Creativity Boot Camp Post "Ivory"

i am excited to be a part of
creativity boot camp! I don't know how long i can keep this up, but I'm going to try! Here is day one assignment "IVory" I have decided to work in mixed media in an art journal. I took the photo of some special shells and a sand dollar I picked up at Fernandina Beach, FL, about 15 miles from my house. THe shell necklace I bought as a souvenir on Coco Cay while on a cruise with my buddies from work.The day I found this sand dollar, I had just moved to JAX, FL a few months earlier because of my husband's job change and was feeling rather lonely and sad, missing all my old friends. It was a rough time. At that particular moment, my feelings told me I didn't know if God was even aware or cared what this move had done to me. I thought if I found a sand dollar, that might cheer me up. I had never found a whole one in my entire life, not all the times I went to the gulf shores of Padre Island, TX when I was a child, not all the times I visited the FL panhandle beaches when I lived in GA, not on any of the exotic beaches I travelled on the several cruises I'd been on. That day, I kept finding many pieces of broken ones, but none whole. IT was a cold, cloudy, depressing day and a bitter wind was biting at our faces, but we felt the need to walk the beach anyway. I finally prayed, Lord, I know you're always there, but it would really mean alot to me, and show me that you really care, if you could please just let me find one "WHOLE" sand dollar. Then the very coolest little miracle happened, it was low tide and we happened upon a sand bar that was surrounded by water and a little bridge of sand that led to it. Right there as the surf pulled back were beautiful, shiny, wet, white, sand dollars EVERYWHERE....more than I could ever imagine finding at one time or place!!! I started picking them up...all different sizes and soon my pockets and hands became full, so I used my husbands pockets. We soon realized they were so brittle and breaking in the pockets so we just carried as many as we possibly could carefully hold in both of our hands as we walked back to the car!!! I was so ecstatic and could hardly believe that God answered my really seemingly trivial prayer in the great scheme of things, but HE did!!!...When we got back to the car, I counted 21 sand dollars! I was so overwhelmed that the God of the Universe, of the sand and sea, had planted these lovely treasures there just for me to find...Now, I don't want you to think that every time I pray for anything this happens...no not like this...God always answers but sometimes its much more subtle or you have to wait a really long time. This day, God showed me that He is still in the miracle business and that HE can do whatever He wants to do WHENEVER HE wants to do it and HE is still God, despite whether we like it or not. , This is a journey for art, but also getting in touch with my creator and the giver of art (see my poppies post earler)... I not only want to keep creativity in my daily life, I HAVE to do it...it's therapy and joy in the midst of ....whatever I'm going through at the moment...It's a time to create along side the God of all creation..right within my own spirit...