Braver Than You Believe

This week has been phenomenal. The kids I nanny for are out of town and I have the whole week off meaning that since I'm the only person in my house during the day and I have no other pressing deadlines, I can do whatever I want (as long as I remember to empty out the dishwasher).

So I've been making art.

Hopefully I'll be done with it within the week to show you, but in the meantime, here are some things that have been inspiring me this past week:

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you." --Winnie the Pooh

Joan of Arc by Mark Twain. I absolutely love this book and I'm only on the tenth page. Joan's always been one of my heroes but Twain writes about her with such affection that I can't help but want to aspire to be like anyone who is described as "truthful when lying was the common speech of man; honest when honesty became a lost virtue; a keeper of promises when the keeping of a promise was expected of no one; steadfast when stability was unknown...". Twain actually goes on like that for a full two pages and those are merely the first pages. So yes, I aspire to be someone like that.

Actually, the inspiration to read this book came from this article by Jon Foreman. It's a stirring piece of work that motivates me to face my dragons.

Lions make you brave,

Giants give you faith,

Death is a charade.

You don't have to feel safe to feel unafraid.

Lions! by LIGHTS