Leisure Lane Welcomes Two New Pages

Hello Friends,

You may have noticed that I have two new pages up and running.  The Licensing/Contact page is now available, and Leisure Lane Gallery is a place to showcase more of my series and individual illustrations and artwork.

In the near future I am planning to add pages which will feature examples of my creative writing.  I’m excited!

Also, I’m happy to announce that I am able to pass along to you savings on The Knittington Fairies cards.  The cards are now available for $2.75.  You can check them out at The Knittington Fairies’ Shop & Gallery.  I will be offering The Knittington Fairies images as prints, hopefully soon.  I’ll let you know when that becomes available.

Good news all around.  Thank you for visiting Leisure Lane.  We’re always glad to see you.

Until next time, may happy days abound.

Marianne

Above image, “Poppies”, is from original Garden Sprites series by Marianne Coyne

Fun note:  Miss Tea is having a fun give-away on her blog, Tea Diary…be sure to stop by to learn more.

Rising to a New Dawn

Happy Easter from Leisure Lane

Good day, dear Friends,

If you’ve read my last post, Renewed Mind=Renewed Life, you’ll remember I mentioned writing a poem about the epiphany that each moment can be the beginning of a new day; that every moment is a gift in which we can be born again, and begin life anew.

After I had written the poem, A New Day,  that particular concept was on my mind quite often, and most recently I came across some notes I had then jotted down, which I thought would be very timely to share with you now.

I was thinking about the idea that yesterday is gone; today is NOW.  What good does it do me to look at yesterday when I have all of the possibilities of today.  Yes, our choices of yesterday affect our today, but even now we can change our today by making better choices now.

Consider the thief on the cross.  His yesterday determined his today, but even then, he was able to turn his today around.  Through his introspection he was promised Paradise.  It is a choice.  If Jesus could, he would have promised both thieves Paradise.  But only one made the choice to see and to do that moment differently.  By doing so he created his tomorrow to be more beautiful.

We are taught to believe and to expect that Jesus will do everything for us.  But He can not and will not choose for us.  That is our part of co-creating with the Father.  One of Jesus’ final statements on the cross was, “It is finished (accomplished)”.  Jesus has already done all He was meant to do…it’s our choice whether or not to claim it for our own.  That is an important lesson I’ve been taught by Him, and one which I am still learning to put into practice every moment of every day.

The past can hold some wonderful memories, but it can also taunt us with our mistakes.  I suppose the question is, which thief do we choose to be?  The one who clings to his past, in all its resentment, bitterness, and despair?  Or the one who, even in his hopelessness, was bold enough to imagine that God would remember him. Do we dare, this Easter, to leave the past on the Cross, and, like the thief who made a momentous choice, rise to a new dawn?

I wish all of you a glorious Easter!  And until next time, may happy days abound.

Marianne

Cross images from original polymer clay sculptures, by Marianne Coyne

Renewed Mind=Renewed Life

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  John 3:3

Hello, Friends,

With Easter coming up, I’ve been contemplating the concept of renewing the mind and rebirth ~ amazing topics which would not be hard to expound on.  Much could be said on them, but sometimes less is more.

In 2009 I began to write a group of poems under the category I called “Poetry Schmoetry” (how that came about is a story in itself, and surely for another time).  The following poem is one from that group, and written after an epiphany I had.  What’s remarkable about epiphanies is that they are not confined to a once-in-a-lifetime time frame, but can be repeated as many times as we need them to be, until they become actual practices in our lives.

The following epiphany, though experienced a couple of years back, came into its fullness only a few weeks ago.

A New Day

 Seems like every time I turn around an awareness hits
me.  Mostly about myself and then immediately about
my Self.  Does it ever end?  Hopefully not, because
then the journey would be over. 

 I use to say, “Tomorrow is a new day.”  Then I would
look forward to the dawn to start life fresh.  Now I say,
“Now is a new day; this very moment.  I don’t have to
wait for the sun to come up tomorrow.  The new day starts
now; this minute.”  Wow!  That’s a powerful Truth.
And the most wonderful part about it is that I’m aware of
it; heightened, and enthused. 

 So now, whenever I blunder, no matter how big or small,
I am aware, and can immediately change the
thought, the pattern, whatever…That’s power.  The present
moment is our dawn.  I always look forward to a “new day”.

 copyright©2009 Marianne Coyne

Jesus talked a lot about sowing and reaping.  I can feel His anxiousness in getting us to understand this simple concept for our own sakes.  He was always speaking resurrection concepts.  If our thoughts are seeds, then it stands to reason that our lives will be a harvest of our thoughts.  And the amazing, most wonderful thing is that since our thoughts can change in an instant, we always have a new opportunity to plant fresh seeds.  That’s very exciting to me!

Closer to Easter I will publish another post on this concept.  I hope to ‘see’ you then.  Until next time, may happy days abound.

Marianne

Image is from the original oil painting, “Primroses”, by Marianne Coyne

A Bite Out of Life

Good Day, Friends,

It seems today on Leisure Lane the weather took a bite out of Spring.  We’ve been enjoying unusually dry, breezy, sunny days ~ how perfect, how invigorating, and what a difference low humidity can make here in Southeast Texas.  Then today the clouds blew in, and the humidity rose above the hot-flash point.

Oh, how tempted I was to begin grumbling…’Ooo…ick…yuck…”, and generally begin the yearly whining about how hot it feels…BUT!! Ah yes, the ‘but’ that’s only acceptable when turning a negative into a positive… BUT, what a beautiful day, I thought.  How grateful I am for good health, a day off from the job, and an opportunity to allow all sorts of new and exciting opportunities into my Life.

