Mark 5:21-43

 I began this piece on Mark 5 about a month before retreat.  Upon the first reading of the story, I was thinking to myself there's more that Jesus wants us to see about Jarius and the Woman.  I started  to go through the reading line by line and began to sketch some of the words and images.  I saw things that both Jarius and the woman did...they both "fell before him".  I also saw the differences in ways they approached Jesus..."coming forward" and "came behind him."  The images help me to see the many details that Mark describes for us- which hold deeper meanings than they seem to hold at first glance.
While on retreat this was the first work I was able to complete this and pray with it art work.


A couple of mornings I awoke at 4:30am and just began these images- as an early morning prayer.

John 15

During the last day or so of retreat we read John 15.  As a gardener, I spent a lot of time with the vine and branches image.  I was thinking about how true it is that pruning usually always makes for a healthier and more fruitful plant. I can sometimes feel like I've pruned too much and the plant may not recover, yet I can not think of a time when that has happened. This year I pruned my tomato plants because they were so large and unruly.  The results: bigger tomatoes, more tomatoes.  I'm hoping to remain with Jesus there, in the garden (enjoying those home grown tomatoes).

August 2013