(Gerdasmitart)

Dear Reader:

It might take a stretch of imagination to visualize Jesus belting out “Oh what a beautiful morning…Oh what beautiful day”….from the musical Oklahoma…but I feel sure Jesus must have felt that way…on that long ago Sunday morning. I sure would have.

I thought this year I would bring Easter back home. So many wonderful surprises have happened this past week that I am still reeling from the high.  I thought I would just share the many God Winks that have come my way.

I contacted Gerda after Matt’s story came out this past week. I felt that she should know what her painting of St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope did for Matt Oliver and the connection born out of this painting. This was her response:

Hi Becky

About the image of the Chapel…

It is like Matt said… I “Google” churches and liked the image (of St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope) and painted it- that was just me doing what God told me to do.

I simply try to listen to the Holy Spirit and do what I think I must do if it makes sense to me or not…
It is not my job, to know why….I just do.

My paintings are my way of saying: Here I am.

My word for this year is GRACE
This is God’s grace to me…(your recent email)
Letting me know  to carry on painting.

*Yes, you are welcome to use images of my work (please just put: gerdasmitart next to it)

Happy Easter
Gerda Smit

………………………

Bouts of poor health have restricted the pace of Gerda’s painting projects , but she is still called upon (by a Higher Power) to paint certain artworks. She no longer paints to sell  but  simply listens to God’s Voice as to what to select next. A picture of the chapel called her to paint it….and look at the effect it has ended up having on so many people’s lives.

One of her paintings I discovered jumped out at me. You might remember that Mollie and I went to a Christian women’s conference called Chosen a few weeks ago.. Here is Gerda’s “Chosen.” (gerdasmitart)

Remember how sad I was that I had mistakenly pulled up the “root” (or so I thought) of last year’s Passion vine? I even ordered another small one from a nursery on-line. When it arrived in the mail (about 4 inches tall) I went to plant it and saw something sticking out of the pine straw and leaves….my Passion vine!

I had not pulled up the root…but simply cut the vine off at ground level….so it had returned. A Happy Easter present to me. There is quite a lesson here….sometimes we, too, feel cut back in our dreams and goals but God is still working at our “roots” to bring fruition to our lives.

Speaking of Easter presents….hold on to your hats for this one.  I have been cleaning out decades of “stuff” from my garage….a miserable, yucky experience but such a rewarding one also. It is like taking a load off my own psyche…letting go of the past.

I showed Anne the garage when she stopped by the other day and told her I imagined a sign on the outside wall saying something like “Boo’s Potting Shed.” Anne looked startled and then said, “Becky, I remember that thought being your goal since the creation of your garden…and I painted a  bright green color as a background a long time ago. But then got busy with other things and forgot all about it.”

During Anne’s recent renovations she was cleaning out her garage, found the colored plank and wondered why she had it. But something kept her from tossing it. So now, un-beknownst to me. she added letters and flowers….moon flowers, sun flowers, and morning glory flowers.

She sent me a mysterious email the other day saying “It’s coming.” Nothing else. I thought she meant Easter and I responded it sure was…would be here before we knew it. Instead of replying to my response she sent a photo of the plank board sign in the process of being created.

Then Friday night she showed up at the house with this:

My last surprise was a simple but beautiful one…..the first of Harriett’s lilies ( a tiger lily I believe) opened up just in time for Easter.

So until tomorrow… Easter encompasses so many thoughts and feelings….but generosity of spirit, friendship, and Christ’s unconditional love, in the form of miracles given to mankind, take precedence on this most Holy of days. “Holy, Holy, Holy, How We Adore Thee.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Somehow in the midst of everything else going on in Anne’s life (she has had lots of guests staying with her) she managed to send out original artwork note cards she had painted. This one is called “Communion” with the wine chalice and bread sitting on the shore. I am so blessed to be surrounded with so much talent from family and friends….who share so generously of it. Thank you Anne. Beautiful!

*More scenes from the lowcountry as observed while pushing Jakie’s stroller….aren’t we the luckiest people in the world to live in this paradise of loveliness?