This year has been pretty good as far as my artwork goes. I was able to to have two displays in my hometown as well as show my work in two craft festivals as well. New people got to see my art and it led to some purchases in spite of the economy.

  On the other side of the coin it has been a bad one for my friends. One lost her Mother and another lost his Father. One who is a common friend amongst us lost his home to fire with his dog inside. I found out that two Fridays ago a man in my apartment building decided to end his life at age fortynine. This Friday I was at the funeral home once more for another friend in his early fortys after being in and out of the hospital all summer.

  What I found is that you really do need to control the only thing you really have control over, your mind. You have to live in the present moment and most of all, be willing to change your plans. This was reflected in how I would go over to a friends house after their loss and after a bad day at the day job only to return back home to find a message from another friend. At the end of the day no matter how drained, tired, and frustrated you get, you know that you did the right thing be being there for other people. I knew that if I got a half hour a day at the least on a painting that it would become finished if I was patient, and that the art came ahead of the website activities.

  I feel that things are in order again and that I became a little stronger emotionally and that can only help me in the future.