Mail Time!

COMMUNICATION
ARTWORK BY TRACY MAY FOUTS

The mail being sent out shows 
the hope of communication,

 only if the individual first reaches out herself.

In regards to Christmas cards, one of my friends says “You have to send ‘em to get ‘em!”  Now it seems that not as many people exchange Christmas cards. It may be because life gets so busy, or it may be because people communicate more frequently now because of cell phones, email, and facebook!  Some folks enjoy those “family letters” and others find them annoying!  Though most enjoy getting pictures of the family to see how everyone has changed in the last year!

When I was at college in Kansas, my good friend from high school was at college in Kentucky.  We used to exchange letters every few days!  Of course by the time we got the letters three days letter the news was “old”!  But we did not care and we would write pages and pages to one another!  Now we communicate by email! 

In the house I grew up in, there were 3 kids, and we each had two different days to get the mail each week!  I could hardly wait until my days: Wednesday and Saturday!  It was exciting to watch for the mail.  I was always hoping to get a letter from someone!  And…because of that, whenever I would meet new people at camps, retreats, or events I would often begin a “pen pal” relationship!  It was really about connecting with others.  There was the anticipation of getting the letter, responding quickly, and then waiting again for a response! What fun it was!  It was about connecting with others!  I loved not only getting mail, but writing letters! “The times they are changing”….some people have loss the skill of letter writing! 

Now people communicate on a faster pace….emailing, skyping, instant messaging, and checking facebook to see what their friends and relatives are doing!  That can really be great, but sometimes others use facebook or cell phones to connect with others far away from them and miss the person standing right in front of them!  Make sure you have balance:  connect with those both far and near! And remember, if you want to connect with others, you need to reach out to connect with them!

The Dinner Bell

FELLOWSHIP
ARTWORK BY TRACY MAY FOUTS

The individual ringing the dinner bell shows hope of fellowship 

only if the individual chooses to call people to dinner.

The dinner bell requires action:  if nothing is done, it hangs there silently, alone.  If someone decides to ring the bell, others come running to join in the feast!  Inviting people into our lives requires us to do something.
 

Have you ever heard someone say, “No one ever calls me?  I am so alone?”  Truth is that having others in our lives requires us to leap in!  Sitting around and waiting for others  to come our way may very well result in loneliness.   Rarely when someone rings the dinner bell and sounds the alarm do they not get an answer!

I can remember going to summer camp and waiting for the dinner bell to ring!  There was much anticipation and often we would gather around the dining hall before the bell rang!  Yes…we were hungry.  But the hunger was for fellowship, not just food!  It would have been pretty lonely and boring to go into the dining hall alone, and sit there eating by myself.  Take the plunge….see what you can do... invite others into your life and create fellowship and companionship!

Shepherding
Artwork by Tracy May Fouts

The dog shepherding sheep shows that the sheep have hope of a leader, 

only if the dog first leads them.

A shepherd dog is there to guide the sheep.  Actually, farmers may have a dog to help keep many different kind of animals in the pen.  So when the animal strays, the dog helps to guide them home.  Home leads to a comfortable place providing security.

In researching “shepard dogs”, I found some fascinating definitions in Wikipedia:
Christine Hartnagle Renna, in Herding Dogs: Selection and Training the Working Farm Dog, says" All herding behavior is modified predatory behavior.  Through selective breeding, man has been able to minimize the dog's natural inclination to treat cattle and sheep as prey while simultaneously maintaining the dog'a hunting skills, thereby creating an effective herding dog.

However, Wikipedia also points out:
Unlike herding dogs (also often called sheepdogs") such as the Border Collie, a Lifestock Guarding Dog (LGD) does not control the movement of the flock with predatory actions causing bunching. Instead, LGD's tend to blend into the flock and generally ignore the individual animals in favor of keeping an eye out for potential threats.  While bunching behavior is observed, it is the livestock that tend to bunch around the guarding dogs, especially on open range when predators are near.

