Yesterday I heard
His Holiness the Dalai Lama speak at William and Mary. My daughter Mariel goes to school here and being able to visit with her and hear His Holiness was such a treat. As I sat in William and Mary Hall, watching it fill up with students and visitors, I felt such a surge of optimism and positive emotion. I felt full of hope for our planet, which often feels torn apart and desecrated.
I had my art journal with me and took one of the pages I had collaged but not written on (it's actually a page of scraps and leftovers) and started to make a list in the blank hearts of some of the things that make me feel hopeful. (This is why it's great to just "unblank" a few pages -- you never know...)
HHDL: Seeing all the students fill the seats (4000 were given to students in a free lottery) made me hopeful that some of them will take his message to heart -- that it is in our own self interest to be compassionate towards EVERYONE, even our enemies, because at heart, we all want the same things - to be happy and free from suffering. And we all face the same problems -- sickness, death of loved ones and eventually ourselves, pain and suffering. So even if you hate the actions, feel compassion for the actors. Knowing that His Holiness is on a tour where he is visiting many colleges made me hopeful about all the young people who will hear his message of love and tolerance.
THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS: While waiting online to go in, I struck up a conversation with two nice people. Connecting with them made me feel warm inside. It also made me think about how, after the tsunami in Japan, the earthquake in Haiti, and 9-11, strangers pitched in and helped each other. The willingness of people to help each other in times of need, or even just waiting on a line, makes me hopeful.
ART: The community of artists on the retreats I've been on, and in the blog world, makes me feel very hopeful. So many of us are doing work that taps into global concerns, or are creating work to donate, or are connecting with and supporting each other. It fills me with warmth and hope.
MEDIA: The ability to connect with people around the world, to see how others live, and to hear about their challenges and successes, makes me hopeful. As the Buddha said, if you see yourself in others then whom can you harm?
MY DAUGHTERS: I have two girls who live each day with warm hearts and open arms. There are so many like them -- children who care about the world and who want to make it better. This gives me hope.
What makes you feel hopeful? Let me know.
Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.
Linking up with
Mandarin Orange Monday, Inspiration Avenue (challenge is orange!),
Art Journal Everyday,
Paint Party Friday and
Creative Every Day. Please visit the amazing artists linking up at these great sites!
what an amazing opportunity and such gorgeous pages it inspired! wow!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful, personal piece of journal art! How great to see and hear the Dalai Lama. I know there is hope for the world when I see my grandchildren!
ReplyDeletehow awesome! I would bet you have a TON of inspiration after that...another incredibly cool page :)
ReplyDeleteI love this beautiful and inspiring post, as well as your journal pages! How wonderful to hear the Dalai Lama's message. Hope is what we need! And it's so promising to be able to find it in young people.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic opportunity, and I love what he inspired.
ReplyDeleteRinda
Jessica.. you give me tingles. What an amazing experience. So happy you got back and forth safely, too.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post Jessica. I would have loved seeing him speak and just feeling the energy in the room. I love your page and the words you used to talk about hope. xox
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful experience you had - and it is great that it inspired you to do such uplifting, warm art. Thanks for sharing your work on Mandarin Orange Monday:)
ReplyDeleteThis is such an inspiring, hopeful post! It touched my heart and made me think about an issue today, in a different way. Thank you! Beautiful journal page!
ReplyDeleteWow! What an experience and so delightful that you incorporated it in your collage ~ delightful! ~ (A Creative Harbor) ^_^
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post. Your artwork is so very thought provoking. So very inspiring. Happy PPF
ReplyDeleteLove this! How amazing to be able to hear the Dali Lama!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, thoughtful post. I envy your seeing and hearing the Dalai Lama and then your incorporation of the day in your art. So creative!
ReplyDeleteSuch an inspiring post, Jessica. What an honor to be able to hear the Dalai Lama, and to hear his words of encouragement, words that have been spoken by many philosophers and clerics for millenniums, and even by God Himself. There is much hope in the young generation. My granddaughter, grad of W&M '11, has the same compassionate heart that you say your daughters have. Maybe they will be able to bridge many gaps.
ReplyDeleteJessica,
ReplyDeleteYour post and Art gives me HOPE. Sharing your feelings and knowing that the world as we see it daily in the image of the Media, is not the whole world as it truly is. The world is full of good people.People who care deeply about others and the world around them. As long as there are people like you, like your daughters, like the people in the shadows that we never get to meet, there is HOPE.
Thanks for sharing such a beautiful post.
How wonderful to hear the Dalai Lama, you are so lucky. Can see his words gave you great inspiration. Compassion is one of the greatest gifts a human can possess. Happy PPF, Annette x
ReplyDeleteWhat a humbling and blessed experience n'est-ce pas? I was fortunate to attend one of the Dalai Lama's talks when he was in my town a few years ago. There is nothing like feeling this holy presence and light.You've created a happy, energy filled page based on your experience-well done!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, thank you for sharing your experience! HPPF!
ReplyDeletebeautiful,beautiful journal page and your written words. what a blessing that you see and hear His Holiness the Dalai Lama in person. I feel blest, too, that you share your experience with us. thank you. what makes me feel hopeful? this post that you just shared. that is what makes me feel hopeful right now... for i have just "met" you online but you are not a stranger, and that growing in compassion matters to you, and that you have hope for the world. thank you, thank, you, thank you! alpha shanahan #26 PS. i am happy to meet another art journaler :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post... I always think there are so many things that make me hopeful... as long as I stay away form watching the news then I can live in my bubble of wonderful friends and acquaintances... I always think the news makes the world seem like a much worse place than it is... great post...xx
ReplyDeleteWe need a lot of hope right now. Your collage is lovely and certainly heartfelt by me!
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful pages - and what an amazing experience! I think hope is so important, but it seems there are many people don't seem to have any left. Beautiful post x
ReplyDeleteJessica, what a wonderful experience to hear the Dalai Lama speak!! Loved your writing AND your art. During times of crisis or tragedy, we are often reminded of how much we all really mean to one another. LOVE your journal page collage and the meaning it holds. Thank you for sharing. xox
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful thing for all of us to do...to list all of the things that make us feel hopeful!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post and artwork this week!
♥♥♥
Happy PPF!!
Mary
Mixed-Media Map Art
Your journal page is beautiful, so full of life and joy.
ReplyDeleteHappy PPF!
ReplyDeleteI heard his Holiness at the University of Minnesota. We also gave away many of the tickets. The arena was full and, as soon as he started talking, incredibly quiet. I felt so uplifted at the end of his talk.
What an amazing experience! Hope is so crucial to all of us now. Thank you for sharing your art with us. It's beautiful and the message goes straight to the heart.
ReplyDeleteI love the Doodly/graffiti feel of your piece. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful journal pages - love the colours , doodles and thought. There is indeed much to be hopeful about in this world.
ReplyDelete