Sing Dance Create!

Day 8: Art-Every-Day-Month – Let the Children Come

By: Susan Schiller

"Children, parents, elders… everyone is welcome. Let's all dance!" sounded the invitation and a rainbow of colors burst into the arena in a parade of Cheyenne families, white families, cowboys and Indians, rich and poor, Catholics and Protestants, and more.

My friend Marvia said to me this morning, "Maybe if we're willing to try new things, our horizons will expand. We'll find hidden treasure in the diversity among us. We'll step into someone else's story. We'll experience a different kind of community that opens our hearts to loving without conditions."

Fear puts up walls and nails labels on people. Love opens arms and dances with people. Songs, prayers, laughter, and food say to us, "Come in! You're welcome here!"

"Story makes us more alive, more human, more courageous, more loving. Why does anybody tell a story? It does indeed have something to do with faith, faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically. It is we humans who either help bring about, or hinder the coming of the kingdom…

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth." — Madeleine L'Engle, in "The Rock that is Higher"

My pastor told me, "Sue, if you spend time with the Indians I will have nothing to do with you." A half-year later, he apologized to me for saying that, when he realized that my time with the Lakota did not turn me into a heathen. Nor did I try to change my friends and "convert" them to my traditions. Instead, I listened to their stories, and in sharing our stories I entered into a deeper understanding of what it is to be fully human.

Fear builds walls; love opens doors. The people I want to live with, eat with, work with, and share life with are the ones with open hearts… even if it means my own kind rebuke me and shun me.

Now I live near the Cheyenne people. When you live in rural Montana, you can't help but live near your Indian neighbors. I discovered a culture of honor and respect. So much honor for our country's flag, for our troops, and for remembering those who fight to protect our borders.

Respect for families: grieving the loss of loved ones and honoring the lives of those who have passed on… celebrating the awards, certificates, and degrees earned by family members… appreciation and giving of gifts. So much honor; so much respect!

Family is the backbone of society, and I believe God is in the process of helping us get our lives back so that we can live a higher quality of life – a life of more love, more laughter, and more joy!

Children play a huge role in this process of restoration.  It's crazy on this planet, but in all of the chaos there is still beauty. Life is beautiful, especially around children.

We have much to share with our young people, and the world is changing so fast. Perhaps the best gift we can give them is freedom. Freedom to express and pursue their passions; freedom to think outside of the box, to color outside the lines… freedom to speak into situations that our Victorian ancestors would have declared "adult" terrain. When we give youth a voice, we may be surprised at the creative solutions they have for this new world.

As much as I can, I listen to the wisdom in my granddaugther. Often out of her little mouth has come the most sage wisdom I've yet heard. She has her "other" voice, too, as afterall, she is a young child… but quite often she speaks with a wisdom and with an authority in her voice that reminds me of Home. I have learned from her, perhaps as much as she has learned from me. Most of all she reminds me of laughter and joy and how much stronger we are when we're happy! If she were old enough to read the Apostle Paul's words in Philippians, maybe she would quote "Rejoice! And again I will say rejoice!" Instead, she is a living demonstration of joy 🙂

Let's dance – sing – create! To express art in any form is the nearest to being childlike we can get. We are closest to our Creator when we are co-creating with Him! What do YOU think? I'd love to hear!

From the series "Art Every Day"

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Do you create art? It can be as simple as snapping a photo, twirling a crayon, or baking bread. It's your turn now! Do, please, share!

Click the image above to join dozens and dozens of great artists who are celebrating "Art Every Day Month" – a national event! What better what to celebrate the beauty of creation and to magnify our great Creator than by creating art! Creating something beautiful is one of the best healing therapies in the world!

With all my love,

Susan

Susan Schiller knows how it feels to lose everything: marriage and family, church and reputation, finances and businesses, and more. Susan's upcoming, interactive memoir, "On the Way Home," tells the story of how she came to be known as "the most abused woman" her counselors had yet met and how she learned to navigate her way out of hell to a rich and satisfying life. In her lifetime, Susan has served in duties ranging from home school mom – to pastor –  to full-time deliverance minister – and to Midwest regional prayer coordinator for a large international ministry. These days you can usually find Susan soaking in her favorite hot springs pool, reading a book (or several), blogging, baking bread, or hanging out with her family and friends. You can get a free copy of Susan's upcoming book, "On the Way Home" by registering here.

Copyright 2013, Susan Schiller, http://TeamFamilyOnline.com. Permission is granted to copy, forward, or distribute this article for non-commercial use only, as long as this copyright byline and bio, in totality, is maintained in all duplications, copies, and link references.  For reprint permission for any commercial use, in any form of media, please contact Susan Schiller.

 

Tagged as: Choosing Love Today, Create Your World, Deborah White Dove, True Religion Speaks, Unbuckle Your Christianity, Writing a Life Story