bikes, moths, and my painting life.

it's been a good week. 
for those of you who have been praying about my weird illness, i have had numerous tests and exams and nothing has come up, so it seems it's just a virus.  and i've been feeling well for two days now, so hopefully it's gone! thanks so much for your concern fr me and mine.  it was a very strange and often scary experience.

let me tell you about the best part of my last week.  we went on a family bike ride to the zoo. :) 
picture me:  pink helmet (of COURSE i wear a helmet Cori, how could i ever look Vanessa in the face again if i didn't?), pink bike, big smile, wind in my hair (well, the hair that's not in the helmet), backpack on my back.  my four year old is in front of me on his running bike, legs flying, seeking out any puddles along the way.  my seven your old is on her training-wheel-free flower-dappled bike behind me, concentrating hard and calling out rules such as "okay, when mommy needs to stop she'll say "STOP" and then I'll repeat "STOP" so that daddy knows behind me that I'm stopping okay?".  then Scott, my delightful man, pulling up the rear, keeping an eye on all of us (because Lord knows, any one of us could topple). 
it takes us approximately 10 minutes to get from our front door to the entrance of the zoo. zutt alore!  and when we do arrive the zoo is closed because of a power outage.  it's open every day of the year, but we hit it the one time it's closed.  ah, well, the ride was worth it.  and we did get to go into the butterfly greenhouse for a picnic lunch.
which brings me to another great moment.  a butterfly landed on my shoulder.  i know, this is a normal occurrence in the butterfly pavilion i'm sure, but did you know that I'm afraid of moths?  yes, after all my talk about overcoming fear, i let out that embarrassing tidbit of information.  to my credit, i was attacked by a family of them as a child. yes, a family of moths. 
attacked.
me.
so i'm standing in this greenhouse, surrounded by my nemesis' cousins and one lands on my shoulder and scott calls out "look! mommy's special!" and i say "i'm like Snow White!" (as an aside, i've always dreamed that if i were to find myself alone in a forest the woodland creatures would come and cuddle with me - birds on my shoulders, squirrels on my lap, a deer by my side....drawn no doubt by my princess-like nature and purity of heart). 
secretly, i'm a little uneasy about this butterfly touching me.  but then i think, maybe this is an ambassador from the moth-like nation proclaiming peace at last!  maybe it's time to let go of my morbid hatred of the moth species.  maybe it's whispering "can't we all just get along?".  it is a white butterfly, like a little flag of surrender.
can you believe that i actually think like this?  thank God for anne of green gables, she makes me feel normal.

okay, my last great thing from the week...i FINALLY finished the painting I've been working on for months.  after 45 1/2 hours of work, here it is.  forgive me for the crooked pic, as soon as the sun's out i'll take a better on and replace it.

alright, so I'm sure you're thinking "what the heck is that?"

here's the vision that was given to me by a beautiful woman who's a pastor in Ontario:

My deep heart break is for the wounded and broken who've lost their way to the Father.
  I see a shining city - much like those city-state fortresses pictured in medieval epics (think, "The White City" from the Lord of the Rings:  The Return of the King).  This is the city of God.  Angels and saints stand along the ramparts of the mighty city wall, calling and shouting to the chaos outside.  In the muck and mire of the earth a churned up battle field stretches for miles and miles.  At first glance, it appears to be a writhing, rhythmic groundswell.  But on closer inspection, we see the bodies.  Some are violently engaged in battle.  Some lie broken and battered in the mud.  Some run from the horror, but can't find a way out.  And dotting here and there in this horrific landscape are men and women wearing the armor of the city, holding tight to the hands of the wounded and lost, weaving in and out of the battle, side-stepping skirmishes here and raising their swords to fight, there, guiding the broken to the gates of the city where the Prince stands to receive them, to heal them, to love them.
     Some were sent out in armor to bring in the lost, but were themselves deeply wounded in battle.  That's who I go to.  That's who I've been sent to bring home.  Those are the focus of my search.

so, an amazing vision and a daunting project.  it's been an incredible challenge: 5 different pics involved, some from the internet, some taken with models, and i had to hunt down chain mail and a sword (thank God i live in Saskatchewan!).  i have felt very honoured to hold this amazing woman's heart in my brushstrokes, and to paint something that reveals God's truth and calling and the beauty of His saving kingdom.

that said, i'm glad it's over. :)

scott starts holidays monday and we're looking forward to a "staycation" until the 25th when we fly to BC (yippee!!!).  there's a waterski competition on the river this weekend, and the "taste of Saskatchewan" festival next week.  i love life in the city.

blessings and rest to you all.