Things change.

“You can't have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.”
- Charles F. Kettering

First, let me apologize for the gap in posting to my blog. I spent a lot of time leading up to the Christmas season wishing that things were the way they used to be, thinking about better days and I couldn’t find any inspiration to write.

The weeks leading up to the holidays of 2009 were tough, when knowing that for the first time, my Mom would not be part of the festivities. I felt her loss in every aspect of the Christmas season this year; from the decorating, to the shopping, to the decisions involved in what/where and when to celebrate.

Christmas sure was different – but not different bad, just different. Thankfully I got to spend some quality time with my Dad, including a very nice Christmas Day steak dinner with just the two us. I still got to cook the Christmas Dinner with all the fixin’s, but did it on Boxing Day when more of us could be together. So my memories of Christmas 2009 are fond ones.

Creatively, I ended the year on a high note: I was successful in finishing a challenging painting I’d been working on too, which brought me some much-earned satisfaction. As part of a call to artists for “An Evening in Paris” theme painting, I tried my hand at painting buildings and figures, with some success. The painting was a hit, and I had a buyer before it was even hung for display. (Thanks, Marlene.) I’ve decided to create some limited edition prints of it, which I hope to have available in time for summer art shows/sales.

I just finished my first painting of 2010, my Bozley portrait for My Biggest Fan (MBF), which I’ve been promising for some time. It took a while to complete due to some unplanned life events (which I’ll explain in a minute) but the effort was worth it, I am truly happy with the final painting, and it will be hung with love in our home.

Sometimes when you love something, you have to love it enough to know when it’s time to let it go. That’s precisely what I had to do on February 8th, when our family chose to say goodbye to our Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Kramer. He had been my trusty sidekick for almost 13 years. He had been in failing health for almost a year, and I just couldn’t watch my little friend suffer any more. We decided to make his transition over the rainbow bridge happen sooner than later, so that he could enjoy being a dog again. It’s a good thing there’s an unlimited supply of cookies in doggie Heaven, because he loved those things. In his final days when he wouldn’t eat anything else, he still ate his cookies.

Kramer will be memorialized in many future paintings, and forever in our memories.

My worry shifted to my Dad last week, as he suffered a mild heart attack and he spent the week in the hospital. After many prayers and a quick “tune up” I’m happy to report he’s feeling better and he’s on the mend.

So for now I’m staying focused on the good things in my life: my family, my new job, my friends, and my creativity. With a mix of all of them, I’m assured of a better tomorrow.