No Place to Hide is the Only Place to Be

This goes along with my previous post about not “running away from the runway.”

I’ve said this before, you all know that Dan attracts A LOT of attention, and it’s not always positive. There’s no place to hide when I’m with him. He makes noises, flaps his hands, skips and jumps as we are “walking” to our destination. A simple excursion to CVS has to be planned. If I’m not centered and prayed up I can go gangsta on you If anyone says something stupid.

Okay maybe not “gangsta” but you will hear my mouth, if I don’t walk away crying first.

Last year,  we went to the Natural History Museum and on our way back on the train we met a man who started asking questions about Dan, the train was crowded, Dan was making noise and, of course, all eyes were on him. Long story short, our conversation led to a talk about God and I ended up inviting him to our church.

So, if that unwanted attention leads someone to God, then here I am Lord. No place to hide is indeed the only place to be.

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Don’t Run Away from the Runway

Normally, people are pretty cool with my Dan’s flapping and loud noises but I caught a couple of weird looks from people when we went out the other day.

I have to admit, I don’t always feel comfortable being on display this way. I want to share my creations, new items in my shop, my museum talks…my frailties, not so much. But because of Dan’s unique mannerisms, he has become my agent, so to speak. He draws people to me giving me opportunities to tell my story and point people to God, the source of my joy.

You are out on display for a reason, a deeper purpose. You just have to trust, show up, and strut your stuff, vulnerabilities and all. Don’t shy away from the attention. Tell your story. Don’t run away from the runway.

Create Scripture-adorned Infinity Scarves at Abounding Grace Ministries this Wednesday!

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck… Proverbs 3:3.

As I mentioned earlier, I am so honored and excited to be working with Abounding Grace Ministries (NYC) as their Artist-in-Residence. Our first art activity will take place February 21, 6:30 to 8:30. I hope you can make it!

In the spirit of Lent, we will be adorning infinity scarves with scripture, inspirational quotes, and song lyrics. Space and materials are limited so, if you are interested in participating,  please comment below.

Your Gift Will make Room for You: 2018 Artist in Residence at Abounding Grace Ministries

I am happy to announce that I am the 2018 Artist in Residence at Abounding Grace Ministries, a church in the Lower East Side pastored by my good friend, Louis Carlo.

I am super excited and grateful for the opportunity to continue exploring the intersection between faith and art, and also share my various narratives; artist, special needs mom, art historian, museum/art educator, entrepreneur, author, etc.

As I prepared for my introduction a month ago, I realized that through the various stages in my life, God consistently has made room for my art gift. I hope you know He can do it for you too!

No me sirve/It doesn’t serve me

I was trying on clothes the other day, clothes that someone gave me. They were mostly size four garments and most did not fit me. In a fit of exasperation I yelled “¡no me sirve!” In this context, no me sirve means “it does not fit me.” But the literal translation is it does not serve me.

And so I had an aha! moment. I was frustrated that the clothes didn’t fit me, that I was once a size four and I am not that anymore. But in reality, these size four clothes do not serve me, they don’t serve my body anymore. Sure I need to go to the gym and I need to eat better, but should I do that so I can fit into these clothes? Exercising and eating better are about serving my body, not about fitting into smaller clothes.

This got me thinking, What else is not serving me anymore? What am I trying to fit into that is simply not sirviendome (serving me)? Maybe the vision that God has for you is bigger than the one you are trying to squeeze your behind into. lol

Or maybe it’s the other way around. Maybe you are overwhelmed by everything you have to do to accomplish a mission, that perhaps, is too big for you or too big for you alone. Big clothes can overwhelm a body. Maybe it’s time to think smaller, in bite size pieces, to do less with more focus.

I think I am in the latter category. My time is limited and sometimes, in my desire to serve, I wear myself too thin and give too much in a way that does not serve me (or my family). Everything that I do, from creative entrepreneurship, ministry, my job, etc., it has to serve me/family in some way. I am letting that be the barometer this year.

Either way, when something is too big or too small for you, no sirve, it does not serve. Realizing this is the first step in getting rid of it.

As an artist…as a mom…in your spiritual life…what is not serving you anymore? God has a vision, a mission that is tailor made just for you. He will guide you to it if you simply ask him.