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	<title>Yelena Joy &#124; Joyfull Art</title>
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	<link>http://joyfullart.com</link>
	<description>Showcasing the artwork of Yelena Joy</description>
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		<title>If We Recognize the Creator Within</title>
		<link>http://joyfullart.com/if-we-recognize-the-creator-within</link>
		<comments>http://joyfullart.com/if-we-recognize-the-creator-within#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:49:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>yelena</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://joyfullart.com/?p=1276</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I was born with ability to see both the visible and the energy worlds. As a kid I thought that everybody saw the world that way. I would feel and see what the plants wanted and what changes needed to be made for the fruit trees to produce more fruits. I interacted with the energy [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I was born with ability to see both the visible and the energy worlds. As a kid I thought that everybody saw the world that way. I would feel and see what the plants wanted and what changes needed to be made for the fruit trees to produce more fruits. I interacted with the energy fields of nature and at some point my mom noticed that. My parents had an acre of land and  mom started asking me where to plant and what kind of vegetables and berries. By planting “goods” where they “liked to be” (that is how I explained stuff as a 4 year old) amazing results were created . My parents were able to sell so much produce that it paid off the house and we got a new car.</p>
<p>As a kid I painted what I saw and later realized that I saw the essence of people (the best possible version, the energetic signature). We are born as individual manifestations of love with love’s energetic signature and a unique blend of ingredients to serve and live the life we are intended to live. The vision of our essence is very pronounced in the heart.. It  also outlines the barriers that people construct to protect themselves from recognizing their magnificence.</p>
<p>As a kid I was surprised that the concept of war existed. Since I saw interconnectedness of all in the energy and spirit field I could not understand why would people hurt each other. It is so obvious that we are actually hurting ourselves…literally.</p>
<p>It took me a while to realize that physical bodies was  all that a lot of people saw. When I discovered that I felt scared as if something was wrong with me, and I started to paint more and heal with art and energy.</p>
<p>My ability to interact with energy allowed me to feel deep connection and the possibility of what the world would be like if we saw our essences. I imagined that if we recognized ourselves as unique manifestations of love we would act from a completely different place. The illusion of separation and “not-good-enoughness” would not exist.</p>
<p>We misuse the word human. Somehow we see humans as limited and flawed, or we move on to the other side of the spectrum and arrogantly claim the top of the evolutionary chain (which shows that we feel flawed and want to hide it).</p>
<p>The reality is that a human is an incredibly beautiful creation that holds the creator within (like everything that is). However we possess the ability to choose and really transform the world around us.</p>
<p>I am wondering, if we consider the possibility of self-recognition (recognizing the creator within) how our life would be different…</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>creatively,</p>
<p>Yelena</p>
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		<title>Another Dimension</title>
		<link>http://joyfullart.com/another-dimension</link>
		<comments>http://joyfullart.com/another-dimension#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:34:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>yelena</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://joyfullart.com/?p=1256</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Most of my day today I spent visiting book stores in Ashland, choosing which ones I would like to see our books in. Every store was unique, with it’s energy, decor, people. And I noticed, that almost instantaneously I knew (felt) which store is a good match, as if there were ways (beyond cognitive) [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div><img title="Inside cover Gender poem 001" src="http://wonderpoetry.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Inside-cover-Gender-poem-001-150x150.jpg" alt="Inside cover Gender poem 001" width="150" /></div>
<p>Most of my day today I spent visiting book stores in Ashland, choosing which ones I would like to see our <a href="http://wonderpoetry.com/">books</a> in. Every store was unique, with it’s energy, decor, people.</p>
<p>And I noticed, that almost instantaneously I knew (felt) which store is a good match, as if there were ways (beyond cognitive) that I could assess the space with.</p>
