Simple Beauty: Journaling & Sketching Through the Seasons

By Diana Thomas

"There can be more to life than meets the eye..."

 

The incredibly talented writer and artist, Diana Thomas, shares the world through her lens in Simple Beauty-a diary-style book designed to help people slow down, seek, listen, and discover a deep appreciation of every

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mercy & Moxie
• Release date: Dec 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9781960007353

Diana Thomas

Diana Thomas has spent a lifetime exploring, documenting, and painting the beauty of God's creations. She's known to view the wonders of nature through both her heart and eyes of Christian faith. She is a graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and shares her work with various organizations, local shops, and galleries throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania. Diana lives in this picturesque area with her husband and loves being close to family.

Book preview

JOURNALING & SKETCHING THROUGH THE SEASONS

Simple

Beauty

Diana Thomas

Copyright © 2024 by Diana Thomas

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

Paperback ISBN 978-1-960007-34-6

eBook ISBN 978-1-960007-35-3

Published by

Mercy & Moxie

an imprint of

Orison Publishers, Inc.

PO Box 188, Grantham, PA 17027

www.OrisonPublishers.com

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Contents

Preface

WINTER

Against the Wind

A Tree

Dressed in White

Vespers on the Eve of Advent

Advent Poem

Broken

Winter’s Inspiration

Salt and Pepper

Again

SPRING

Forsythia

March Snowfall

Crystal Garments

Hanging Laundry

Time

Housing Wars

April Wind

Instant Party

Aromatherapy

Spring Flowers

The Gift

Where Fairies Dance

Bird Songs

SUMMER

Garden Church/Morning Song

Don’t Be Afraid

River of Grace

Summer Stars

Silver crescent moon

Strawberry Queen

Planting Strawberries

The Fragrance of Summer Rain

Catbird Jazz

Gold Bug

Agility

The Bees

Doves

AUTUMN

A Traveler

Gardening My Soul

Owls and Crows

Tattered Wings

Autumn Leaves

The Kiss

The Fragrance of the Bread of Life

Ode to a Maple Tree

Deer

The Fragrance of Thanksgiving

November’s Brown

ACROSS THE SEASONS

A Broken Stem

A Crying Song

Now Spell Wolves

Breathe Shalom

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Who Is My Neighbor?

Turn, Turn, Turn.

My Favorite Cup

Use Me Every Day

Weeds

The Chocolate Cake Effect

Heart Full of Treasure

Wearing Pearls

References

Preface

Have you ever tried to find the three-dimensional image hidden within a holographic picture? It is an interesting phenomenon that requires a certain way of focusing your eyes as if looking into and beyond the flat colors and patterns on the surface. When you’ve accomplished that focus, suddenly the second image is right there inside the picture. This experience is similar to how I would describe seeing the beauty that exists within our daily lives.

For almost as long as I can remember, I’ve believed that there can be more to life than meets the eye. Maybe this thought was aided by my artsy perspective, or maybe it grew out of the wonder of learning that a beautiful, delicate butterfly would be the result of a caterpillar’s metamorphosis. I’ve come to strongly believe that an innate piece of our human design is to search for beauty even where it is not obvious or especially there. Intentionally seeking beauty or making something beautiful sets us apart from all other creatures on the planet. Making and finding beauty not only brings pleasure but also seems to be an integral part of our well-being. In our modern culture where stresses of all kinds seem to reign and even intrude on our busy lives, the search for and creation of beautiful things seems to be more critically important than ever.

By age 13 I was spending time trying to write about or sketch the day-to-day beauty I’d discovered in my ordinary life. Over the decades I developed these practices into a daily habit that became a necessary and regular part of my morning prayer. By making time to write and draw, I learned to slow down, to ruminate, to ask myself questions and to take another look at life and my response to it. To my delight and surprise, beauty was often discovered in the process and presented itself when and where I least expected.

It is only natural that into every life some rain or stormy weather must come. We all have our share of unexpected troubles, setbacks and losses. Sometimes the beauty is simply that our lives continue to flow through seasons whose rhythms help us see that nothing remains the same for long. Sometimes the beauty is finding that silver lining or arriving at a different perspective. I’ve felt a kindred connection to Saint Paul when he said, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16–18 NIV, emphasis mine).

Simple Beauty portrays a portion of my journaled collection of beauty sometimes revealed as surprises within ordinary moments. They are gems I’ve regarded as too valuable to lose in the swift current of passing time. When you read the essays in this book, I hope you will be prompted to seek wonderful and surprising nuggets of beauty within your days. Though you may not be a regular journal writer, I encourage you to use the blank writing pages at the end of each section of this book to jot down a thought or two, press a pretty leaf, preserve a feather or invite a child to scribble with a crayon as you collect and cherish your own bright treasures.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened….

Ephesians 1:18 (NIV)

JOURNALING & SKETCHING THROUGH THE SEASONS

Simple

Beauty

Against the Wind

Ineed to go out for a walk even though it’s