hope Archives - Writing From The Kitchen

Embrace Grace

June 19, 2019June 20, 2019by Erika K Rothwell5 Comments

Imagine Grace resides at the mountaintop. Your life consists of climbing through the unknown, toward that high peak, suffering the maladies from unplanned events along an arduous journey, dreaming and reaching for Grace.

Now, instead, imagine Grace alongside you every step of the way. Perhaps, like me, place a flower in your hair as a tangible reminder of her presence. You climb without any equipment or even the necessary strength as the vertical path opens up ahead of you potentially fraught with unexpected hardship and loss. All the while, your companion, Grace, supports you. You survive the best you know how, while she reminds you she is always there for you no matter what choices you make.

Grace in a yellow mountain flower — Photo by Erika K Rothwell – Mountain Flower

Grace exists, but first you must acknowledge her existence. You must call her into your life, as if she were your greatest advocate and most empathetic friend. She is your hope and a companion in your life all the way through to the end.

Grace gently caresses your dreams, your feelings, your being. Without her, you suffer from judgment, insecurity and fear. With her you are accepted, understood, and open to be loved.

Once opened, you are filled with her and you become a conduit to spread her powerful and healing ways.

Join her. Accept her into your life. The support you find will infuse energy into your journey to the mountaintop. When you reach the top, thank her for her loyal patronage. Praise her source.

Bring her back down the mountain, inside of your heart, and share her exponentially as you strive to spread love and kindness, non-judgmental support, encouraging others to embrace her like you once did.

With Grace,

Erika K Rothwell

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encouragement, hope

Let Hope Guide Your Steps

May 15, 2019May 16, 2019by Erika K RothwellLeave a Comment

Words are born in my life regularly and molded genuinely, lit up from a spirit of desiring deep connection. Projects take on a life of their own, coaxing me to follow their lead as I continue putting one foot in front of the other. With this hope, I believe my baby steps will eventually cover a mile and climb a mountain.

Without any promise of success at the peak, peace surrounds my every move as I relax into the rhythm of daily work accepting that the vision at the summit may only be seen by me and a few companions who travel along with me.

The end-point is not always the goal. And in the case of creative development, it is even more clear that the journey only refines the goal. Yet hope reaches out for all of us with it’s supportive caress, even if we have not yet arrived.

Joys of life are often discovered in today’s moments without eyes on tomorrow or our hearts being lost in the struggles of yesterday. Take notice of what gives you hope as it surrounds you. Let it guide your steps forward. And when you think you’ve arrived, contentedly accept there is always a next leg in the journey.

©Erika K Rothwell

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Creativity, Growth, hope

Hope Blinks – Refresh Your View

April 25, 2019April 26, 2019by Erika K RothwellLeave a Comment

Have you ever played the game of staring at another person until one of you blinks? I have. And I must admit my strong-willed nature often insists that I be the winner.

But imagine viewing our goals in the same way, resolutely fixated on what we see in front of us. We stare at them for so long that our vision becomes blurred as we find it increasingly more difficult to focus. Eventually, we are forced to blink.

Initially, as we set out to accomplish tasks, our laser-like focus appears to work well. Our goals, however, may consume us causing us to lose balance and clarity. Over time in overdrive, our paths become obscured and we really need to blink.

New Beginnings

Letting go of our control and our self-directed will allows for a reset and a more vibrant picture once we reopen our eyes. New beginnings are the foundation of hope and an opportunity for pivotal modification in our lives. Restoration recharges our souls and we are often compensated with regained momentum, possibly even recovering lost time.

In the space of stepping away, I am provided with a brief interval to use my other senses, intensifying my vision when I refocus. Try this exercise. Stop your fierce concentration for a moment. Close your eyes for one whole minute. Set a timer if you must. Reopen your eyes. What do you see?

Get Outside

Make the time to go outside. Let your mind wander, listen to the sounds you hear, or simply feel your heartbeat. Let go of your self-driven need for control. Your goals will be waiting for you upon return.

Apologetically, I share the cliche to “stop and smell the flowers”, for if I had not done so today on my run, I would not have been greeted by the Swallowtail Butterfly. Quietly and softly, he reminded me of the rigorous growth process their kind must go through in order to bare their beautiful wings and fly, flittering between nectar sources. Our creative journey, similarly, is an individual metamorphosis.