<p>I was wondering from what dimension we make choices, connect with people and ultimately create this visual reality we live in.</p>
<p>It seems to me that the more I land in my heart and look for possibilities, open and curious, the more delightful this reality and connection with people gets.</p>
<p>Our ability to influence the events of our life is greater then we often believe. And as our life journey “gets twisted and turns ” we have a choice to participate fully with the events on our journey and bring the heart dimension (our authentic expression) to each interaction. If we choose to, of course!</p>
<p>If life is really more that the sum of it’s parts, curiosity and wonder are two reliable ways to enter another dimension and to allow the feeling of “home”  to spread to any place we go to. Something universally similar and deeply interconnect in people, places, lives… which is comforting, especially if you are relocating to a new town you plan to call home for a while. <img src="http://wonderpoetry.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":-)" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Wonder away!</p>
<p>Yelena</p>
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		<title>Two Lives or Embracing Polarities</title>
		<link>http://joyfullart.com/two-lives-or-embracing-polarities</link>
		<comments>http://joyfullart.com/two-lives-or-embracing-polarities#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:26:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>yelena</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://joyfullart.com/?p=1206</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Have you ever felt like you are living two different lives at once? Have you ever felt your head spinning because many conflicting emotions, questions and thoughts just flooded it completely? Have you ever been surprised by how oddly your preferences have changed since the last time you looked deeply inside yourself? I have. In [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Have you ever felt  like you are living two different lives at once? Have you ever felt your  head spinning because many conflicting emotions, questions and thoughts  just flooded it completely? Have you ever been surprised by how oddly  your preferences have changed since the last time you looked deeply  inside yourself? I have. In fact, when I was a kid it happened to me  every six months; particularly when, after spending a summer in the  country, we went back to our apartment in the big industrial city of  Omsk.</p>
<div>We  have all heard that our surroundings affect our lives dramatically,  especially during childhood. By spending my childhood traveling between  an apartment in the city and a dacha (summerhouse) in a village, I was  equally exposed to two different lifestyles; and imbibed the polarities  of two very different environments. Moreover, these two different lives,  interlaced like two different ornaments, formed my preferences in a  very contradicting way.</div>
<div>Our  summerhouse, as I said, was built in a rural area. Mom and Dad bought a  piece of land and built a house with their own hands. My mom was an  engineer &#8212; she loved to plan projects and then build them. My father  didn&#8217;t understand anything in this subject, but he was willing to learn  and do the all dirty and heavy jobs. So, I can tell they mixed  fifty-fifty cement with love. It was not a big house, because at that  time in Russia, you couldn&#8217;t build a big house even on your own land.  Nevertheless, when the</div>
<div>system  changed with perestroika, my parents added on to the summerhouse and  built a bathhouse with a sauna nearby. Everything in this house was very  simple most of the furniture  brought  from our flat in the city after we bought the new one. The extremely  old leather couch was outside and despite the fact that it was too old,  it was still in very good shape and very comfortable, especially for a  four year old girl. All our neighbors knew each other, of course. There  were about 40 houses around, each situated on over an acre of land and  separated from the others by a low fence, trees or a river. Everywhere  you could see there was lots of open space – the biggest difference from  the City. Life in the country seemed to flow gracefully, slowly and  peacefully. Time seemed to stop or became a very viscous substance &#8212;  you don’t feel the necessity to move fast. Therefore, people’s movements  are smooth even when working in the yard or garden. Their talk is very  steady, conversation longer and more intimate. Basically, you live like a  community and communicate on a different level.</div>
