Frustrating Keys

     Have you ever come home at night and tried to unlock your door in the dark? You fumble with the keys a bit. Insert one key, it doesn't work so you try another. You insert another key and it gets stuck. All the while you wish you had left the porch light on or had at least picked out the right key while still in the car. This page of my journal is a Zentangle version of two keys. Here is the experience I had today that corresponds with the drawing. 

     I teach English to twenty-five teenage students for two hours, four days a week. Sometimes my students are studious and behaved, other times it seems like it is all I can do to stay a few steps ahead of their attitudes and classroom tricks. Today, in class, I was faced with a situation I have never had to deal with before. It came up suddenly and I was not prepared to take care of the incident. Later, as I was reflecting on what had happened, I began to wonder if my solution had been the most fair. I wished I had brainstormed all the possible problems to my particular classroom rule, and thought of solutions ahead of time. 

    I realized that the incident I had in class today could have been prevented with some fore thought. Just like every time I have tried to unlock a door in the dark I have wished I had left the light on or picked out the correct key. The lesson I learned? Take a moment to think things through ahead of time. Thinking ahead may prevent problems from forming or at least give you possible solutions to the problems. Thinking ahead may also prevent you from getting frustrated when you feel like you have tried every key on the ring and you still cannot find the right key!

A Roll of Toilet Paper

     Yes, I did draw what you think I did- a roll of toilet paper. Before you judge my choice of subject matter, read on! :)
     We all usually see toilet paper everyday. It is one of those things we all need but never really think about until it runs out. I had this experience happen to me a while back. For you to understand this story, I have to give you a bit of background information. Where I live, toilet paper is used to wipe your mouth like a napkin while you eat. It is usually non-existent in bathrooms. Instead, people use what I call 'The Sprayer' - a miniature shower head used to wash your backside.
     When I first came to Asia and used the bathroom, I looked around expectantly for the toilet roll. It was not to be found. It is funny how something so seemingly unimportant becomes of first importance as soon as you are left stranded without any! I quickly became acquainted with 'The Sprayer' and made a note to self to always bring some toilet paper with me in the future.
     The lesson I learned? Don't overlook the small things that don't seem significant now. Don't wait until you find yourself without them and in a fix. Keep track of small purchases or at the end of the month you will wonder where all the money went. Notice the small opportunities that lead up to the big ones. Appreciate and cherish the people in your life. Do the best you can to not be caught off guard and wishing you had the small things back again (like toilet paper when you really need some!).

Unique Fathers

     I almost forgot it was Father's Day! Being halfway around the world has a way of making the date slip from mind. The good news is I remembered in time! Looking back on this past year I see that I have grown closer to my father. Maybe separation and distance has something to do with it but I know that I talk (well as of right now it's more emailing and chatting) a lot more to my father than I ever used to. I am so glad that I have been able to further discover what a great father I have.
     The second page from my art journal is a depiction of a tree. Trees have long been a favorite subject of mine and I like them for their strength and uniqueness. By uniqueness I mean the texture of the bark, the shape and arrangement of leaves and the variance of limb structures. I remember as a child, I always drew trees with a forked trunk and a ball of 'leaves' on top. As I have grown and observed trees more, I have come to notice the detail that makes a particular tree, a tree.
     This is similar to the way I have seen my father as well. As a child, I saw him in a general way: someone who went on walks with me and played with me. As I have grown, I have come to notice the details that make my father unique. His unexpected humor, his relationship with the Lord, his love for my mother (they've been married twenty-six years!), his like for vanilla soy ice cream, or his wish that all of his children choose what's right in life. I hope that in the future both my depictions of trees and my closeness with my father continue to be better.
   Before I close there is one Father who I cannot leave out. My Heavenly Father. The Father who wants the best for all of His children. Just like my earthly father, I am still getting to know my Heavenly Father. I am noticing more details about Him all the time. His unexpected answers to prayer, His undying love for me, His never-ending forgiveness or His personal interest in every human being.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." (Jam 1:17 NKJ)

Especially to my father but to every father: Happy Father's Day!

Rain: How Does it Define You?

     It rains an awful lot at times here in Asian country. In the morning, it may be bright, hot and sunny but by noontime it may be a full-blown tropical downpour. More than once I've been caught off guard and have had to make my way home again in the rain.
     The Tai-Kadai people don't like rain. If it starts to rain, why everybody heads for home or finds the nearest shelter to stop under and wait out the worst of it. It's only the bravest who don the colorful rain jackets and ponchos and travel about on their motorbikes. If it's raining before class time, it's only my dedicated students who face the weather and show up for class. The rain, in a way, defines my students.
     Those who are consistent with attendance and classwork are those who are determined to keep up their good grades and attend class no matter what. Those students who are average, do poorly or are lazy with classwork are those who tend to stay back from class when the skies let loose. I like to think of the rain as similar to the circumstances each one of us faces in life.
     Sometimes the situations we find ourselves facing are not always pleasant. However, if we choose to move forward and not shy away from unpleasant circumstances we are more likely to be successful in the end. We find our courage, strength and persistence by using them. We hardly consider a person strong or courageous who sits on the sidelines waiting.
     No, it's the people who know they don't melt under a downpour and who don't mind getting a bit wet that pull through the situation in the end. They let the 'rain' define them in a positive way.

So....I have decided to start a new sketchbook journal. That makes the whole purpose of this blog recording my thoughts and my surroundings and sharing my discoveries with you! I intend to draw the feelings I have and the objects that are around me everyday. I am hoping to learn more about myself and more about life. You are welcome to join me in my art adventure even though you may not be able to draw! (Goodness, it seems like I've been drawing forever and still nothing seems to turn out the way I like!) Feel free to give advice on how to improve my sketches or comment on what you have learned from similar emotions and daily objects.