When ArtPrize in Grand Rapids first began, I knew I needed
to be a part of it but I wasn’t sure yet what I wanted to do. As the owner of a
greeting card and gifting company and also a stained glass studio, my ideas
started to flow that would utilize both passions. Long ago I quit watching the news, listening
to or reading peoples rants about what is going wrong in their lives, or
focusing on what wasn’t going as planned in mine.
When my husband and I were married for 30 years I decided I
wanted to celebrate but didn’t want to have a party. About the same time I read the book, 365
Thank You’s, and loved the concept. To
celebrate our anniversary that year I made the decision to send a card a day to
somebody who was instrumental in our lives and marriage and for whom I was very
grateful. Many of those cards will make
up the walls and roof of my project.
Hope, Healing & Happiness – Feelings that can make you
want to dance as if nobody is watching!
What gives you HOPE?
We all need it at times.
We have all had it at times. The
feelings we experience as a result of that hope can carry us through during
difficult times.
When have you been HEALED?
It could be a spiritual healing, emotional healing,
financial healing, etc. These changes
make positive impacts on our lives, not just for the moment, but for the rest
of our lives.
And HAPPINESS can be experienced in big or little ways.
The birth of a child, somebody paying for your coffee
without your knowing it, you found a job that fits your lifestyle, your friend
is getting married, or your grandparent told you how much they love you.
By sharing your story with me and with this project, you
open up the doors for other people to experience that with you and think about
their lives and all they have to be grateful for. It has been amazing to me the number of
people who will share great emotional experiences with me once I open up to
them.
This project will change me.
To receive 2,000 cards by my deadline I will need 5-6 per day. Reading
the stories of Hope, Healing, & Happiness from others will dictate how I
proceed with this house of cards. One
thing I know for sure: I will not be the
same person one year from now that I am today.
And, I thank you for that.
