My Zentangle Classes on Skillshare

I am a certified Zentangle teacher and I have three classes published on Skillshare.com. It is a great platform filled with a variety of classes you can take online. I highly recommend checking out this site and especially my classes.

I am offering my first class free until the end of this year. This class will teach you the basics. The other two classes are beginners and beginners/intermediate. After you complete the free class, I believe you will want to continue because it is addictive in a good way. By investing in yourself you will become a happier person giving you the ability to face your life’s challenges. I will be adding more classes in the near future.

Because I am a skilled art practitioner, I create a nonjudgmental environment encouraging my students to not think about the end result, just enjoy the process. In the Zentangle community we do not believe in mistakes, only happy beginnings; this is why we do not use erasers.

I encourage you to check out the site. If you are finding yourself feeling anxious from the volatile political climate we are living through, creating Zentangles will take you away from your internal fears and anxieties, into a world of peace with creating tangles with lines and circles that will amaze what YOU ACCOMPLISHED. YES YOU!

https://skl.sh/2LEYgMH

Hugs

Jude

P.S. Please share this link to a friend who you believe will benefit by this art. It will make a great holiday gift.

UNITED STATES ???

Just a short post today. I woke up with the news stating our new president is Donald Trump. I am shocked. I am scared of the uncertainty of our future. How will this effect the lives of the disadvantage, disabled and the middle class?

We will have to wait and hope for the best. We have to try and keep an open mind. Please do not let your anger escalate where it gets out of control.

Let’s try and find peace with this in some way. We have to find a way to accept the uncertainty.

IN GOD WE TRUST!

Hugs
Judy

A Parent’s Anguish Dealing with a Special Needs Child

I love to watch television and movies in my spare time. I am retired so I can manage my own time throughout the day. My television time is scheduled simultaneously at meals, late in the afternoon after a full day working in my studio, and in the early evening, after dinner and before I go to sleep. I enjoy knitting and crocheting while I watch television. This is my favorite time of the day, especially when my dog cuddles at my side. My family room is very warm and cozy and it makes me feel at peace.

This morning while I was enjoying my breakfast, I turned on the television and watched a show from my DVR. I tend to watch thrillers, police dramas and political satire. Today it was a police drama and I was getting into the concept of the show. Usually the show begins with a murder and then you observe the characters tend to their forensic duties to narrow down the main suspects. Today the victim was a young girl who had autism. Okay…this got my attention. The main suspect was a man with a history of child molestation. It appeared obvious he was the murderer? No, it couldn’t be, if so, there would be no real story and it was only fifteen minutes into the show. I had no idea who it was, but certainly was intrigued. Fast forward to the end….the murderer was her father.

Okay, you say, what was his motive? This is the premise of my blog post. The father was so overwhelmed with the care of his autistic child he couldn’t bear it any longer. His motive, as he related to the detectives, “she was having a fit, kicking and screaming at me. I couldn’t handle it any more and held her down with the blanket over her face to keep her from screaming out.” He continued, “I just needed her to stop screaming. I didn’t mean to kill her. It just happened.”

The tragedy of this story is the obvious lack of support to parents who are living with this every day. Yes, it is only a drama, but it is based on real, everyday life. There are many parents who are living with special needs children every day and feeling the pain this father obviously felt. The difference, I hope, they do not make the ultimate sacrifice this father did. What really hit me like a brick, were the last words the father said to the detective as they took him away in hand cuffs, “I might as well go to prison, I already was living in prison at home.” I have no sympathy for this father. You do not kill your own child because she had autism. However, being a mother of a special needs child, I can see and feel the pain this father was going through.

This is an issue many parents are dealing with. We have many very difficult issues facing us in this world today that need to be fixed. I would definitely put this one on the list, wouldn’t you?

Jude

Make Love, Not War…..

Louis Armstrong
A Wonderful World

 

I am compelled to write this post because of all the hatred in our world today.  I watch the news daily seeing all the murders in our cities and world, riots, terrorist attacks, racism and political drama.  I am sick of it.