<div>The  absence of technology will surprise you: caravans of kids would usually  travel from house to house and instead of using the phone, they would  just shout into the air, “Mo-o-o-m, I’m at Max’s house.” An echo didn’t  mind to work as a postman, and somehow it always delivered the message  to the right destination. There are fewer worries in the village and  more simplicity. Nature preserves its origin: there are no landscaped  parks. Wildly growing trees and flowers, fields covered with daisies and  bachelor’s buttons, a little river that almost dried out every summer  &#8212; all of it made you very close to the earth, nature and yourself,  providing freedom for imagination and expression. Wearing a simple dress  and hat, I used to run shoeless through fields of daisies and bring  home huge bouquets of wild flowers.</div>
<div>I  tended to be more silent in this environment, but if I wanted to  scream, I could do it from the top of my lungs like Tarzan, without  being judged or misunderstood. Unbelievable pictures of the sunrise and  the sunset uninterrupted by silhouettes of tall buildings allow you to  have a panoramic view of the sky that much more fulfilling than IMAX.</div>
<div>Villager’s  language is more figurative and full of metaphors. When I was a kid, I  thought they believed in fairy-tales. When I grew up, I realized that the  absence of fear in the village made me feel that anything is possible.  As an example: When I was born, my father planted a pine tree near the  summerhouse. He had told me that I would be like this pine tree: healthy  and wise. My spirit would be as strong as the tree&#8217;s trunk; and my soul  would strive for freedom, love and light like the pine tree&#8217;s branches  turning towards the sun. These words made me feel very strong and secure  though I was just three years old.</div>
<div>I  also noticed that my hearing was enhanced in the village. I could  almost hear the sound of a flying butterfly. There were no amusement  parks or theaters. All we usually had for entertainment was a swing. I  adored swinging on the swing that my parents made for me. I still  remember how much trouble it was to make a seat for this swing. My  father wanted to make it as cozy as possible, so he had tried all kinds  of chair seats; but every time the simple wood board was a winner.</div>
<div>My  mom loved to grow all kinds of berries and vegetables, and they grew  all over the place! When I was swinging, I could reach the raspberry  bushes, pick a berry and eat it really quickly. It was fun!</div>
<div>I  was surrounded by love and it has taught me how to love and be  generous. I realized then that if I have love I have everything. It  seems that the “rural life” energy was just pouring on me, and I didn’t  have to make any effort to absorb it, I would just soak in it like in  the hut tub.</div>
<div>But  lo and behold, the school season would start, the weather became colder  and we were on our way to the city. We put some of our belongings in  the car, locked the house and started the journey to another life, “city  life.” For a while the scenery would be village-like, but very soon the  trees became thinner and shaped by human hands, the flowers organized  in flower-beds, the asphalt started to have marks of white and yellow  paints ; red, yellow and green “eyes” regulated all movements together  with the stop signs and honking cars. As soon as we got close to the  city, my dad always turned on the radio. I felt like my ears were  immediately plugged, but soon my energy changed. My body and mind  adjusted to the rhythm of the music, the city lights, and different type  of excitement.</div>
<div>The  population of my city, Omsk, was 2.5 million at that time. Can you  imagine all those people running around? They were almost literally  running &#8212; their movements were fast and abrupt, as if time had suddenly  shrunk, and they were desperately trying to fit all their routine into  one short day. I learned to walk fast without noticing anything but my  destination at the moment. I adapted to the city noise. I and found  myself choosing roses for my bouquets instead of daisies. And if in the  beginning I would smell them, later I discovered that I would be more  concerned about their looks.</div>
<div>I  think the city life is more visual in contrast to rural life that  involves our feelings and all our senses. Village life develops our  kinesthetic sensors &#8212; the city is a perfect place for a social life. It  blooms there like a sunflower. I love to go to the theater and drive  around the city at nighttime when the lights are on, especially during  the Christmas season.</div>
<div>Relationships  tend to be more complicated in the city for some reason. People seemed  to mean something different than the words they used to express their  feelings. Intrigues and mysteries, special “rules” to charm someone,  silly, sometimes almost insane rituals, would drive me nuts in the  beginning. But very soon, I would find them interesting and play my role  without even realizing the change inside. An uncomfortable feeling like  I am not quite myself would bother me from time to time, but the desire  to fit in and to be a part of the new life will win.</div>