Recharge Your Creativity

Creativity is a slowly evolving growth process that cannot be forced through time. When we push past our emotional and physiological needs or try to succeed without first putting in the time or work and balancing it with necessary rest, we run the risk of losing sight of what’s important causing our goals to suffer too.

Staying in sync with and acquiescing to the laws of the universe will not only recharge you but align you harmoniously with vitality to complete your destiny.

In fact, at times, an answer you may have been seeking stares you right back in the face and you have to blink to understand it. This is precisely what happened to me this week. After a recuperative moment, upon reopening my eyes, lucidity arrived bringing not only an answer but complementary joy in the discovery. I share it with you now.

Being a writer doesn’t restrict my creative and artistic expression to words. Upon the exploration of a multi-faceted creative life, my spirit has been enlivened “giving wings” to my writing goals.

Many of you have already made this discovery as you share your amazing artistic abilities beyond writing. I would be very interested in comments, from any and all, about what other creative avenues you pursue and how it helps you.

Have a beautiful day!

©Erika K Rothwell

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hope, inspiration, Nature

Painting with Words – Hope Blooms

April 15, 2019April 15, 2019by Erika K RothwellLeave a Comment

A faint vision, a random thought and a perplexing question all lead to the potential of a word painting. I immerse myself in the fleeting illumination as my pen-brush touches the page.

The ink begins to flow, colorful images formed in words move the story forward. Unclear at first yet steadily engaged, a message begins to form. Hope blooms once again from a masterpiece of nature, a love flower, captured as a photograph unsuspectingly in the early part of my day.

In a coffee house far away, where plants are grown from air, I found inspiration to share. So my words began to thrive without roots as I expanded my predetermined horizon into poetic expression.

As we know, life’s picture is never revealed all at once. Rather, meaning is often gathered in pieces over years of soul searching. Sometimes, however, a revelation is discovered in a crucial missing element while taking a rest off the beaten path.

With a much-needed break, a momentary breath of fresh air and a blank white canvas, endless possibilities burst forth in a fantastic display of color as I am left luxuriating in a new and vibrant inflorescence of hope.

“Sometimes nature guards her secrets with the unbreakable grip of physical law. Sometimes the true nature of reality beckons from just beyond the horizon.”
Brian Greene

Today’s post was inspired by the magnificent Lily of the Nile, known in Greek as the Agapanthus, derived from the Greek word – Agape – Love and Anthos – Flower…and my first purchase of a Tillandsia air plant found in the lovely Plant Shoppe, in Oklahoma City.

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Creativity, hope, inspiration

Kaleidoscope of Hope – True Inspiration

April 8, 2019July 26, 2019by Erika K Rothwell2 Comments

Fragmented, broken pieces of myself have formed into a moving creative pattern appearing through a kaleidoscope induced image of myself. My feelings of inconsistency remind me to accept the orderliness of a divine arrangement marked with symmetry and cohesiveness to produce authentic work reflecting my individual design.

Psychology of perception ground up learning theory would state that I am a product of experience. What I see is because of what I already know. Having learned to finally tweak the vision of those broken parts into some sort of manageable recurring design for others to view plays on this well-accepted theory. However, what is perceived still remains subjective.

Events can turn the environment causing a new realm of stability, slightly shifting the lens, and strikingly new patterns emerge. Consider too that each repetitive pattern is continually morphing into a modified version of itself until it becomes completely unrecognizable in the metamorphosis, retaining only some of its original colors.

We can all recognize the beauty in the constantly changing visions of a kaleidoscope. But can we accept change in ourselves?

Vivid colors surround me daily, awakening a deeply-rooted purpose to express my feelings and reflections in the form of artistic creation. I cannot deny the profound effect of colorful displays of inspirational images on my heart. Motivation to share and create is born from these visions of delight. Flowers, birds, and trees, as well as oceans and mountain streams, enlighten me and guide my heart deeper into a natural realm of being where self-acceptance combines with a desire for a non-hurried lifestyle to allow my dreams to thrive.

As in the turn of a kaleidoscope, creative development often remains a work in progress and a mystery. A journey refined by every step. Joy felt from our individual perspective of each design as seen today without our eyes on tomorrow or our hearts left in the struggles of yesterday.

It is for each of us to appreciate the constantly changing visions of our inner kaleidoscopes.

For what we think to be true, is often only true because of how we see it.

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