"One day at a time--this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering."

Ida Scott Taylor


Friday, September 10, 2010

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE

My little 
Sunshine Song birdie
is all finished. 






I hope she makes you happy
and spreads some 
sunshine and smiles your way.
I know it made me happy just creating her.

I was so reluctant
to write out the words onto the painting
for fear of making a big ole' boo boo. But then...
I put on my Brave Girl pants 
and did it anyway!

Special things happen 
when you are Brave.  
Not only on the outside or with what
you are making or doing
but on the inside too!
Especially on the inside.

"You always pass failure
on the  road to success."
~Mickey Rooney~

Slowly but surely, I am learning
to trust the journey. How about
YOU my friend,
are you being too hard on yourself?
  Are you afraid to move for fear
of making a big ole' boo boo?
A lesson I learned when painting this
little birdie was that some of my mistakes ended 
up making the painting even better than
 if I had I not boo booed!  Out of what
 I thought was
imperfection, I learned a better technique.
(or at least I call it a technique. It worked for me! he he)


"And the time came when
the risk to remain tight in the bud
was more painful than the risk 
it took to blossom." 
~Anais Nim~

Is there something in your life that you 
are letting keep you stuck? Afraid to move
this way or that
Oh my goodness I understand!
I've been there plenty 
of times and I'm sure there will be plenty more,
but we were created by a wonderful God
who made us to be 
Brave and Confident.
(we were created in his image)
Whoa, isn't that awesome!

"Have no fear of sudden
disaster, ( like failure)
for the Lord will be your confidence."
Proverbs 3:25-26

Remember this because it is very important
"You are a masterpiece, hand stitched,
handcrafted, and hand chosen
by the Creator
of all that is lovely."
Max LuCado



I'm liking this BRAVE GIRL thing!
IT Even makes me want
to click my heels in the air. 
I'll need your hand if I try that though!
Care to join me?
WE can click our heels in glee
and be BRAVE GIRLS together.


Big sunshiny HUGS,

Oh and here is a great tip:  if you haven't already
done this, go and check out this wonderful blog:
I get these daily Brave Girl
 emails from Melody Ross and her sister Kathy 
at Brave Girls Club and they 
are so inspiring and encouraging.
Unbelievably encouraging.

16 comments:

Butterfly Works said...

LeeAnn, the picture is perfect now...love the notes and the words..so glad you decided to be brave......You are such an encouragement to me....do you give lessons on how to be postive?
I need some today....

Hugs and more hugs,

Francois said...

Being brave either takes a great deal of thought and preparation or failure to look at the consequences.
Either way bravery comes with some degree of difficulty, before the fact or after.
Keep on slugging away at it. It does get easier I hear.

Unknown said...

What a brave & beautiful write, LeeAnn.
Have a wonderful weekend.
TTFN ~Marydon

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Great post...but now I am afraid...LOL of what will happen after I have read this point...I have been nudged all week. :)
Beautiful bird, beautiful words...so a talent...looks like you are soooooooo enjoying this new season of your life...what abundance is flowing from it!!!

Bren Graham Thebeau said...

love the finishing touches. I find the only way I can be brave is to not over think it but just jump and trust that I won't trash things :-)

Martha Lever said...

Hi LeeAnn,
I love this sweet painting of the birdie and I love this whole post.

On my spray piece with the words behind--I printed it with my el cheapo laser printer (which I love!) in black and white and then sprayed. Usually with the laser printed the lettering stays put, unlike my HP printer.

Have a wonderful weekend!!! oxox

Kathy said...

LeeAnn, These words and song met me tonight in a rough place and they warmed my spirit. Due to a suicide in my husband's family, it's been a tough week and I've had to be a BRAVE GIRL. God supplied strength and appropriate words but this post comforted me.
Once again, thanks for the encouragement. Blessings, K

Nana's Nuggets said...

Hi! LeeAnn, How cute is this? OMG, You have such a Gift! This painting is adorable, and when the winter clouds hang over us, this will be that ray of sunshine that you will have! Happy Blessings today:)

Rebecca said...

I LOVE the encouragement, the challenge & the result when you took the plunge and put those words on your painting! Just the right touch!

I just figured out we're almost "neighbors" in REAL life! I have friends in Ossian - isn't that Wells Co.?

Jennifer Richardson said...

I LOVE the writing you added!
Just a whole other layer of
beauty!
Well done in your brave girl pants!
And yes, what happens inside of you
is even more stunning
....all of that gorgeous fruit:)
-Jennifer

Tricia said...

Oh, your picture turned out beautifully...I love it. Are you going to send it in to the Brave Girls to put on one of their emails? I just love your blog so much LeeAnn. You are such an encouraging and inspiring person :)

Anonymous said...

I will click my heels with you!

I'm always to hard on myself... working on it...

Deborah Ann said...

LOVE this:

"And the time came when
the risk to remain tight in the bud
was more painful than the risk
it took to blossom."
~Anais Nim~

Wow! In fact, love this whole post. I like that your mistakes turn into even more beautiful works of art - how encouraging!

MFEO2009 said...

Wow, the pic is so nice!! I am chicken!! I have idea but I sometimes don't attempt because I am afraid to fail. Great post!
Glad to find it!

Anonymous said...

Lee Ann, your birdie is such a cheerful reminder of our strength...joy.
I like it so much I made a page button which links to your page. I added it to my sidebar. I'm not displaying the button code on my page, but if you like I can email it to you including the scroll down box for your visitor's to easily grab while visiting.
Always a pleasure stopping by.

LeeAnn@Encouragement Is Contagious said...

Marcia, I hope you will come back and see my reply here. I tried to email you and also tried going to your blog but blogger said it had been removed.??? Hopefully, you are just in the middle of changing up your blog and have it down for a short time. I tried sending you a reply when you left a comment, but am not sure if you received it the other day? If you get this message, please email me again or leave a comment so I can contact you.
Thanks!
Lee Ann