<div>The  city life is more convenient: stores are very close and you have all  kinds of variety in them; though the fruits are not as fresh as from  your own yard, they are packed and even made into fruit salads. Any type  of transportation is always available; any type of technology is always  there for you. The business eats up time, age, serenity and freedom. We  use more technology to free ourselves, but in reality grow more  dependent on it. We use different vocabulary and tend to be more  controlling. We select the types of flowers that are bigger and  prettier, seedless watermelon and buying applesauce instead of an apple.  All of a sudden, we have one more thing to worry about-nitrites and  pesticides.</div>
<div>People  live in apartments, in tall buildings; and strangely enough, it brings  people close and separates them at the same time. Kids will be kids  though. They still go from one apartment to another to play, but get  more warnings from their parents about security</div>
<div>and  strangers. It seems that people are more fearful in the city. Somehow,  the city spirit has the ability to pull you out of the fairytale and  drop you in a thriller, which is exciting but also can be more  dangerous. I love some aspects of city life: the opportunity to meet new  people, the merry-go-round of parties, holidays, theatres, lights, the  need to dress up and even the fast rhythm of life. But as this fast pace  keeps racing and asphalt keeps draining my energy, I feel all my body  contracting and tense. I slip out of the city’s hands, and I rush to my  summerhouse to give my soul a gulp of freedom and revive my body, to  free my mind and create my fairytale, to amalgamate with the smell of  wild herbs, flowers and fresh air. I feel the need to run in the corn  flowered field to exhaustion screaming with all my might, meld with the  surrounding feeling and, connected with myself feel my heart beating  normally again.</div>
<div>Sometimes  I think of the City as a brain and Rural Area as a heart. Generally,  people want to be sophisticated, smart, but in order for the brain to  survive the heart has to keep it’s normal pace, its beats have to be  sufficient to nourish the body. We strive for balance, and it doesn’t  have to be “either/ or” It might be that the ability to incorporate “two  lives” without damaging the brain or the heart is an art that one-day  will reveal a master. Embracing the polarities is one of the fine  abilities that human beings are capable of enjoying.</div>
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		<title>In responce to your question regarding RSS</title>
		<link>http://joyfullart.com/in-responce-to-your-question-regarding-rss</link>
		<comments>http://joyfullart.com/in-responce-to-your-question-regarding-rss#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:16:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>yelena</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

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		<title>When The Trees Were Big</title>
		<link>http://joyfullart.com/when-the-trees-were-big</link>
		<comments>http://joyfullart.com/when-the-trees-were-big#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 May 2011 20:21:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>yelena</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://joyfullart.com/?p=1129</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This story is in celebration of my mom:&#160; &#8221; They say “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” but that’s not true for childhood. What happens in childhood doesn’t stay there &#8212; it follows us. My childhood has followed me through the years, sometimes unrecognized as it silently rules or asks for attention. From time [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>This story is in celebration of my mom:&nbsp;</p>
<div>&#8221; They  say “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” but that’s not true for  childhood. What happens in childhood doesn’t stay there &#8212; it follows  us. My childhood has followed me through the years, sometimes  unrecognized as it silently rules or asks for attention. From time to  time, it reveals itself intensely with a deep feeling of familiarity,  sweetness, or pain. Childhood wants to be healed or remembered or to  simply be.</div>
<div>The  long-awaited rain arrived in Santa Cruz today, mightily streaming down  my window, cleaning the mirror of my past. In the twinkling of an eye, I  saw my reflection in the life-mirror. I saw a five-year-old girl with  two long, very thin braids, wearing a blue dress with small pink flowers  on it. She looked ready to go to kindergarten.</div>
<div>Like  many kids in Russia, from the age of two I went to kindergarten every  weekday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. I called it “my second home,” and I loved  this place. First, because my mom worked there, and we could see each  other any time. Second, because great kindergarten teachers made us feel  good, so we didn&#8217;t miss our parents too much. Third, because we  performed the best holiday shows dressed as fairy-tale characters along  with our teachers. The teachers borrowed from the original very popular  folk-tales and then added to it stitching the story together from their  own imaginations. Thus, we created new folk-tales and eagerly  anticipated the shows.</div>
