Category Archives: Living simply and happy

Observing Darkness and Light

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“Every moment of dark and light is a miracle.” ~ Walt Whitman 

A Christmas tree gives rise to thoughts of darkness and light. Have you ever noticed how people’s interpretation of what makes a pretty tree is so opinionated and individual?

Many families argue while putting up a Christmas tree. Some like it simple, some more ornate. A modest nativity scene indicates to some that, indeed, Christmas is here. Others like their homes, properties and trees lit up like the night time neon lights of the Las Vegas strip. Some families like simple homemade strings of popcorn, and cranberries or perhaps pine cones sprayed with gold paint will do. An evergreen wreath hung on a door and lit by a single spot light is beauty at it’s best for some individuals. It is interesting how a certain holiday decorating style can be fulfilling to one, atrocious to another. It is all a matter of personal opinion. How about you? What is your idea of good taste? 

As we all know, a good way to tell whether the lights and ornaments are well-placed on a tree is to step back and take a look. You can find the spaces that are empty and fill them with shimmery light. 

It is like life. In order to move away from the darkness, we have to discover the light. In this upcoming holiday, find it – seek it! Stop and listen to the carolers, spend a day or evening walking Main Street. Join in the energy of the shoppers. Listen to beautiful holiday music. Bake a batch of Christmas cookies for an elderly person or a military veteran who has no family at all. It will lighten your spirit and brighten your day along with some one else’s, too. 

Watch out! You might just get caught up in the spirit and feel the swish of a magic stick over your world. What a fulfilling thought that is!

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Painting Life

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“If a poem is each time new, then it is necessarily an act of discovery, a chance taken, a chance that may lead to fulfillment or disaster.” ~ A.R. Ammons

I had a fabulous weekend! I had a chance to visit with artist Quang Ho at the opening of his exhibit at the Steamboat Art Museum on Friday evening. On Saturday, I was among an intimate audience of 40 or 50 people who sat mesmerized as Quang painted a portrait of another artist, Richard Galusha of Wildhorse Gallery http://bit.ly/rSVLei. 

Quang spent a generous 2 ½ hours creating and teaching about the intricacies of a good painting composition. During that time, I gained a new understanding about the art of life, from a painter’s point of view, by a few key and valuable statements he made. 

Paintings are stories of ‘”shadow and light”, Quang related. “One is the plot and the other the subplot. How much attention an artist gives to the spaces in between determines how rich the painting is.” The artist also went on to explain that there are variations of value in the light. 

‘Painting is problem solving, and if you make a decision is it always correct.” He also advised fellow artists. 

Last night I began to ponder on the artist’s statements and how we can relate it to our own lives. Our life structure is birth to death, and then there landmarks in between. During the spaces in between, we can focus our energy either negatively or positively. Depending on the choices we make and values we have, life can be rich and fulfilling or not. 

There is truth to be learned in Quang’s statement about making decisions, too. “How can we even tell if a decision in life is right or wrong if we don’t make one at all?” I ask myself. 

Quang Ho has some extraordinary insight and inspiration to share with artists not only about painting but also about the human condition. His life as an artist and his experiences as a human being have paved the way for a lot more to tell! To learn more about this artist, please visit my blog posting of November 29 entitled Historic Setting Filled with Jewels. http://bit.ly/v8zctP. 

Quang is well worth following. He has promised he has a whole lot more to share with his fans! And from my interview with him, so will I! Stay tuned in upcoming weeks to www.AllThingsFulfilling.com. 

Thank you for your generosity, Quang Ho. I enjoyed meeting you, in person, so much.

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Illuminate the Spirit

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“Dwelling in the light, there is no occasion at all for stumbling, for all things are discovered in the light.” –George Fox

Although the holiday season is for many of us the most beautiful time of year, for many it is the most stressful time of year. There are families who once shared happy times together but, those good ole days are gone. Some people are struggling to make ends meet. For others, a description of the holidays would be a sad time, filled with feelings of being alone. In reality, finding fulfillment during the holidays, for some, is challenging. 

One of the best ways to step out of our own misery is to acknowledge it, then move ahead and help ourselves by helping others. With a giving spirit, comes fulfilling thoughts. For those who make a living creatively, a positive spirit is especially a must. When  inspiration is at a lack, it is important to remember we are in command of our own thoughts. If we get out of our self absorbed ways, and get involved in a cause or with others, the synchronicity of these actions often gives rise to creativity. After all, people who live with positive attitudes live longer and more fulfilling lives; it is a fact. If we are thinking life affirming thoughts, it is that much harder for feelings of desperation to set in. 

