THURSDAY THOUGHTS - Channeled Energy... Focused, Dedicated, and Disciplined

Guest Post -

On Friday night I volunteered as a  host at the 2nd Annual Zions Bank Art Show, which was held in our new building in Provo.  The variety of art mediums was much more diverse than I expected it would be.  One painter had oil paintings of nothing but oversized tulips, which were stunning.  There were also displays with everything from acrylics to watercolors; all of great quality.  One man there did all of his art on egg shells.  The eggshells were hollow and he had all kinds like ostrich, emu, and goose eggs.  Once they were hollow, he drew scenes on them and then cut them out (don't ask me how) but they were most delicate and simply gorgeous.  A sculptor on the 8th floor told me that one of his pieces took him two years to complete.  A medium that I had never seen before was gourd art.  They looked a lot like pottery to me, but in reality they are made from gourds, which are plants.  The artists dry them out and then sculpt and color them.  The results were beyond amazing.

As I made my way through the exhibit (which was on each of five floors in the new building), I spoke to many of the artists about their work.  The amazing fact was that I only met one artist who made his entire living with his art.  Most of them worked other jobs to pay the bills and worked at their passion (their art) on the side.  I knew that I was witnessing the results of countless hours of dedication and work.  How disciplined they had to be!  My husband fits into this category, and I know how many hours he spends perfecting his craft.  Harry Emerson Fosdick said the following:  "No horse gets anywhere until he is harnessed.  No steam or gas ever drives anything until it is confined.  No Niagra is ever turned in to light and power until it is tunneled.  No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated and disciplined."  I honestly felt that I was surrounded by greatness on every side as I traveled from one floor to another that night.

As I pondered on Fosdick's statement, I realized that there are many varieties of greatness around us.  Most marathon runners are not professional runners.  They make time to train on top of full time jobs.  I have a son who fits into this category.  Also, the women who founded our cancer support group, Lifting Hearts, faced some serious challenges after the group started.  They had to change the name among other difficulties.  However, they kept their focus and forged ahead with great dedication in behalf of those of us who have had or may yet have cancer.  Witnessing these powerful examples of channeled energy motivates me to develop more dedication and discipline in my own life.

-Kathy Christensen
Survivor
Member, Lifting Hearts