I grew up in the 1960’s and experienced war for the first time.  I watched the men go off to war not knowing if they would return.  I watched the rioting in our streets on television related to racism and the Vietnam conflict. I, like most of us, was drawn to tears with the assassinations of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. I myself experienced rioting at a nearby school in 1969.  I was escorted by the police, along with my fellow classmates, to the buses outside our school so that we can safely return home.  I didn’t quite understand it back then, being so young and inexperienced as well.

Today I am older and wiser, but I still don’t  get it, or better yet, I don’t want to get it.  I am embarrassed from the political bickering in Congress and the Senate.  I want to be the young child again back in the 1960’s asking for “Make love, not war.”

I am going to remind you through pictures that we have a beautiful world and we should cherish it.  The words from Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” says it all and we should never forget it.

I want the powers to be throughout our country and world to stop their childish bickering.  After I am no longer living in my troubled world, I hope my grandchildren and their children will experience the beauty of life and be safe without war, racism and politically child-like bickering.

This is my wish as we begin the 2014 holiday season and celebrate a new year with 2015.

Happy Thanksgiving my friends. I send you all virtual HUGS for peace, prosperity, and love…

Jude

Silent Tears

“A Strong Woman knows how to keep her life in line. With tears in her eyes, she still manages to say…I’m Fine!

Inspirational Mixed Media Painting

River of Tears by Eric Clapton

I am the strong woman in this quote. For many years I needed to be strong so I could stay in control. Staying in control was the defense mechanism I created within my soul so I could continue to advocate and care for my disabled son. However, I cried silent tears. I never cried at my mother’s, father’s or son’s funeral because I didn’t allow myself to do so. Again I cried silent tears.

On the outside everyone believed I was a very strong woman. “You are a wonderful mother and a very strong woman, I don’t know how you do it”, I heard. I cried silent tears. I still cry silent tears for the loved ones who passed away. I cry silent tears every day thinking about my son in heaven.

I can relate to Eric Clapton’s song, River of Tears. All of the silent tears I cried for many years are enough to fill a “river of tears.”

I create visual journal pages because the demon inside my soul taught me how to cry silent tears and I am going to get rid it through every page I create in my visual journal. It is my therapy. My subconscious is going to kick this demon out of my soul through my paintings. I am healing with every stroke I make. How refreshing!!

If you are living with something very painful, either mentally or physically, pick up a journal and write. Write your feelings down. Get them out of your head and on paper so you can see them. If you are creative, paint; use a visual journal for the same purpose. Don’t cry silent tears like I did for years; get your feelings out of your mind and on paper. It is the beginning of cleansing your soul from all the demons living there for years. GET THEM OUT!, otherwise you will develop a physical illness like I did.

I have anxiety. However, I am being treated and doing fine. My mind was filled with all my pent up frustrations,fears and pain, it overflowed its cup (so to speak).

Well I need to get off my soap box.

Best wishes dear friends…
Hugs
Jude

A New Painting

This young woman appears to be looking over to her left contemplating the real meaning of the quote.

She is wondering if God really makes us strong enough to help the weak, rich to serve the poor, happy to cheer the sad and good to get us through the bad. Can God do all that and help her get through the bad in her life?

What do you think??

Hugs
Jude

Sacred Eye from Life Book 2014 Class

A strong Woman knows how to keep her life in line. With tears in her eyes, she still manages to say, “I’m fine!”

Do you like my sacred eye? This is another lesson from Life Book 2014. I had the quote sitting on my desk waiting for me to catch up with the lessons to create this.

Interestingly I never cried throughout the challenging years with my son. I easily will cry with a sad movie, a sad book or an argument with my husband or my son. The tears would flow with no control. I try so hard to keep them intact without success.

I never cried at my parent’s funerals or my son’s. I wanted so much to but I mentally kept the tears intact. I needed to be in control. Control was my defense mechanism throughout the years. Having control of my emotions was how I got through caring for my dear son. When I needed to cry and really wanted to….my eyes were dry. :-(.

Enough posting for today. Have a great week my friends and hope to post sometime during this week if time allows.

Hugs,
Jude

Making Life Changing Decision

Have you ever had to make a life changing decision? Were you ever forced to make a decision quickly that would alter your life or a family member? I did. It was probably the most gut wrenching decision my husband and I ever had to make.