Yesterday morning was blustery with gale force winds, not typical for this part of Northwest Colorado. The storms of winter made me feel as if I didn’t want to go out. My spirits began to rise as I listened to the musical cd These are Special Times by Celine Dion. Remembering it was Thursday, the day our Steamboat Writers Group meets, I was warmed even further by thoughts of joining with in others who share in reading their own written word – books in progress. 

Today, I would like to congratulate one of our members of the Steamboat Writers Group. http://steamboatwriters.com/   His “Morning in San Pedro” won honorable mention in the Gemini Magazine Flash Fiction Contest. http://www.gemini-magazine.com/. Way to go, Dee Hubbard! Good job. 

Return tomorrow on Film Friday! We will have information about an upcoming televised special about a mini-series. Join us tomorrow on www.AllThingsFulfilling.com.

Art Appearing on Boughs

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‘The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands.’  ~Robert M. Pirsig 

It is surely nearing Christmas time! When the Kiwanis Club of Steamboat begins selling their annual ornament at places around town, the holidays are drawing close. Beginning this weekend, the ornament will be available for buying. 

Our club’s major fundraising campaign is selling ornaments. From the proceeds we buy gifts for needy children at Christmas time, provide funding to send children to science camp, provide “Where to Worship” brochures for people visiting the area. We can be proud of our other random acts of service in our home town, too. 

This year, a talented and nationally known artist, Jean Perry helped us in fulfilling our interest in decorating the ornaments a little differently this year. Jean gave permission to Kiwanis to use an image of her painting “Fish Creek Falls” to embellish the bauble. 

It is a fair trade! Many visitors to the area purchase the ornaments in commemoration of their trip to Steamboat. They will take them as gifts to family and friends in other States, too. The ornaments will hang on boughs of Christmas trees far beyond Steamboat Springs,Colorado and people will become acquainted with the artist’s work. Good deal! 

Kiwanis of Steamboat is grateful to painter Jean Perry for her generosity in sharing her art, so that as a Club, we can “serve children of the world.” For more information on the artist, please visit www.JeanPerryStudio.com.

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Stones Bring Fulfilling Thoughts

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“Art must unquestionably have a social value; that is as a potential means of communication it must be addressed, and in comprehensible terms, to the understanding of mankind.” ~ Rockwell Kent 

My travels over the Thanksgiving holiday led me to Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I visited the site of some of the earliest forms of writing here in the United States at Petroglyph National Park. Approximately 24,000 images pecked into stones by the Utes, Apaches and Navajo people have been discovered in the park. 

As my husband, son and I wandered among the desert canyon lands and discovered stone after stone etched with symbols, we discussed what we thought the Indians may have been trying to convey. Some communication seemed to be through single, independent pictures. Trying to decipher and translate words associated with groupings of  symbols on individual rocks, was more difficult. Some etchings were clearly of plant life, animals and birds; others perplexing and more mysterious. On many boulders, we found iconic Native American designs that are found in books about Indian lore and legend.   

Although the images pecked into the volcanic rock are hundreds of years old, they are hardly the earliest fossils indicating written communication on earth. Mesopotamian pictographs dating back five thousand years are the earliest known forms of writing. Symbols carved into clay tablets communicate information about crops, taxes and life during the years before Christ (B.C). Conservators of these early tablets, often found in broken form, work at piecing them together to come to an understanding of the early messages that were left behind. 

One primitive etching, the three of us agreed, was of an Indian with bow and arrow in hand. It was not surprising to find such an image since hunting, fishing and finding indigenous food sources consumed the daily lives of the Indians. The hunter with his weapon made us realize how grateful we were for the food we had eaten the day before.  For us, obtaining the ingredients for a fulfilling turkey day dinner was only as far away as the grocery store. Amen!

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Fulfilling Thoughts of Thanksgiving

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“Gratitude can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Unknown 

On this Thanksgiving Day, I am grateful for all readers who have visited this blog site All Things Fulfilling. I appreciate your encouraging comments and your interest in the independent thoughts, words and views that are posted on this site. This digital publishing format provides a way of learning about others in the world who also have faith in the growing  independent publishing industry and see  value and worth in providing a way for each voice to be heard.

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Writers Who Grow as they Go

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“A fulfilling life is different to each person. You have to acknowledge your dreams, and not just wait for life to happen, and opportunities to come knocking at your door.” ~  Joan Lunden

The deadline for submissions to the Sante Fe Writers Project is December 15th  – just around the corner! Send in your books for consideration to their annual award contest now! Don’t wait. 

The Sante Fe Writers Project (SFWP) is an “independent press dedicated to the craft of writing.”  It was formed in 1998  as a grass roots trial to bring together a group of art advocates and writers. It has gained international acclaim for their literary contest and also, for their on-line journal which has been in existence since 2002. 

