update – Ginger Simpson White

creativity every day even when…

I’ve written before about how it’s important to me to create every day. Even if it’s not much and not for long, I paint daily, and it’s something that helps me with calming and grounding and getting through.

There have been some big life changes that I’ve been dealing with, and there have been all the emotions that come when those things happen.

My hubs is officially retired now, which is a time of transition and brings adjustments to daily life and daily schedules for both of us. And our lives and our home are also very different now because our sweet 14-year-old calico Chloe passed away the week before Christmas after a long fight with cancer.

Only two and a half weeks after Chloe passed, my mother died.

And while none of these things were unexpected, they are still very big changes.

There’s a lot of grief. A lot of adjustment. A lot of feeling like life is just…different.

Through it all, every day, I continue to paint.

I paint because it calms me. It grounds me. It settles me. It brings me moments of joy even on days that are terribly difficult.

Even if I only paint for a minute, even if I only paint a heart or a circle, I paint every single day.

I do it because it helps me.

Even when life is hard, creativity helps.

What creativity can you bring into your life today, even if life in general is bringing challenges and struggle? What creative outlet gives you joy, even if you only have the time or energy to do it briefly?

Please let yourself do it. Because it can help.

♥

this summer…

It’s the last day of August. Labor Day weekend in the US is almost here. And, no matter what the temperature and the calendar say about it, I always think of this time as the end of summer…probably (in no small part) because from kindergarten through being a high school senior, the first day of school was the day after Labor Day.

Time isn’t so delineated for me now, at least not in the same way, but that feeling must have soaked well and deep into my bones because it’s lasted all these decades since then. Most years, Labor Day weekend feels like a marker, a before-and-after line for the year, a time to look back at the past few months and take stock of the season of summer. And although summer heat impacts me more than it used to, and most summers now don’t hold the same sort of magical feel of earlier ones in my life, summer is still a season I enjoy.

This summer held lots of time with our girl. Even with her continuing health challenges and the uncertainty of how much time she has left, she enjoyed happy and energetic days these past months, and we continue to treasure each good moment she has. We went through a decluttering and reorganizing spree in July, and she helped (in her own way)!

I continued to spend time on genealogy and historical research (exploring the histories of the places my ancestors are from). I read novels. I went for walks.

There has been ongoing work on my current novel, as well as new guided journals I put together and have available on Amazon.

And, as usual, daily paint play has helped to ground me, calm me, and connect me with joy.

Continuing the trend of the past several years, the summer also held lots of anxiety and stress and challenges.

But I continue to pray and take things day by day, step by step, moment by moment.

I continue to do the things that help me. I hope you find what helps you too.

❤

time seems strange…

For a few years now, I often say to friends (and have blogged about before) that time seems strange. It’s fast and it’s slow, both at once. And that’s the way it has continued to seem during these many months when I’ve been silent here.

I’ve still had quite the struggle with anxiety. I’ve still needed to find ways to try to go through the days as best as I can. I’m still spending my time doing what I’ve talked about here before.

Like… time with my husband and our cute Chloe.

Like… time in fresh air.

Like… painting every single day, even if it’s only for a few minutes.

Like… writing. I’m working on a sequel to my novel, New Life in New Melody – and now, in addition to the paperback and kindle, the hardback is available!

Like… talking with friends, and genealogy and historical research, and prayer, and Bible study, and participating again in this year’s #the100dayproject (I’m doing #100daysofcirclesandhearts for my focus this go-round).