Sometimes we look to our friends, co workers, or a good therapist to help guide us.  Man was not created to live in isolation, but to connect with others.  We do not look to others to control us, but to guide us. Having others to share our good times with as well as our tough times leads to security and comfort.  As the dog shepherds the animals home, we turn to our friends for comfort in tough times.  Sometimes it may seem that others are giving us guidance.  Yet there are times that we ourselves take action to move closer to another for protection.  It is through relationships that we ourselves can have hope of protection that we sometime need. Another may lead us home.

The Fawn

NUTURE
Artwork by Tracy May Fouts

The doe and fawn show that there is hope for a healthy life for the fawn if the mother doe chooses to nurture the fawn.

Nurturing is an essential part of every relationship.  With the mother doe and fawn it is clear: if the mother does not care for her young, it will not survive.  The doe must give her fawn food and teach it how to survive in nature.  Initially they are always together, but eventually the baby ventures out by itself.  Of course this is a process and takes time.   All of this helps in the physical growth and development of the baby animal. Being fed and nurtured brings stability and safety as well.

Likewise, in relationships, for there to be healthy growth, individuals must take care of one another, share with the other, and cultivate the relationship for it to grow.  Relationships will eventually die if two people involved do not take time to nurture the relationship.  Cherishing each other and focusing on helping out each other brings stability in a relationship as well.  Hope of a healthy relationship happens when 2 persons choose to nurture it!

Watering the Plants

Life
Artwork by Tracy May Fouts

Artist Statement: The withering plant communicates that the only way for the withering plant to have hope of living, is if someone steps in and takes the bucket, fills it with water from the pump, and waters it.

One can clearly see in the picture that the plant is withering.  In order for it to actually grow and thrive, the farmer needs 3 things: awareness, intention, and balance.

He needs awareness of what is happening. The farmer needs to really see the plant.  Without care, the plant will not survive.  On its own, it will eventually die.

The intention to take care of the plant is critical. The farmer must be determined to take some action to help it live. 

And he needs to keep the plant in balance….giving it the proper amount of water….not too much and not too little.

The pump is nearby the plant, but it still involves work to water it.  Someone has to actually use their own strength to pump the water into the bucket and then carry it over to the plant to water it.  It may sound simple on one hand, but action is required. Without the deed there is no hope for the plant to survive.

Likewise, relationships do not just happen and grow.  Relationships require that the individuals involved are aware of what is happening, that they intentionally live with one another to nurture it, and that they keep balance in their relationship.

The only way for the plant to have hope of living, is if someone waters the plant.

Planting the Seeds

Growth
Artwork by Tracy May Fouts

Artist Statement:  The farmer planting the seed 
shows that the farmer cannot have hope for future growth without first 
cultivating and planting the seeds.

Having a bountiful garden begins with preparing the soil and planting seeds.  Anyone who has ever gardened knows that there is a great deal of anticipation and preparation in the process.   As winter turns to spring, the farmer gets excited and has hope for his summer crop.   There is planning as to what actual crops will be grown this year.  And there is waiting…. waiting for the weather to warm up and for the ground to be dry enough to plow.

Cultivating the soil is a time consuming process that is critical for the production of healthy plants and produce.   Watching a farmer plow his garden with the tractor is a joy to behold.  He is patient and smiles as he drives his tractor, plowing the soil, getting rid of the weeds and dead plants from the previous year.  The hope for the season shows on his face as he patiently tills the ground.  Seeing and smelling the rich black soil creates an expectation as he looks forward to an abundant garden.

After the farmer thoughtfully purchases the seeds for his garden he patiently plants each one with the dream of a plentiful crop.  Some seeds are sowed in a single row, and others are planted in hills.  The farmer knows what is best for each plant, and will add the particular nutrients and fertilizer to the soil that is needed for the specific plant. 

Timing is important to the gardener: plowing the soil when it is ready, choosing the right time to sow the seed, and watering when it is needed.  The farmer watches with expectancy as the seeds begin to sprout. He waits as the plant develops to maturity and then begins to produce fruit.  And then before long, it is time to gather the produce and enjoy!