<div>Nevertheless,  some “kindergarten rules” easily spoiled this idyllic kids’ life. For  example, you couldn’t run in the puddles shoeless during the rain. In  fact, we usually didn&#8217;t go for walks on rainy days. That was  understandable in autumn, but made no sense in a child’s mind in the  summer time. I. I spent my childhood in Russia, in the big industrial  city of Omsk, where the weather is hot in the summer, freezing during  the winter, blooming and fragrant in spring, and opulently golden and  sunny in the fall.</div>
<div>Kindergartens  used to be very popular in Russia. While parents were building “the  bright future of socialism,” the upcoming generation socialized there.  Every kindergarten had a number. Ours was #306. Later, on top of the  door, appeared a sign reading <em>Sunny</em><em> Day,</em> and we understood that now our kindergarten had a name instead of a  number. The building seemed very big, not because we were small, but  because it really was huge. It took up three blocks: one for infants up  to one year, another for kids from two to five, and the last one for  older kids from five to seven. Each block was divided into four  sections, and each section contained an oversized bedroom, a bathroom, a  hall with small closets for our clothes, an entertainment room, and the  most important ingredient, about twenty kids. So, we had fun. In our  building, the pink walls outside, children&#8217;s pictures inside, and  beautiful lushes plants around aquariums with small orange and red fish  created a friendly, homey feeling. But even the “Barbie” look didn’t  draw me as much as the smell of baking rolls and buns. A huge kitchen  with professional cooks yielded the most fascinating fragrance that  roused our appetites, and prepared us to enjoy every meal &#8212; all four of  them.</div>
<div>That day began  like one of the typical “second home” days for me. My mom woke me up and  we walked together, holding hands, to the kindergarten located only  couple of blocks away. As my mom hurried to work, her movements were  precise and quick. I on the other hand, reflected the walk of many  kindergarten kids: sleepy and slow. I kind of threw out my legs making a  flapping sound on the asphalt, and I walked listening and flapping,  listening and flapping.</div>
<div>Several  important questions swirled in my mind, such as “Why do people wake up  so early? Why do my steps make such a hollow echo? Why trees are so high  but still can’t reach the clouds? And, of course, what did our cooks  prepare for breakfast today?” As we entered the building the last  question found the answer while the rest of them settled down till the  next morning. Evidently, the mind’s hunger calms down with a fresh baked  roll successfully at the age of five; adults usually need heavier drugs  for that.</div>
<div>Three lessons followed breakfast: math, painting, and language. Finally, we were released outside until lunchtime. That was when this usual day began to change. While most of the kids played actively and climbed up and down on the play structures, three “scientists” formed a group around the table.</div>
<div>“It looks like big smog from New York,” Misha said, pompously looking up at the big, black, fat cloud.</div>
<div>“No! It is my uncle smoking his cigar.. My aunt always says that you can’t see the sky when he smokes,” parried Max.</div>
<div>“It’s  going to rain,” I almost whispered, enchanted. It meant that we were  about to experience the extreme and rare summer event: a thunderstorm.</div>
<div>Many children’s voices took up the idea: “It’s going to rain!”  Instantly, we all started jumping, waving hands running, and squealing,  highly excited.</div>
<div>Five minutes  later the wind strengthened, clouds partially covered the sun and the  delighted kids enjoyed the scene. Blasts of wind tousled the green  leaves and brought the smell of freshness and freedom. I spread my arms,  breathing in the fresh rainy smell, then closed my eyes and imagined  myself peacefully flying as a big white bird. The teacher interrupted my  daydream by touching my shoulder to gather all of us inside the  terrace. What a disappointment! Ten minutes later the teacher gently but  surely pushed us inside for lunch and an afternoon nap.</div>
<div>After  waking up refreshed we listened to stories, snacked away, played, drew,  had dinner and entertained ourselves guessing whose parent would come  first to pick up their kid. We stared through the huge windows outside  and when we saw someone&#8217;s parents, we waved our hands to them and  laughed. My mom always came from inside the building, so I never got to  wave to her through the window, but I always played the game.</div>
