Happy Valentine's Day!

"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Original Art By Gina Welds Hulse

Love Is The Healing Power!

One day.....

Helen Keller once said, "The world is full of suffering, but it is also full of the overcoming of it." 

Original Art By Gina Welds Hulse

Pain

I consider myself to be a strong person, but every once in a while I become overwhelmed by having to deal with pain every day, and the other issues that come with having a chronic illness.

I begin to focus on the pain and then frustration kicks in. 

However, I learn to reach deep down inside, holding onto faith. I am reminded that each day is new, that I will overcome and I will find joy in that new day amidst even the pain.

I remind myself of my own personal power to exercise control over my body and how I react to the pain, as well as strive to minimize the effects of the pain.....and in the meantime I hold out for the cure that will come.....ONE DAY!

Did you ever think you would finish growing up some day?

Growth is a continual process throughout our lives.

Original Art by Gina Welds Hulse

There is a Chinese Proverb that says, “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials."

Adversity is a given, but growth is optional.  

When a child is born we expect that child to continue growing throughout his or her life, right?  However, the growth is not just physical.  It's also emotional.

I have always been a person that was very aware of my personal growth.

I always set goals for myself & seemed to manage to reach those goals in a certain amount of time. When lupus struck a few years ago, it really took a toll on my body, and all the goals that I had set had to take a back seat...at least for a while.

Some days as I lay in bed riddled with pain, I often wonder if I will ever be able to fulfill any goals of personal growth again! 2016 was the toughest year for many reasons.  Having gone through 5 surgeries, and several setbacks, I really thought that I needed to stop "dreaming" or setting goals, but it would have gone against what  I had been telling all those who followed my lupus page and had been inspired by my own personal struggles with chronic illness. 

Just to be clear, I'm no poster child for conquering adversity. I'll be the first to admit that there have been times when I've let adversity get the best of me.  The months following my diagnosis with chronic illness was one of those times.  I felt betrayed. 

Although I was very sick for most of 2016, I still managed to start a designing site where my art work is featured on clothing.  You can find my collection here.

                                                     Gina's VIDA Collection

I also set about putting together an art show for that year. 

Learning to overcome adversity doesn't happen during a single late night study session.

It's more like an endless tutorial we have to take over and over again.  Each time I've faced a health challenge, I've learned a little bit better how to respond the next time around. 

 A flare up of my illness for example, doesn't affect me nearly as much as it did when I was first diagnosed.  I've learned to cope better, to push through it with fortitude, and I have the knowledge that at some point it will come to an end. 

Each time adversity confronts us, it takes a slightly different approach which requires us to develop new skills and abilities. This refining of our character and path of personal growth helps us develop the resiliency we need, that I needed, to forge ahead, even while dealing with chronic illness.

The Beautiful Chaos That Is My Life

Beautiful Chaos 

Original Art by Gina Welds Hulse

Everyone has times in their life when they feel demotivated, lost, and unhappy. You're in a rut, and you don't know how to get out of it. Life may keep piling it on.

My life was no exception.  I thought I had it all planned out.  Life was going great....as I had planned.  I had my dream job as an Art Teacher, and was very involved in many community projects.  I had many art gallery shows in the works, and some already going on.  So what could go wrong?

For many years, I was concerned about some strange feelings in my hands and feet.  I had already been diagnosed with lung and heart issues, but these numbing and tingling episodes were unnerving to me.  My doctor suggested that I get my B-12 levels tested.  They came back very low, and I was also diagnosed with pernicious anemia, so I was started on B-12 shots, but also sent to a neurologist, where it was determined (to make a long story short) I had peripheral neuropathy.

A few weeks later I was diagnosed with lupus as well.  Ever had days when it seems that things could not possibly get any worse?  That was how I felt.  

I found myself later on a downhill spiral in serious depression.  Nothings that made me happy before was working.  Nothing that I was passionate about thrilled me. I plunged into major depression.  Several weeks later I decided to head to a Psychiatrist.  