Some years there are more barriers to the crop than others.  A heavy rain or lack of rain can damage the crop.  Insects or animals can rack havoc on the produce.  Sometimes an early frost can end the production of the harvest.   But always, the farmer relies on his hope for what he is given and is grateful what the garden produces.   The farmer and his garden can teach us many life lessons.  As the farmer carefully cultivates the soil for his garden, preparing our hearts, and opening ourselves to those around us creates healthier relationships.

The farmer must take action to create hope for his crops.

Alone No More

Grand Rapids Michigan is hosting its third “ArtPrize” www.artprize.org  This a quite an event that brings artists and crowds from all over the world to my home town. 

The next several blogs will be reflections of the work of Tracy May Fouts of Santa Clarita, California.

I find her work very inspirational, and would like to share it with you, with Tracy’s permission.

Tracy May Fouts

Tracy May Fouts received her MFA in Printmaking from Kendall College of Art and Design in December of 2009. She received her BS in a double major of Photography and Printmaking from Indiana Wesleyan University in December of 2006.

Tracy May enjoys both art forms of photography and printmaking. She enjoys making art the most when she can combine both of these mediums in the same piece.

The following is the artist’s own description of her work, entitled “Taking Action…for Hope”

Webster’s dictionary defines the verb, ‘hope,’ as, “To desire with expectation of obtainment.” This ‘desire’ described here is an action, but there is also action required for this obtainment to take place. We often have to make a choice or take action for obtainment of hope to be delivered.

All of these pieces reveal various stages of hope. For example, the farmer cannot have hope of future growth without first planting seeds. The only way for the plant to have hope of living, is if someone waters the plant. There is hope for the ox to share its burden if another chooses to step in and help with the weight.

In some of these pieces the hope is being delivered, and in some, the viewer is called to bring hope. We cannot always sit and wait for things to happen in this world for our benefit. If we want change, we often have to take action. My goal is for us as individuals to be a force for change and hope.

Alone No More

Artist Statement: The ox in the yoke shows that there is hope for the ox 

to share its burden if another chooses to step in and to help with the weight. 

Although the yoke is sometimes thought of as captivity, it can also be considered as a way to share the burden.  The yoke is actually a harness around the ox’s neck.  The farmer uses it to connect two animals so that they can work together.  When they are bound by the yoke they have to move together, thus creating a restriction in each animal.  They cannot see where they are going at the end of the path, but the farmer can guide them. The wise farmer knows that the burden will be lighter with two!  More will be accomplished as a team.

Sometimes another person will see us in stress and offer to step up to share our load; however, there are other times that we may need to reach out to others and invite them in to be there with us.  Not only does that  lessen the  weight, it may often create more hope....hope of resolution, or at the very least, the feeling that we are not in this alone.

Sharing your life with others around you and letting them share their life with you can create more stability, as with the yoke.  Joy comes from letting others in your life.

Life is made to be shared with others....both the joys and the hardships.  It is so much richer that way.  It was lovely to sit with Tracy May by her wonderful artwork, having a meal and conversation.  It would have been totally different if each one of us would have been there alone.  Being together brought us not only satisfaction, but some excitement!  It was awesome to celebrate her creativity, as a group of friends. Truly, reaching out  to others and inviting them creates pleasure.  Companionship and sharing the yoke brings delight!

Relationships yoke us to another person.   To be in a relationship with someone necessitates being aware of the other person, taking in their desires, and losing some of your own independence. This is true in both friendships and partnerships with a significant other or spouse.  When people are just meeting and creating new relationships, there is usually a great deal of joy and happiness. Unfortunately, there sometimes comes a time when individuals focus on the restrictions of being with others and forget the joys. They experience the other person as a burden, and miss the fact that being in a relationship is a way of sharing responsibilities, sharing the load, and as in Tracy May’s title of this picture, being “Alone No More”.  

When you are in a relationship and feel the restrictions, as you will if you are truly involved with another person, take the time to be grateful that you have someone to share your burden.  Gratitude helps restore balance in the relationship, as the yoke creates balance in sharing the load.

Sharing your life with others around you and letting them share their life with you can create more stability, as with the yoke.  There is strength when people join together.  Joy comes from inviting others in your life.