What do we mean by this one word? Can we find abundance, yet live simply? A sweet friend once gave me a book dedicated to simple abundance.

We live each day in the hustle and bustle of the world, yet, do we truly feel connected to our essence, our soul? Wait, are you asking yourself,”How do I even connect” or “where do I even start?”

The Bible has so many scriptures that I don’t understand so it helps to have someone share their insight or interpretation. Yet, at times, there is a passage, simply stated, that rings home to me. Some examples are “I Am.” Such powerful words.

The creator, God, lives in us. We are all a part of this universe. We are called to be love, hope, joy, peace, patience, kindness. Now, say this to yourself, “I am love, I am JOY, I am Peace, I am patience, I am hope cause I am (all of us) are made in the image and likeness of God.

After listening to many beautiful Catholic hymns recently, I cried. Well, I actually even cried during them. They remind me of my childhood, of prayer/ song/ story time at night with my Mama and our own children, of times gone by.

I am an artist. I enjoy my solitude for in it I am renewed, refreshed and rejuvenated. I enjoy creating cause it is my whole ‘self’ on each canvas and makes my heart smile.

In theory (and hopefully in many of your lives), our childhood was simplistic. Think of the concept of time if you and your friends were outside on a hot summer day playing chase, hide and seek, freeze tag or manhunt (Rachael loved organizing and playing this game in our old neighborhood). Do you remember how time would simply ‘disappear?’ Where did it go? How did that even happen? Poof, it was suddenly 8:30 and time to be home.

Really, there is no time but NOW, simply put. I choose to embrace nature with a childhood wander, catch the moment and engage in happiness.

There is infinite variety in our lives if we let go, let God and be guided by our gifts and talents while engaging each moment as a gift to us in this universe in which we live.

Keep it simple: stay in the NOW!!! Embrace the present as a gift. I love painting for many reasons. I am in the presence of a mindfulness and meditative state when I paint. It’s BLISSFUL!!! I immerse myself in creativity in each painting.

With quiet time I reconnect with my being here, NOW. God meets us in this time and begins to guide us. Here we connect with the essence of who we are, our soul.

God has brought to me, in time, what I have needed, and provided me through prayer, paint and planting, HOPE in difficult times. I am flowing in the rhythm with life. Fear is in the past. I simply have NOW.

As an artist, I am passionate about the thrill of creating. Once a painting is created, I love the act of “letting it go.” I always pray it brings joy, color and maybe even hope, wherever it goes and to whomever’s home in which it lands.

We get so excited in our garden when we spot a new flower that has formed. Each new bud opens to reveal itself. Just like with the excitement of the flowers in our garden, JOY is simply in the creating of each painting. It’s an incredibly positive experience. I am both FULLY ALIVE and at PEACE.

I am but a ripple in time trying to be a light, share color and inspire God’s love through each painting He gives me.

Going “inward” with each painting is where my soul exists. It’s ZERO to do with EGO and everything to do with a deep connection with God.

I have NO TIME for EGO. It’s simple: I hear God’s Calling in my heart for me to paint and create. I am listening.

Someone recently asked me where I get my inspiration? I am flooded with inspiration daily and feel so incredibly humbled and blessed to be God’s instrument, His paintbrush, one of many artists called to do so on this Earth.

Our realities changed drastically over the last six years. Lots of “life” happened in BIG DOSES. I went through many stages of grief and still am at times. Ultimately, with God all things are possible. I had a revelation: He wanted me to move forward through time and infuse my heightened emotions, feelings and faith into each painting. This has freed me to be FULLY ME, my essence, my soul on each canvas.

I am happy and joyful and blessed. Through these last few years I have thought often of the ‘meaning of life.’ We experienced a heightened awareness within us and this has set our priorities on a different path and created a ‘carpe diem’ effect for both Richard (my husband) and myself.

I believe my mind does have an effect on my body. So, I started meditation and yoga; both have been wonderful.

I had to constantly remind myself that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. Repeatedly I prayed that He would use our losses and many changes for His greater good.

I am choosing to look at life with wonder. Sing, cause there is a song in all of us, dance and move to your own groove, create like there is no tomorrow. I choose to engage life with PASSION and embrace it with an awareness that at any single moment I could be called ‘HOME.’

Our lives are our “songs,” our “paintings,” our “dances,” or our “books.” The essence of who I am is a spiritual being who is LOVE, LIGHT, a child of God, a creative soul, a planter, an artist, a nurturer and I am aware that I am to share.

Essence is love and a freedom rests there, for this awakening leads us to what God states,”I AM.” He is love, therefore we are love and to ‘awaken from our sleep,’ we must CHOOSE LOVE to connect with Him on a higher level.

Our lives are truly little ‘moments ‘ in time in what we perceive to be a long journey. I’d like my “moment” in life to be a colorful one, remembered one day prayerfully and fondly as JOY and LOVE. I see my paintings as “planting the seeds of love” with one colorful painting at a time. Thank you God.

I am beautifully content with the life in which I have been given as a gift. I am free to love my amazing and humbled husband, beautiful and talented children, family and friends. I feel so very enriched by my very grateful heart.

My birthstone is a pearl. With an oyster painting I did for one of my husband’s client’s many years ago, I put a little poem with it. It said that we each have a pearl within us, but we must search inwardly to find it. This takes courage, fortitude and silence. For silence, we must each carve out time to shut out “the chatter” that surrounds us. It’s in the simplicity of life that we are found.

It is through our experiences that we may ask God to be our guide, give us strength to journey inward into a deeper state of awareness, which allows us to grow and get REAL right here on this Earth. And, through it all, let’s remember to count our blessings daily.

Dare to be colorful and search for simplicity and many moments of JOY in your life. Colorful Wishes, Ann Lindsay Lutz