To top it off, I still had fairly young children, two in high school and the youngest in elementary school.  I still had to be a mom.

2016 was probably the most challenging year of my life, and I have had some challenging years. There were days when I felt like I was at the end of my rope, but I made it through.

To make a long story short.  I gradually, over the last few years, worked my way back to the strong warrior woman I knew that I was.  

Some days you think that there is no possible solution anymore. But look at this painting, in such a desperate condition, such Beautiful Chaos ....remember that the light will always find a way to reach you anyway. 

What sets your heart on fire?

Although I did not choose this road on which I am traveling, I can choose to strip my path of as many obstacles and limitations, and forge forth.

#101DaysOfCreativity #DailyMiniManifesto#ChronicIllnessAwareness #LupusAwareness 

What sets your heart on fire... person, place, possession, or pursuit? 

One important aspect of harnessing your personal power is to know what you are passionate about.

If someone were to ask you, “What sets your heart on fire? What gets you excited about life?” How would you answer that question?

It is so easy to get lost in the day-to-day routine of life and get bogged down with the drudgery of our daily schedules. Yet, when we begin to connect with our passions, it totally transforms our lives – not to mention the way it can transform the world!

Several years ago when I was in my deepest personal despair, I would not have been able to tell you what I was passionate about. I had just been diagnosed with lupus,  and was facing a future that I had not planned for, one that involved chronic illness and a lot of doctors.  It took quite a journey before I was able to get back into a mode where I was painting or doing something creative.

I knew what had made me excited in the past – painting, sculpting, traveling, teaching, homeschooling - but, for a while I was so caught up in my own personal misery, worry and my fear, that I lost sight of how to incorporate these passions into my life.  Then one day I realized that although my life had changed due to this illness, it did not mean that my life had ended.  I learned how to reinvent my life and use my illness as a bouncing board for new gifts.  I learnt that I still loved writing....so I started to write about my illness and discovered that this was helping others who were battling lupus as well.

In the past few years I have reconnected to my passion again.  I started to paint again, and recently started a 101 Days Of Creativity challenge.

I wake up every day flooded with ideas, creativity and joy for the work I’m doing. Now I can’t imagine what my life would feel like without doing those things that make my heart beat faster, my blood flow more quickly and get me smiling non-stop throughout the day.

If you are stuck in a rut in life, this is great time t ask yourself some questions.  The year has barely begun.

Take some time to reflect on these questions:

• What do I absolutely love to do (or what have I loved to do in the past)?
• Have I ever felt my heart start pounding when I was about to do something I loved? If so, what was it?
• As a teenager, what causes or issues was I passionate about? As an adult, what causes get my attention?
• Have I ever done volunteer work that brought me joy and great satisfaction?
• Is there an activity that I do or have done in the past that helped me feel “in the flow?

We are always a question away from finding something that excites us. 

Take the time to consider these questions and ideas. Jump out of the routine.
Instead of watching TV, call an organization that you might want to volunteer for.

Shake up your life! 
Do something that is out of the ordinary!

The more of us who have our hearts set on fire for life, the more beautiful our World will become – for we will bring smiles, new energy and fresh creativity to each day! 

Lesson from Nature: The Great Blue Heron

Original Art by Gina Welds Hulse

Follow me on Facebook

  

The Great Blue Heron is a large and majestic bird. and has been the subject of choice for many artists. This bird has significance in the animal totem sense. As with all of the creatures of the Earth , the coloring of the Great Blue Herons` feathers is significant, as each color carries with it special attributes unique to that creature. Blue in nature is connection to the Sky and also represents Peace and Tranquility.
Although the Great Blue Heron is by nature a predominantly solitary bird, during mating season, Herons will gather in clusters to nest and raise young in what are called "colonies." It is quite remarkable to witness the peace and harmony that abounds in these colonies, and is a testimony to the ability of a highly independent creature to adapt to communal life. Nature teaches us such wonderful lessons, if we only listen. #101DaysOfCreativity #DailyMiniManifesto