Rest is intriguing.  It is the topic I want to learn about.  Here, my granddaughter is resting soundly.  It is refreshing to think about a young child who is not worried about anything.  She is content.  She trusts that her needs will be met.  She can't do much to meet her needs.  She cries or vocalizes when she is uncomfortable or needs something.  Jesus recognized the faith of little children and commended them and advised adults to learn from them and be like them.  In the midst of uncertainty in the world, I am learning from young children.  I can, yes, I need, to rest.  I can snuggle into the bed and trust that my needs will be met.  One day at a time.

I admit rest is not easy to illustrate, for me.  I suppose a peaceful scene would promote rest, but I'm wanting other ways to show rest.  Here, in this painting, we see my husband's knee as he is sitting outside at our firepit a while ago.  We went out there for a fire this past week.  It was restful to not listen to news and just listen to the crackle of the flames.  We did not sit in idleness for rest.  Rather, we poked the logs a lot, adjusting the burn.  The change in noise and activity and focus gave some rest at least for a couple of hours.  

Being in a exhibit can be work, but I'm joining with other artists for this one.  And I'm choosing to exhibit some older work that is already framed and ready to go.  I think three pieces will be in it.  I don't know the other artists, but am resting in the idea that it will be fine.  The event is not anything I planned or organized.  I'm showing up to hang my work and showing up to attend the reception and eat light refreshments.  I think I can have a grateful and restful attitude.  I plan to exhibit "Wired" #1, 2, and 3.

After focusing on "Change" as my blog topic for quite a few months, I thought I would like to change the topic to "Rest."  I am not sure what paintings I have that consider "rest," but I think it is a worthwhile topic.  Resting may involve work.  In the painting above, setting the table and lighting the candle may have been work.  Then enjoying a meal with a candle can be calming and restful.  Looking around, noticing, and also pausing with thoughts about what I am grateful for is restful.  

Some of us have had some difficult times in the past. This house in Malden, Massachusetts, is now repaired and functional again.  It took time and patience and hardwork and money to restore it.  As a multifamily house, other people were also affected by this difficult time.  I hope we can be willing to accept a process for recovery from difficult times.  It may seem like a long way to go, but we can make the journey step by step.

The signs under this emergency fire escape say,  "No parking under the fire escape per order of the fire department $300 fine."  The cones and tape send a message, too. Not being able to park here may be inconvenient (near a convenience store), but in the event of a fire, the fire escape can be employed and people will be able to flee. It may seem useless and perhaps even annoying in the present, but its purpose is to provide egress in an emergency. I can acknowledge the need to be prepared, follow the laws, and adjust my desire for convenience. 

I remember times of wondering whether my children would ever learn to tie their shoes, get up on time, be responsible, remember to say please and thank you, take care of personal hygiene willingly and regularly....  At those times I did not feel very hopeful and questioned my ability to be their parent. Thankfully, my children are reasonably responsible, clean, polite, and can tie their shoes. They now tie the shoes of their own children.  I am glad that I did not stress too much (most of the time) about progress I wanted to see on my time table. Sometimes they learned by suffering natural or imposed consequences, and sometimes they learned just because of having the time and space to grow and learn.

This is a painting from my "Regarding Fire" series.  On day two of high heat and humidity in my area, I thought a sprinkler would be good to cool off.  This sprinkler, however, is supposed to go on in the event of heat from a fire.  I believe it is to minimize the damage of fire.  I wonder about what internal sprinkler systems I might have to go on in the event of heat from pressure, conflict, or frustration. How can I respond?  If I have the time to intentionally wait, I can pray, read and meditate, write in my journal, rest if I'm tired, and eat if I'm hungry.  Sometimes there's no time for those, so I can do my best to respond with clarity and strength, dousing the heat and not adding to it.

Here's a toy fire truck I painted.  The toys belong to my two-year-old grandson. He likes to play with his fire trucks and has some other fire-fighter-related toys. When he hears sirens he often goes to the window to see if he can see a fire truck.  The real fire trucks we saw at the Moody Street Fire House were overwhelmingly huge.  I think he and his dad got to sit in a real fire truck a little while ago, too.  Size, I suppose, is relative.  Sometimes I feel big and sometimes I feel very small.  Both are true.