<div>That  unusual day the downpour dimmed the windows so we couldn&#8217;t see our  parents arriving. My mom had come without an umbrella, so we decided to  wait for the rain to stop or at least soften a little. We opened a door  to the outside and watched the rain making big puddles. Big bubbles in  the puddles looked exactly like bubbles in a pot of boiling water. It  was mushroom rain because the sun was shining. In Russia, we believe  that when this happens mushrooms grow very fast. I love mushroom rain.  We waited for the playful rain to stop, but it wasn’t cooperating. Every  time we tried to go, it started to rain harder and louder even with the  sun shining.</div>
<div>Suddenly Mom said, &#8220;Come on, let’s run home!&#8221; I saw her remove her shoes and I couldn’t believe it.</div>
<div>Mom’s  “Come on, let’s run home!” sounded like “Spread your wings, let’s fly!”  I took my sandals off, and we ran in the rain. I felt so wonderfully  excited and happy. I felt alive!</div>
<div><strong> We ran in the puddles shoeless! </strong></div>
<div>Mom was holding  my hand and I could jump high, splatter the water, and scream. I felt  warm water splashing all over me and sparkling in the sun. Clean, big,  wet trees enjoyed the sunny shower and smelled like freshly cut grass. We laughed and ran. An overwhelming feeling of absolute happiness filled my little body completely.</div>
<div>This  short run home happened to be long enough for me to realize that I  didn&#8217;t know my mom very well. I thought,” How nice that Mom didn&#8217;t bring  an umbrella.&#8221; Of course, by the time we got home the rain had almost  stopped.  We stood outside,  soaking wet and couldn&#8217;t stop laughing. I felt the little girl inside my  mom and we understood each other without words. That day made my mom my  best and dearest friend forever.</div>
<div>Years later, when I was in high school, I asked, &#8220;Mom, do you remember how we ran in the rain?&#8221;</div>
<div>&#8220;When?&#8221; she said.</div>
<div>&#8220;When the trees were big…&#8221; I answered.</div>
<div>My  mom looked straight in my eyes with a warm smile on her face. Of  course, she remembered. Some memories you never want to forget.&#8221;</div>
</div>
<p>Posted by Yelena Joy, MD   at <a title="permanent link" rel="bookmark" href="http://loveandmagictalk.blogspot.com/2011/05/when-trees-were-big.html"><abbr title="2011-05-08T17:09:00-07:00">5:09 PM</abbr></a></p>
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		<title>Underneath It All</title>
		<link>http://joyfullart.com/underneath-it-all</link>
		<comments>http://joyfullart.com/underneath-it-all#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Apr 2011 20:23:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://joyfullart.com/?p=436</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I drove my dad to school this morning. He is learning English in the senior center. He was dressed up as a good Russian student would and eager to socialize. When he was getting out of the car, our eyes met and I felt overflowing, all-encompassing, beyond-my-body love for my dad. I have had splashes [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>I drove my dad to school this morning. He is learning English in the senior center. He was dressed up as a good Russian student would and eager to socialize. When he was getting out of the car, our eyes met and I felt overflowing, all-encompassing, beyond-my-body love for my dad. I have had splashes of this feeling from time to time and it seems like new possibilities open up with each wave of love.</div>
<div>My dad and I haven’t had an easy history together. I grew up torn between my parents and confused, not knowing how to love them both at those times when they hated each other. If I loved them both, did that mean I was betraying the other? Did I need to choose sides?</div>
<div>Even when there are hard questions and deep sorrow in childhood, there is always a particular beauty. Certain freshness, genuine curiosity, and a sense of adventure are the greatest gifts childhood has to offer, and I appreciate that I still feel a strong connection to that part of me.</div>
<div><del datetime="2011-04-22T14:33" cite="mailto:Yelena%20Joy"></del></div>
<div>In our family dynamic I was often the savior and peacemaker, assessing situations with the precision of a laser micrometer and acting to smooth family tensions.</div>
<div>I remember two episodes that were particularly hard for me to forgive my dad for. One time my dad hit my mom and she fell on the bed like grass cut down in a field.   I was afraid she was dead, and sat on the bed, crying and shaking her, shouting “MOM!” over and over and over.  I don’t remember how long she was down (it seemed like an eternity) before she stood up, took her basket, and went to the garden to pick up berries and sing. Another time after a party at our home Dad got drunk and Mom and I went to spend the night at the neighbor’s place. My home became unsafe for me that day.</div>
<div>I was so angry with my mom that she continued to live with my dad and enable his behavior. I didn’t understand how they could get along for a while and then more drama would unfold again, and yet they still stayed together.</div>
<div>When my mom died at 63, I blamed my dad for quite some time, believing that if they had had a better relationship she would have chosen to live longer.</div>
