The Joys of Winter

Though I don’t like being cold and winter can be dreary, there are many things I love about winter. There’s something cosy about winter that sends a warm (if you’re not freezing), fuzzy feeling about winter. Below are some of the things that I consider to be the joys of winter:

Fireside moments; I love sitting by a hot fire on a cold evening, while talking, reading or just staring thoughtfully into the dying flames...

Warm drinks; hot tea, coffee and yummy hot chocolate are perfect for winter.

Cozy reading; reading snuggled up in a blanket is bliss.

Watching movies in bed; all-time favourites watched under covers is the best way.

Winter wear; there is so much more one can wear in winter.

Winter colours; winter has a beauty of its own, even though it doesn’t snow here and everything is often dead. I photo-shopped the last one quite a bit. 

Frosty mornings; though cold, morning frosts are really pretty.

Wintery walks; I love to take walks in our veld and though in winter those walks are scarce because of the nippy wind, when it’s a bit cooler, winter walks are enjoyable. 

All photos, except the last one, were taken by Jess Leigh

The Aftermath of Child Abuse

For my art exam paper I chose the topic “Aftermath” and did the aftermath of child abuse. Below are my artworks for my paper and some of the essay I wrote on it:

The aftermath of child abuse is extensive and also depends on the kind of abuse, such emotional, physical and sexual. Some things that appear in a child after abuse are fear (“Please Don’t Hurt Me!”), anger (“The Look of His Father”), shame (“Secrets of Shame”), sadness (“Unseen Tears”) and the feeling of being unloved  (“Scarred Childhood”). Often an abusive person is someone who was previously abused as a child and many abused children will grow up to later abuse their children, as I attempted to reveal in my picture entitled “The Look of His Father”. Other examples of the aftermath of child abuse are loss of childhood (“Scarred Childhood” “Abigail’s Loss”, etc.), feelings of emptiness, inefficiency and despair, suicide, unspeakable secrets (“Secrets of Shame”), and inner scars that they’ll carry for life (“Abigail”).

In my series of pictures, I have used different techniques to convey the aftermath of child abuse.  I have used the symbols of teddy bears, a doll and playground equipment (in “Scarred Childhood”, “Please Don’t Hurt Me!”, “Secrets of Shame”, “The Forgotten Playground” and “Abigail’s Loss”) to illustrate the loss of childhood and the feelings of emptiness and abandonment that abused children feel.  Also the clouds that appear in the background of some of my art work symbolise despair, anger and inner turmoil. Furthermore, many abused children keep all their feelings locked inside, like storm clouds withholding rain. I have also experimented with different mediums and artistic techniques as I explored the aftermath of child abuse, which is a living and terrible problem in society.

                                                     Abigail

                                                                       Black ink, charcoal and pastel

                                          Scarred Childhood
                                           Colour pencil

                                          Unseen Tears

                                                        Gray pencil

                                          The Look of His Father

                                                         Charcoal and ink

                                          The Forgotten Playground

                                                         Ink, charcoal and pastel             

                                          Please Don’t Hurt Me!

                                                        Gray pencil and ink

                                          Secrets of Shame

                                                         Acrylic, collage (magazine strips)

                                                         And colour pencil

                                           Final Work

                                          Abigail’s Loss

                                                        Charcoal, ink, colour pencil,

                                                        Gray pencil and pastel pencil

P.S Sorry about the quality of the photos of my artwork; they look better in "real" life.

Announcements

That title sounds so formal and foreboding, as if this was a conference! Anyway, sorry about that, but don’t worry I’m only going to make some very small changes to my blog, which I hope you will think are improvements. These changes are described below:

·        About: I’ve changed my About page and if you want to find out little more about me, you can go check it out.

·        Bucket List: I’ve added forty things from my Bucket List just for interest’s sake. I thought it would be nice to add a little more “spice” to my blog for new comers and even old followers.

·        Quotes: I’ve updated my quote section and every time I have a new blog post, I will add a new quote to the top of the list.

·        Post Day:  I’ve decided that I will update my blog every Saturday so that it will be easier for followers to know when to visit my blog.

·        New profile picture.

So those all my new small changes I’ve added to my blog. I hope you like them and if not, just let me know! J

And the Fun Begins.....

She put her pencil down, handed the paper in, gathered her things and left the room. It was finally over. She could hardly believe it. Later, on the way home, she stopped at a restaurant with some friends and climbed onto a swing. Swinging high, she laughed and shouted as if she’d lost her mind. Feeling so free, happy and relieved, she swung closer and closer to the sky, higher and higher in pure delight.....

I have some wonderful, relieving news..... I am finally on holiday! I wrote my last exam yesterday, though it hasn’t hit me yet. That paragraph above was about me and my complete relief that I’ve finally reached the end of this long road of studying.... for now anyway. I have been working so hard for the last three months; studying nearly all day and on weekends, just longing for a break. But now I can breathe and have a month of blissful days spent reading, writing, drawing and who knows what else. I must admit, though, that I feel a bit lost. As if I should be studying and not sitting here at the computer in my pyjamas.

