Sunday's ART of Truth - "Commitment" - 8-01-21

Hello friends,

Welcome to this weeks Sunday’s ART of Truth. As I mentioned in my video last Sunday, my husband and I are celebrating our 38^th wedding anniversary. Though I did an anniversary themed project last week, I felt the need to continue it this week.

My husband has been gone all week backpacking with 4 of our grand kids. I missed him very much. It is hard to be here alone day in and day out. Let’s just say that there was little sleep had.

It is times like this that seem to magnify my gratitude for his presence and everything about him. We become so accustomed to our routines that, at times, we can lose some of the gratitude (at least, I do) It is the routine matters of the day that connect us and give us a sense of belonging and security. However, they can also cause us to be complacent. I take for granted that he comes home every night. On Tuesday nights, he puts the garbage out. He plants and tends to the garden and keeps things in working order here. He can open the wine bottle when I cannot. We get to sit and have dinner together every night and I look forward to conversation with him. It is the sum of all the little things that are actually quite big. Without them, life is not as bright.

In my previous writing, I talked about how love is a choice and how we celebrate the journey that is marriage. I wrote about the ‘road less traveled’ that we chose to take, not only in my healing journey but also in the way that we raised our kids. Our simple life.

Today, I was thinking about what is at the center of all of those things. Commitment. To choose to stay when things get hard takes commitment. It is not an emotional decision. It is a choice. When we said “I do”, we committed to love each other until death do us part. We said we would support in good times and bad, for better and for worse. As I think about commitment being the core of a marriage holding true, it is not all there is. Commitment can feel routine and stale and sustainable, can’t it?

Is the vow enough?

Is it enough to fill a life with joy and a sense of belonging?

Don’t get me wrong, the vow is the commitment.

What is beyond the vow? Laughter, conversation, growing, listening, longing, playing & embracing.

It is anticipating their return at the end of the day. It is holding onto all that you want to say until you can sit down with your best friend at the dinner table and share. It is looking forward to hearing what the other has to say.

I was thinking about who we were when we fell in love and how much we have changed. Life changes us, doesn’t it? It can leave some of our edges sharp and our patience in short supply. We can lose sight of the simple things that meant so much when we were dating. Love notes, flowers, a long embrace, a prolonged kiss…

Intimacy. The kind of intimacy that is without barriers in the heart. The risking with our heart and soul, wagering between acceptance and rejection. Really being heard, seen and understood.

Routines feel safe. Commitment can feel like a sterile reality.

I dare say, there is more.

I don’t know about you, but I am seeking to give more. To be more. To enter in, more. To see, really see.

To not just be committed but to invest, expend, relate, anticipate & long for.

Marriage is a beautiful thing, but sometimes, it is very hard. We cannot erase the tracks that life has left on our hearts, but there is always a new day.

My friends, what do you long for? What are the secret longings of your heart? The things you cannot say with your mouth for fear of rejection…

What do you want more of?

As I finish this writing and this project, I am sinking my spirit into the ‘more’. More love, more listening, more giving, & oodles of anticipation 😊

Life is short.

Love is a gift.

I hope that you are encouraged and that your heart is open for the ‘more’.

Blessings,
Beloved- Reborn

Supplies used:

Napkin – I am unsure of where I got the napkin. I think it might have been a freebie with another napkin order.

Arteza Sketchbook – 5.5 x 5.5 –

The Crafters Workshop Stencil – https://www.amazon.com/Crafters-Workshop-Stencils-cubist-PACK/dp/B077H1VYRH/ref=sr_1_31?dchild=1&keywords=the+crafters+workshop+6×6+stencil

Liquitex Acrylic Inks – Transparent Raw Umber, Muted Pink, Muted Violet, Muted Green – see Basic Mixed Media Supplies List below