Here we are shortly before Thanksgiving, at the time I call the “high holy days of family gatherings.” We’ll be in this space-time continuum until the last whistle of the last Bowl Game—the grandaddy of them all: Sunday, February 11, 2024. That would be Super Bowl LVIII, or three days before Valentine’s Day, as a reminder to those who forget these things. As far as big games go, this tradition is almost old enough to take an early retirement. Thanksgiving is a much older tradition, however, for folks have been celebrating harvests as long as autumn has been a season. It’s always good to get a few pounds on before the winter gets here for good.

Our final class for November had a celebratory snack. Both Tim and Gail brought gifts of food: a delicious pumpkin spiced cream cheese roll and yummy blueberry and cake doughnuts. Tim let me bring the remaining doughnuts home, so I made a leftover blueberry doughnut bread pudding from them. Very good!! The recipe is on my Cornie’s Kitchen blog now (link below).

Gail painted a still life of turban pumpkins and Tim finished up his leaf drawing. I worked to complete my print project. I added some bible verses cut from an almost century old Bible. The pages fall apart when I try to read it, but fixing it to the canvas will keep keep it from decaying further. As Isaiah 40:8 says—

“The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.”

Sometimes the best part of art class isn’t learning how to create a more beautiful painting, but discerning how to live a more beautiful life. We’re constantly surrounded by the woes and suffering of our world, and this experience can cause us to cast a jaundiced eye on life. We can end up with negative attitudes and emotions that affect our own equanimity and wellbeing.

This is a time when my life experiences in ministry and personal suffering help others see God’s transformational grace at work in human suffering. God doesn’t cause suffering, but God can use this time for good. As Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28—“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Even Jesus suffered and those of us who bear his name and image aren’t spared this fate. How we handle suffering is the mark of a redeemed person. No one is called to submit to abuse, but we’ll all suffer from illness, indignity, lack of respect, or the ravages of old age. Some of us suffer needlessly because we don’t measure up to an unrealistic ideal image, so we tear ourselves down and say, “we’re no good.” We’re just fine; our expectations are excessive.

The high holy days, which we enter into now, are fraught with expectations for many people. Families, who have estranged relationships, may feel a sense of loss if someone doesn’t appear at the family table. Likewise, those who’ve experienced a death will feel the pain of the empty chair. We can’t bring back what was, but we can honor their memories and tell their stories. We can live in the present and build new joys for the family we have now.

In the Bible, inviting someone to eat with you is equivalent to making them part of your family. Therefore, family is the people you choose, not just your blood relatives. We can have many families, but we are to love, care, and protect them all. I consider my art students as part of my chosen family.

In the new year we plan to experiment with watercolors, so if that’s an interest, a Prang 8 color watercolor box, brush, and watercolor paper should be on your Christmas list. Our December schedule is light:

• December 1–class—
• December 8–no class—I’m going to Raney Lectures at PHUMC
• December 15–class—
• December 22 to January 3—vacation—no classes
• January 5—Watercolor class

Joy and peace,

Cornelia

Recipe for Leftover Blueberry Donut Bread Pudding:
https://cornieskitchen.wordpress.com/2023/11/22/leftover-blueberry-donut-bread-pudding/