Lost necklaces and giving

I know it's been a while since I wrote last, but things are picking up quite nicely. First I want to say that the gal in the pastel in my last post lost her beautiful cross necklace after the sitting. Quite a bummer, but thank goodness she wore it as it is now memorialized in the painting. Chalk it up to a reminder to wear what is meaningful to you as a volunteer and model for your portrait painting.

Lately, I've started a couple more pieces. One is an oil painting and the other is a graphite drawing. There are three more on the way. It's so exciting to meet these new people and see how far they've come. One volunteer is a real go-getter. She is so passionate about helping other women that she has helped open another much needed shelter in the Phoenix valley. With her drive and gift for networking and organization, she has coordinated all the furnishings for this new place, practically all on her own, while going to school and working full time. Amazing person! I'll be writing more on her later.

Last weekend we replaced our living room ceiling fan with new one with lights. The old one works fine, so I contacted the volunteer and asked her if she could use the fan for the shelter she is furnishing. Turns out she can. What an idea. If you have any gently used stuff that you might be giving to Goodwill this Christmas season, why not call a shelter to see if the people could use it there. I have some links on this blog that will get you in contact with a shelter organization in your state. It's a simple example of reaching out to others who still suffer and way of giving Thanks for how far we've all come in our lives.

~Happy Thanksgiving~