CED '08 ~ Almost Daily Journal' con't.

For the past week, I've been working towards getting things prepared for creating in my "Almost Daily" art journal. I've made trips to the studio, sorted through and organized supplies, purchased a new Fiskar's cutter! {my guillotine styled one is simply too heavy to be lugging around!}, stamped some images on scraps of paper and cut those out, and today, I cut a 3' stack of cardstock and printed papers just for this project. I figured I don't need to attempt to try to re-invent the wheel with every collage I create for this journal so those pieces will come in handy while I work and journal. I've still a long way to go on this project, supplies to gather up yet, determining a space just for them within our home, and creating the actual pages that will one day bring it all together.

Today, I couldn't resist the urge to just create something and the pages above are the results. I started with creating the collage for the title page of this section of my loose leaf book using an image that was shared through Flickr. After cutting it out, adhering it all together, I began working on the journaling. The journaling is personal in nature but I'm willing to share. My pages read, "God's promises."

Lately I've been pondering about promises - the ones I make to myself and to others. In truth, I rarely make promises because I consider them sacred. Promises end --- one of 2 ways --- either kept or broken and I figure them literally as being as good as one's word. People who keep them have integrity; while those wo do not honor them cannot be taken seriously or trusted. Sometimes, others forget how powerful their word is, and when promises are made haphazardly or unconsciously, they fail to realize that someone may have created certain expectaions that may not be fulfilled and those leave disappointment and distrust behind. Then, there are those promises that we make to ourselves --- the ones we forget about over time as they begin to slip away from conscious mind.... like after a early heartache that was followed by the promise to NEVER trust Love again. Those promises slip deep into our conscious minds and without realizing it, we keep fulfilling them, over and over, like a self-fulfilling prophecy. That is until one day, we awaken to remembering and ask to be released from them. I might also ask for love, light, and healing to be sent to those I inadvently disappointed and hurt and Seek wisdon to do my best from this point forward, to help me to be TRUE to my Word --- just as God's word is to ME and to others. And I ASK God to help me make promises tha I truly intend to deliver... But just for today, I PROMISE to focus on God's promises. Promises I know, in my heart of hearts, that I can trust and believe wholeheartly within. Because... ~ He is the Lord, My God, and He promises to never change. {Malachi 3: 6} ~ He is full of mercy and grace and overflows with love. {Psalm 103:8} ~ He created ME in his image with a Special Blessing. {Gen. 1:27-28} and delivered me from the darkness. {Col. 1:12-13}

These thoughts have been sort of lingering in my mind for some time now so I'm hoping that by getting them out and down on paper, I can begin the process of letting go and learning to trust again. Hopefully, and with God's assistance, I can do that with intregity this time around.