<div>I have spent more time with my dad since my mom’s death, and I’ve heard more of his side of the story. And the more I revealed to my dad how I felt and the more I listened the messier our relationship got for a while until it resolved.</div>
<div>Somehow, somewhere underneath it all I discovered there is an eternal pool of love. When I with curiosity attempting to find the word to describe the love pool, I drop in between words and just sink deeper into the feeling of love. I sort of forget for a while what I was looking for, and instead just feel it deeply and become the love that flows out of me, through me and my lips smile, as this is all they can say.</div>
<div>The good news is I’m not the first or only person who has experienced this pool of love beneath a world of hurt.  And if individually we can get to this point of healing and embrace everything in love, can we do it collectively?</div>
<div>I imagine that underneath all of humanity’s major wounds, discrimination and wars there must be an even larger pool of love. Can we be brave enough to enter that pool? Can we be brave enough even to conceive that it is possible to step into love and create out of love&#8211; regardless of the pain that has been experienced?</div>
<div>I realize it takes time &#8212; <em>and</em> I believe as more people open up to the possibility it will become easier.</div>
<div>How easily can <strong>I</strong> create delightful change by loving What Is right now?</div>
<div>How easily can <strong>we</strong> create delightful change by loving What Is right now?</div>
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		<title>Love Bits from the Past in your Present</title>
		<link>http://joyfullart.com/love-bits-from-the-past-in-your-present</link>
		<comments>http://joyfullart.com/love-bits-from-the-past-in-your-present#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Mar 2011 20:22:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://joyfullart.com/?p=433</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am transitioning, moving from this fabulous house where I have been living for the past seventeen months. Any moving experience, as you probably know, involves packing and sorting out. That’s what I was doing when I found my 18 year-old journal. Generally speaking, I am good at creating and destroying, so this colorful journal [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
<div>I am transitioning, moving from this fabulous house where I have been living for the past seventeen months. Any moving experience, as you probably know, involves packing and sorting out. That’s what I was doing when I found my 18 year-old journal. Generally speaking, I am good at creating and destroying, so this colorful journal had to have some importance to survive several relocations. As I was browsing through the pages, I stumbled upon the intriguing title “My Son’s Pearls.”</div>
<div>I knew I saved it for a reason!</div>
<div>He was two years old at the time, and as I read each of his sayings I remembered those joyful realizations of how brilliant kids are. So, I want to share some of my notes here to evoke and spread love.</div>
<div>“Mom, I loved being in your belly. Do you remember how you were in your mom’s belly?”</div>
<div>“No, I don’t, son.”</div>
<div>Artem (my son’s name) hesitantly…“Mom, when I grow up will I be that stupid, too? ”</div>
<div>A few pages later, probably six months after this conversation, another note:</div>
<div>“Mom, remember I asked you if you remembered how you were in your mom’s belly?”</div>
<div>“Yes”</div>
<div>“I am beginning to forget. I remember that when I asked you then I remembered, and now I don’t remember that feeling so well.”</div>
<div>I don’t know what sparked the following conversation:</div>
<div>“Artem, do you believe in God?”</div>
<div>“Of course, Mom. Everybody believes in God, only some people believe he exists and the others believe he doesn’t, but the word God is present in both conversations anyway.”</div>
<div>The next one is “Mom, I loved you even before I was born, and now I love you too.”</div>
<div>Here is the last one for tonight. This happened when I was concentrated on reading a book “How to love your child.” We were in the kitchen.  Artem was playing with his little cars on the kitchen table, imitating the full range of sounds of driving. My whole attention was in the book as I watched something cooking on the stove with one eye. “Mom, talk to me.” I was frantically thinking what I could ask him so he would quiet down, so I could read my “important book!”</div>
<div>So I said “Artem, what do you think love is?” “Love is…” he started and then got busy with imitating cars again. I was just beginning to settle back into the book, when he concluded, “Mom, love is a celebration of life.”</div>
<div>I remember looking at the two-year old maneuvering his toys around the table, making his funny sounds. He seemed to be so involved in his simple child life, and yet I realized he could teach me how to love him way better than any book ever could.</div>