I do not want to give away too much here because I wrote about this decision in detail in my book that will be published very soon. However, in order to help me write this post and hopefully reach a young mother or father who are facing this in their life now, my ultimate decision was to let go of my son and allow him to be cared for in an institution.

I want to reach out to young parents who have severely physically challenged special needs children home with them now. You probably are reading this and wanting to curse me out or respond with a dreadful post about how terrible I am and how could I have given up on my son.

This is a very normal reaction, believe me. Please listen to me just a little longer. You need to reach deep into your inner soul and answer these questions. Are you depressed? Do you cry yourself to sleep? Do you have other children you worry about because you cannot give them the attention they need? Do you care for you child around the clock without support? Can you provide quality care to your child while still being a mother, wife, daughter, and possibly a co-worker? Are you worried about what other people will think of you if you make this decision? Are you a single mom and cannot make ends meet because you need to care for your child? Do you have a husband who requires your attention as well?

My guess is you can probably answer yes to many of the above questions. I did! Let me tell you the most important question you need to ask yourself…Can you provide the quality medical care for your special needs child at home which includes daily range of motion, full time care for personal needs, possibly tube feeding, nursing services and most importantly, being the best advocate you can be for your child.

I am not a professional or a social worker. I am a mother who had to make this decision many years ago. It was 28 years ago when I chose to place my son. He lived in a wonderful facility which was located 2 1/2 hours away from me. He lived there for 20 years, the last two in a community home.

I will end this post by saying now that I can look back at the decision we made 28 years ago, it was the best decision I ever made for MY SON!!! I am emphasizing the last few words because ultimately it turned out to be the most unselfish decision I made in my life. His quality of life improved along with ours. We visited him often. He was a very happy and loving child and young man. He loved all his friends and caregivers. They were his second family.

I would love to hear from you if you have any questions for me. If you are reading this and need emotional support or suggestions in how to start the process, contact me. I will guide you toward the direction you need to go.

Best wishes to you all!
Hugs
Jude

Strong Women Fighting Unknown Battles

I painted this with a quote I feel truly passionate about. It was my life for many years.

I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor

Enjoy my dear followers!
Hugs from Jude

My Relationship with God

For many years I had a love/hate relationship with god. I was confused, frustrated, angry and somewhat baffled trying to understand who my god was. I was raised Jewish and I am proud to be a Jewish female. I attended Sunday school as a child where I was taught the history of the Jewish people and their culture and learned about our many holiday traditions. I visited my grandparents three times a year in upstate New York who were fanatically orthodox and spoke only Yiddish. As I watched quietly, not to disturb my grandfather, early in the morning wrapping a Tefillin around his chest and arms and start davening. I wondered, is this many years of tradition expanding generations without any real religious purpose. Is this who I really am? Do I want to continue generational traditions that don’t have true meaning to me? I found the answers to the questions much later in life that gave me the true meaning of believing in myself.

Life has a way of opening your eyes and allowing one to find their way through hills and valleys that molds a human being. I was dealt many difficult hills and a few valleys mingled within the hills. I was forced to find meaning in my challenges. I had to because I needed a way to survive the inner turmoil I was experiencing. I found “my god ” in a spiritual form for which I found comfort. I began to believe “my god” gave me my life of challenges for many reasons. He needed to find a woman who would be strong, loving and resourceful to care for a special child. He found me to be this woman to care for this special child. He knew who who I was and what was hidden in me. He gave me my son who would help me find the strength, wisdom and resourcefulness I had hidden deep inside my soul.

In order to put all the above in perspective I was given a gift from god and I will be forever in his debt. You might ask….why are you still believing in your spiritual god after he took your loving son away after only 28 years? I must admit I had some difficulty understanding the devastation I experienced losing my dear son so young. However, I eventually realized god needed to take him home again because his job was finished here on earth. He has another job now. He is my guardian angel guiding me to use my skills to help others who are struggling with their special needs children. He helped me write a book and find my voice through inspirational and spiritual painting.

I am very proud of my heritage and I found strength through using my religion in a spiritual way which has made me a very happy and contented woman. I don’t know where it would lead me but I hope it will help me to continue spreading awareness to others.