I’m not saying that I enjoy muggy, sticky, weather, but what I am saying is that being willing to see beyond the senses gives one a glimpse into the Kingdom of Life…and that’s what I took a bite out of ~ a bite out of Life.  And O, how sweet it is.

How we begin our day sets the tone for the whole day…but don’t dismay…if you didn’t start it out on the right foot, so to speak, you can always rectify it at this very moment.  Be grateful for even a small thing you can think of today, and really feel the emotion behind it.  Say out loud what it is you’re grateful for, why you’re grateful for it, and notice how your emotions begin to turn toward that positive, life-giving sensation.  You’ll notice a surge of energy, and realize that, you, too, just took a bite out of Life!

Remember, enlightenment is not the end of a journey, but the beginning of one.  Until next time, may happy days abound.

Marianne

Forgetting and Forgiving

Here are the next verse’s of that interesting Irish Blessing I began featuring on St. Patrick’s Day, here on Leisure Lane.  If you’ve ever read Irish blessings before, you know that the Irish have a remarkable way with words.

Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.

It’s interesting about forgetting…there are some things and people most of us have forgotten in the true sense of the word.  But I think that most of us can say that friends who’ve done us harm, or real troubles that have plagued us at one time or another still remain on file somewhere in our consciousness – pulled out to review at the most inopportune moments.

So perhaps the best way to forget is to forgive.  Forgiveness covers a multitude of ailments, don’t you think?  And forgiveness isn’t saying, “It’s okay”, but rather it’s a maturing in the understanding that ‘stuff’ happens; that people aren’t Christ-like until they realize that being that way is an actual possibility and decide to embark on that journey; and that misunderstandings are as common as reality shows.

It’s the releasing ourselves of all the icky feelings that accompany a less than pleasant memory.  It’s the ability to put the past behind, and allow ourselves to invite all the possibilities that good emotions can bring to the well-being of our minds, bodies, and every aspect of our lives in this present moment.

We can’t always completely put something out of our memory, and perhaps we shouldn’t want to – after all, memory has it’s place and purpose in our lives.  But when forgiveness takes place one’s breath becomes deeper, one’s mind becomes clearer, and one’s body becomes healthier.

And where do we begin?  With learning the art of forgiving ourselves.  From the most minor mistakes to the most disastrous.  If we love ourselves, we must forgive ourselves…and that gives us clear sight to see the world around us, and is the beginning of a whole new and wonderful life.

Until next time, may happy days abound!

Marianne

Above image from the oil painting: Resign, Refresh, Restore by Marianne Coyne

A Gracious Award

Miss Tea has bestowed on me the Kreativ Blogger Award!   Thank you, Miss Tea, for such a gracious award!  I’m surprised and honored.  Stop by to see Miss Tea’s delightful blog, Tea Diary, full of great projects and fun musings…now I must nominate 10 wonderful blogs, and write 10 things about myself.

Creatively talented, entertaining, and inspiring blogs by some beautiful ladies – check them out.  You are all deserving, so feel free to take the award with open arms and big smiles, and post it on your blog.

Cottage and Creek

Artful Affirmations
Faerieluna
Bella’s Rose Cottage
Marionberry Cottage
Yvette’s Twistedvines
Created Art & Design
Rose Chintz Cottage
Fitty’s Pinky Rose Cottage
The Polka Dot Closet

Now for 10 “exciting” things about me…hmmmm…let’s see…

1. I have a remarkable son, Robert, whose birth, 21 years ago, awakened my connection to the whole universe.
2. Art has been a part of my life since I could hold a crayon.
3. My first mentor was Captain Kangaroo.
4. I’ve always been a seeker and student of The Kingdom of Heaven.
5. Gratitude has become the yeast in my bread of Life.
6. I enjoy black and white movies from the 30′s and 40′s.
7. I have a tendency to be lazy.
8. My goal is to go to bed earlier every night.
9. I love when the mornings seem long;  when I’ve already accomplished a lot, and I look at the clock and it’s only 10am. (But that didn’t happen today).
10. I would like to accomplish everything I desire to fulfill in my Life – oh, my, I may have to live to be 200.
Here’s a bonus:  Except for only a few people, up ’til now, not many know that in 2002 I wrote 4 Irish Pub songs.  The first one came to me one evening while talking with my son.  They proved to be a great healing outlet for me during a difficult time in my life.  I think it would be fun to hear them performed by a real Irish Pub band.

Aren’t you glad you asked?

Now, as promised the third verse of the Irish Blessing…I glean so much from these.

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.

I’m still working on that one.  If one can perfect it, it can save the mind, because I believe it’s one of the reasons people can acquire dementia (in any form)…constantly remembering sad thoughts and lingering in them is abusing the memory. But a Merry heart is good like medicine!

Thank you for visiting, and until next time, may happy days abound.

Marianne ☺

Knittington’s April Fairy

Who better to welcome in April here on Leisure Lane than Grace, Knittington’s own knitting fairy.  Read all about her in The Knittington Fairies’ Shop and Gallery.

I’ve been very busy lately nurturing a beautiful flower of faith…the seed planted many years ago began to bloom, and though crowded out by unseemly weeds of doubt for a long time, has suddenly blossomed.  Doubts,  uprooted with voracity, no longer have  a welcome in my beautiful garden.

About 5 years ago I produced a beautiful piece of art which symbolizes this very concept.  Hopefully soon I will be able to share it with you.

As I promised, here is another wonderful verse from the Irish blessing posted March 17th.  Truly something to meditate on, receive, and be thankful for the choice!

May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.

Life is a remarkable gift…Love it, Create it, Live it!

Thank you for visiting.   Until next time, may happy days abound.

Marianne