudged to express things creatively—poetry, drawings, playing guitar—all mediocre, at best! 🙂 I worked with choreographer Liz Lerman who paints pictures with people in motion. Before spinal surgery restricted me, I made pictures with needle and embroidery floss. One of the oddest results of a burst of creativity was a chess set made from bits and bolts from the hardware store. That was fun! Now I paint stories with words.

 

I love seeing youngsters at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch have summer fun and paint horses, then give them great loving massages as they wash them. Amazima Ministries raises funds for programs to empower women in poverty in Africa by selling jewelry THE WOMEN MAKE.

 

There are likely thousands of organizations that help folks use their creativity to empower themselves, multiply its impact, and reflect God.

So, please think about how you express yourself creatively. (You do.) And the next time your youngster plays in a mud puddle then fingerpaints a work of art on the car, be encouraged—they are reflecting God’s image.