However, until the end of the holidays I can relax. I’m really grateful to God for helping me through and for giving me the strength when I didn’t have any left. Then it’s back to finishing my last year of school. In South Africa-for those who aren’t familiar with our school system- our school year ends in November or December. As I’m homeschooled, I do AS levels (Cambridge curriculum) and split my exams into two sittings- May/June and October/November. And then after the end of the year- if I pass- I’m finished with school. But right now, however, I don’t even want to think about school. I just want to enjoy this deserved break I have before me and will spend my time trying not to be lazy but doing worthwhile things. And so the fun begins..... 

The Melody of Your Life

As I was listening to a song by Kendall Payne called “Ups and downs”, these words spoke to me: “We are composed of a symphony of notes/Every life is as music to His ears/I’ll play my melody be it haunting, be it sweet.” To me, that’s a beautiful description of life and who we are as individuals. It makes me think of all the people in the world as compositions of music in God’s music book. He is the composer and each one of us is a different song. However, we can choose how to play our melody, “be it haunting, be it sweet”.

The way we choose to live our lives can either be a beautiful song of praise in our Maker’s ears or one out of tune and painful to listen to. You can play your song according to His guidance or your own. God is like our music teacher, helping us to learn how to play a song properly and gently correcting us when we make a mistake. We can choose to listen to his instruction and play a beautiful melody or we can ignore Him and make a horrible banging noise. It’s your choice on how you will play the melody of your life.

Every piece of music is different, just like every life differs. Every one has been lovingly and diligently created by the Composer. You weren’t made to sound like someone else; otherwise your melody goes out of tune. You have to be true to the melody God put in you; you are amazing and beautiful just the way you are. Let the melody of your life rise to heaven in a beautiful way, as you let the Composer instruct and guide you on the path of life. 

Those Desert Days

I believe that something all followers of Christ go through at times is something I call desert days. I go through times when I feel as dry as the desert inside and God feels distant. It’s as if something has doused the passion that’s supposed to be burning within me and it’s left me feeling empty and lonely inside. It feels like I’m not growing or moving forward spiritually, though I yearn to. And I long to be filled with a burning passion for God and to feel closer to Him, but instead I’m like a desert inside. Is it just me, or do you also go through times like these? They come and go, and then God feels so close again, like a refreshing rain. I’m just being honest about something that most Christians, including me, are rather reluctant to talk about.  

I wonder why we experience those empty and dry feelings. I know that on His side, Jesus’ heart yearns to be closer to us and to have a stronger relationship with us. Maybe it’s because we get so caught up in our own lives that we lose something in the process. Maybe we stop fixing our eyes fully on the author and perfecter of our faith. If we don’t spend enough time with our friends, we sever our connection with them. And it’s the same with God. We need to spend quality time with Him and focus on Him during that time. I really struggle with this as my mind flies from one thing to the next with the speed of light. I think another thing is that we need to keep God at the top of our list of priorities; another, but worthwhile challenge.

So if there are any others out there who go through times of what I call drought, you’re not alone. During times such as these, I feel like clinging onto God even more, as if I can keep Him from moving away from me, when in reality I know that He’ll never leave me. I cry out to Him to full me up again with His spirit. Maybe these feelings are normal. Maybe as followers of Christ, the devil tries to cut our connection with Jesus, so as to distance us from Him. But we can’t let the enemy win. God is right there, as close as the air that surrounds us; He’s always faithful, always loving and always true. And in His timing, He’ll send a cleansing rain that stirs and revives us once again.

P.S So sorry I haven't posted in a long time. My life has been hectic with studying and exams! :)

The Final Year

The last year of school is something that inevitably sneaks up on all of us. When we were in primary school, we couldn’t wait for the day when we were finally finished with our twelve or so years of school. I remember counting down the years in anticipation when I was younger. But now I’m in the middle of my last year of school and it’s not as happy and “grown up” as I thought it would be.

Maybe I’m just different, but I’m sad that I’m finishing school. Not only are final exams looming scarily ahead, but it feels almost as if my childhood is about to end. Even though I will go to University, it’s time to go fully out into the world. Not only is that an exciting thought, but also a scary one. I’m just being honest; part of me feels like Peter Pan who never wanted to grow up. I don’t want to grow up and become old; I want to be forever young. And then again, I think that is possible. We can all be forever young in the inside. I guess I just love being the school girl and don’t want to let her go just yet.

But besides that fact, the future is exciting, if somewhat uncertain. I know that God has amazing plans for my life, as He does for yours. He knows exactly what the future holds and He will be with us every step of the way. I think it’s really comforting to have such a faithful and caring God leading us, don’t you? I know that, though my childhood may be ending and it’s my last year of being a school girl, God has an amazing future planned for me. I will follow the path He placed before me and follow where it leads. Who knows what God has in store for me?