Published authors and authors who have never been published before are welcomed to submit to this contest. Submissions from small presses and self-published books are eligible in categories of creative non-fiction and fiction. To read the guidelines for submissions and eligibility requirements, please visit the following link http://bit.ly/bOmP26. 

 The organizer of SFWP, Andrew Gifford, (from the Writers Center in Bethesda, Maryland) has written an interesting article on independent publishing. Please visit this site to learn what he has to say about the industry.  http://bit.ly/tznXjF. 

Sante Fe and the neighboring city of Albuquerque, NM has a wealth of professional artists in the literary, visual and filmmaking fields who call those cities home. If you have never visited the area, it is filled with art and inspiration.

This blog mistress will be taking turkey day off. I will be spending the holiday with my favorite filmmaker and visual effects artist in the State that “Grows as it Goes!” I look forward to sharing more with you from the “Land of Enchantment” in upcoming blogs. 

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

 This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Where is there Paradise?

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“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of a library.” ~ Jorge Luise Borges

Where is paradise anyway? Is there a place free of tough life choices, family dilemmas and drama? 

On Wednesday, a new independent film called The Descendants featuring George Clooney hit movie screens in select cities across the United States. This movie has gotten solid reviews as a movie that will make the viewer laugh, cry and bring thought provoking issues, to the fore, about family inheritance and how it is to be used. 

The film is set in one of the most geographically fulfilling paradises in the world,Hawaii. Yet there is no exemption from stress, decision making and failed family communications found there, either.

To learn more about this newly released film and to watch a trailer, please follow this link http://imdb.to/99pqrz. 

Have a great weekend everyone! We will return on Monday with more independent thoughts words and views from Cornerstone Fulfillment Service, LLC.

The Heart Knows A Winner!

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“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart…pursue those.” ~ Michael Nolan 

Days of Our Lives actress Mara Purl and author of “What the Heart Knows”  has had admirable reviews of her women’s fiction novel that  was released in October. In honor of 11-11-11,  Mara  has created a contest that you can join in on,  free of cost. What are the perks? The chance to win a Kindle Classic e-reader or a free e-book. 

How can you join in?  By fulfilling Mara’s request to be one of the first 11 people who post a review on Amazon for “What the Heart Knows.” In turn, you will receive a FREE downloadable pdf of the best-selling short story —“When Hummers Dream.”

Here’s how to enter:

Part I – Write your Review
1-write and post your Amazon review

2- e-mail the link to your review to (Kara@BellekeepBooks.com)

3- You will receive an e-mail with a downloadable  link for a free copy of the e-book “When Hummers Dream” if you are one of the first eleven to respond.

Part II — Play the Novel Contest (purchase necessary)

The one-hundred-eleventh (111th) purchaser of “What the Heart Knows”
receives a FREE CLASSIC KINDLE!

1 – Buy a copy of “What the Heart Knows” from your favorite website

2 – E-mail a copy of your receipt to Kara@BellekeepBooks.com as proof of purchase.
(Kara will keep careful track of each e-mail with its attached purchase receipt, in the order received. )

3 – You will receive e-mail  notification you’re the WINNER and get the details of how to receive your new Kindle!

For more information on the Milford Haven Books,  please visit http://on.fb.me/eK4i3b.

Mara has created this contest because she has alot of heart as an author and as a human being. Her inspiring books are full of more of the same! Good luck and you can’t win if you don’t play! Happy Reading and Writing.

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Praise for Creation

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“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.”  ~Cynthia Ozick 

I’ve been drawn back into the church as an adult, in part, by the memories of the beautiful hymns that I sang as a child. Around Thanksgiving time, many of the spiritual songs have words of gratefulness and gratitude for the harvest and for the impending season of darkness. For without winter gloom, there would not be a fulfilling sense of renewal of spirit in spring. 

Composers of yester year have created some of the most eloquent stories, through song, about the change of the seasons and the bounty of the Universe. Many hymns of blessings and praise, written decades ago, are still sung in sanctuaries today, such as – 

  • For the Fruits of the Garden ~  verses by Fred Pratt Green
  • Oh Food to Pilgrims Given ~  words by Maintzich Gesangbuch
  • Come, Ye Thankful People, Come ~ verses by Henry Alford
  • America the Beautiful ~ verses by Katharine Lee Bates
  • For the Beauty of the Earth ~ words by Elliot S Pierpoint
  • In the Bleak Midwinter ~ words by Christina G Rossetti 

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the most beautiful time of the year to step inside the doors of a church. Listen to the vocal choirs, tune into the musical instruments, experience the peace and be grateful for the cozy warmth of the shelter for the body and soul. 

A few weeks from now, at the United Methodist Church http://bit.ly/lAT08q  in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and in other places of worship everywhere, choirs will be magnificently singing Handel’s The Messiah. Don’t miss out!

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