Filling the Empty Space

 In filling the empty space from the love one I have lost, Life has giving me an opportunity to share the artistic and creative work of Crystal's color pencil drawings and coloring.  I now have a card ministry called "Crystal Expressions" which is a collection of her artwork used in handcrafted cards.  I use Crystal's art to bring smiles to seniors, hospitalized kids, foster children and those who are lonely, isolated and suffering.  These cards were mailed to "Small Acts Big Change" to be distributed to nursing homes and assistant living facilities.  The spirit of Crystal's art lives on and is enjoyed by the elderly and children across the United States, Canada, Scotland, Holland, Germany, France and England.  These are the places where her art has been shared to bring encouragement and a smile.

Little Girl on the Swing

 Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries.

~Corita Kent

photograph Crystal Michelle Fallin, age 3, Palm Coast, Florida 1987

The Binding Thread of Grief

 

When my daughter departed this earth everything brushed against the raw wounds of my grief, reminding me of Crystal.  A tilt of the head, a laugh, fragrance of candles, the beach, walking the neighborhood, places where she ate, attended daycare, schools, playgrounds, the Nutcracker Ballet, and the list goes on.  Even drawings of children who resemble her attracts my attention.  It often brings tears to my eyes and sometimes it's difficult to bear but I also can't let them go.  These binding threads of grief is gradually, bit by bit, becoming gifts of loving memories that can never be taken away.  So there is hope where loving memories can also bring smiles.  The binding thread of grief also brings treasures.  Crystal's artwork lifts my spirit and I use it to bring smiles to the lonely, isolated and elderly through non profit groups The Angel Card Project and Kind Cards for Cool Kids.  I used her artwork and added graphics and text for Valentines and mailed the cards to 100 people around the country.

A New Day will come

 

"May I honor --and trust--the processes of grief and of healing, knowing that  in time, a new day will come."

~Martha W. Hickman

Looking for a Butterfly in the Winter Woods

 "No moment is ever free of the life history that has preceded it" (Martha W. Hickman). The fear of losing the memory of a love one we have lost will never happen, but there is hope for the broken hearted.  We can lose, or be released, from the overhanging cloud of gloom.  I for one am looking for that Butterfly in the winter woods.  I want to be able to see it!  As a loving tribute to my daughter Crystal, I will walk out from under this cloud so I can see the beauty of life around me.  She would want that.

"They seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if they had surprised a butterfly in the winter woods."

~Edith Wharton

Shadows of Grief

 

Crystal's friends held a memorial service for her on the banks of the Matanzas River at Helen Melton Schmidt Park located at Summer Island.    It's off the the beaten path, just the way Crystal would  have liked. They held the service in a small cove on the river bank.  They lit a sky lantern and release it into the clouds and it floated over the river and high above the horizon.  They threw flowers into the river.in her memory.  Every time we drive by the park, we think of her life's celebration by her friends but it is also brings out the shadows of grief that reminds us she is gone.  Grief is always in the shadows.

Let Your Light Shine

 

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds nd glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16 NIV

A Well-watered Garden

 

The Lord will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden
like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:11 NIV

Voice of the Seas

Your throne was established long ago;

you are from all eternity.

The seas have lifted up, Lord,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea --
the Lord on high is mighty.

~Psalm 93:2-4  NIV

On Things Above

 

 

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Colossians 3:2

Trust An Unknown Future

 

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."

~Corrie Ten Boom

A Part of My Life ~ Always!

I ran across some pictures today that I have not seen in a long time.  My baby girl was so beautiful inside and out.  This was a trip to Colorado Springs.  We visited the Old Town of Colorado Springs.  I miss her every minute of every day.  As time goes back my love for my daughter has grown just as much as if she were still living here on earth.  She is as much a part of my life today "as the air that I breathe and the food and water that nourish  my body.  Therefore I shall not fear losing someone who has been, and is, a part of me."  She's a part of my life ~ Always.

"I Am Here"

"God is Always Seeking You.  Every Sunset.  Every Clear Blue sky.  Each Ocean Wave.  The Starry Hosts of Night.  He Blankets Each New Day with the Invitation. 'I Am Here.'"

~Louie Giglio

"Blessed are the Poor In Spirit"

 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

~Matthew 5:3 NIV

No Act of Kindness is too Small

 "No Act of Kindness, No Matter How Small Is Ever Wasted."

~Aesop

Take Heart

 

In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.

~John 16:33 NIV

Creator of the ends of the earth

 ...The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

~Isaiah 40:28-29 NIV

Find Rest for Your Souls

 Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give your rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

~Matthew 11:28-29 NIV

The Friend of Silence

 "We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness.  God is the friend of Silence...We need silence to be able to touch souls."

~Mother Teresa

Ask for the Ancient Paths

 Thus says the Lord:  "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls."

~Jeremiah 6:18 ESV

God's Handwriting

 

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything Beautiful, for Beauty is God's Handwriting."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wait and Hope

 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen."  Matthew 28:5-6  NIV

Steadfast Spirit

 Create in me a pure heart, O God.  And renew a steadfast Spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10

Our Refuge

 God is our refuge and strength.  A very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1

"I am with you always"

 "I am with you always, even to the end of the age"

Matthew 28:20

"Before the Mountains were brought forth"

 

Before the mountains were brought forth,
 or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world. 
 even from everlasting to everlasting.  Thou art God.
Psalm 90:2

Unshakable

 The mountains may shift, and the hills may be shaken, but my faithful love won't shift from you, and my covenant of peace won't be shaken, says the Lord, the one who pities you.  Isaiah 54:10 CEB

Grace's High Falls

 

"Winter Lives When Beauty Dies"

 "Goodness, Time's rude hand defies, And winter lives when beauty dies."

~Henry Kirke White

"The Best Things in Life can never be kept"

 "The best things in life can never be kept; They must be given away.  A Smile, a kiss, and Love."

~Robert Browning

Faith is Believing

 

"Faith is believing what we cannot prove."

~Alfred Lord Tennyson

"What the Sunshine is to the Flower"

"What the sunshine is to the flower, the Lord Jesus Christ is to my soul."

~Alfred Lord Tennyson

 

Hope Smiles

 

"Hope Smiles from the threshold of the year to come, Whispering 'it will be happier'.

~Alfred Lord Tennyson

If I Had a Flower

"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could walk through my garden forever."

 ~Alfred Lord Tennyson