<div>And he did.</div>
<div>And he does &#8212; now as a 20 year old.</div>
<div>To be present as another human grows and unfolds is one of the greatest gifts there is. Enjoy.</div>
</div>
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		<title>Practical Love</title>
		<link>http://joyfullart.com/practical-lov</link>
		<comments>http://joyfullart.com/practical-lov#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:34:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://joyfullart.com/?p=9</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The word &#8220;love&#8221; might seem illusive and not something that can be applied to practical matters. I want to share the real story about one of my clients that shows the practicality of loving magic. For 11 years I worked with kids and teens with drug abuse issues. One winter morning a woman (I will [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>The word &#8220;love&#8221; might seem illusive and not something that can be applied to practical matters. I want to share the real story about one of my clients that shows the practicality of loving magic.</p>
<p>For 11 years I worked with kids and<ins datetime="2011-03-02T21:06" cite="mailto:Yelena%20Joy"> </ins>teens with drug abuse issues. One winter morning a woman (I will call her Kate.) whose child was inhaling solvents came to the clinic.<br />
She and her son hadn&#8217;t spoken for two years. Every time she attempted to talk with him, he left the apartment. Kate knew that as long as her son was at home he was not with his friends huffing, so she would walk around her apartment building (-40 F outside) until the lights went out. That meant that her son was in bed and she could come home without fearing he&#8217;d leave to be with his dangerous friends.<br />
She shared her thoughts about how she had created this lack of relationship with her son.<del datetime="2011-03-02T20:39" cite="mailto:Yelena%20Joy"> </del> She spoke of her pain, her disappointment, and of what she wanted.</p>
<p>I asked her to recall the first time when she held her newly born child, breastfed him, when the &#8220;newcomer&#8221; was so gentle, lovable, and perfect, when imagining a great life for him was so easy. (I often invite wonder and deep inquiry. I believe the power of a good question is priceless).<br />
The hour session flew by and as Kate was leaving she asked: &#8220;Well, I feel it, I get it now, but how do I tell what I feel to my son? How do I make sure he listens?&#8221;</p>
<p>I didn&#8217;t know.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; I said. &#8220;All I can say is that you look like a different person now than you were an hour ago. Let’s see what happens; keep me updated.&#8221; (I often wish I had before and after pictures &#8212; &#8220;before&#8221; I remembered love and &#8220;after&#8221;.)</p>
<p>Next morning I had a paperwork day with no appointments scheduled. I walked to the clinic early in the morning, enjoying the snowflakes piling themselves on all the surfaces, including my coat. Kate was sitting on the bench by the clinic &#8212; even before business hours. &#8220;I hope she didn&#8217;t spend the night here,&#8221; I thought. I had not expected her back so quickly. We nodded to each other and I gestured her to follow me.</p>
<p>“Ok, what’s happening?” I asked after we settled into the office chairs.</p>
<p>“I just came to say thank you,” she said. &#8220;Yesterday when I walked home, something had shifted in me. I realized that I love my child no matter what and I really felt love so present in my body. I decided to walk straight home as pure love and not worry about what happens. All I knew was that I love my kid and I want to see him. When I walked in, he was in the kitchen. He looked at me for a second and said ‘Mom, I’m about to eat. Do you want to join me?’ I almost fell down as he said this. After two years of silence, all of a sudden, he invited me for dinner – and I didn’t have to do anything, just open my heart. So I came to say thank you.&#8221;</p>
<p>I don&#8217;t know if you have tears in your eyes; I did at the time and I feel a sweet vulnerability now &#8212; after twelve years of telling the story and experiencing the miracle.</p>
<p>&#8220;Thank You!” I said. &#8220;Thank you for your bravery, for your openness to loving without holding back, for loving regardless and without guarantee. Thank you for gifting me with this example.&#8221;</p>
<p>This was the beginning of the path for them; the beginning of facing and moving through rough and sweet into what they want. The difference was they were doing it together now and from a whole new place. Last time I heard from Kate, her son had been accepted to college to study sociology.</p>
<p>Here’s to practical magic!</p>
<p>For tips on how to evoke a deep feeling of love to transform your life/relationship/health, follow the next blog.<br />
Till then &#8230;many episodes of practical loving magic to you.</p></div>
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