Aloha Obama

Dear Friends,

I’m so pleased and delighted to share a picture of this Aloha quilt created by Ellen Mears Kennedy. Ellen, my sister-in-law, is a loving and giving woman and an extremely gifted artist that works with mixed media and specializes in paper collages and sculpture. Inspired by the inauguration of our wonderful President Obama, she used fabric that was purchased in Honolulu in 2005—it's all traditional cotton Hawaiian shirt fabrics—and that she had been saving for an "auspicious" occasion to make into a quilt. It couldn't get any more auspicious than the inauguration, which inspired her to start working on it. Now this masterpiece is complete and has been donated to the Sidwell Friends School benefit auction to support the scholarship program. Sidwell Friends is the school that the Obama children attend. To learn about the auction visit www.sidwell.edu and to learn more about Ellen’s artwork visit www.ellenMearsKennedy.com.

This site is a forum to share art, ideas and information. If you have something you’d like to share with my readers, you are welcome. This forum is for all who love life and art.

Best wishes,
Sheila

Keep Moving Forward

Dear Friends,

Happy April! This year is going so fast, we'd better stop procrastinating or it'll be over before you know it. (I'm primarily speaking for myself). I confess that despite all my efforts, I still find myself experiencing emotional peaks and valleys. I am very well aware that I am blessed--for that matter, VERY WELL-BLESSED, but that does not stop the blues from sneaking up on me from time-to-time. Yet, every now and then I'm at the right place at the right time and I'm reminded of the bounty that has been bestowed upon me. Thank you, Jackie Davis and Renee Alexander. Last week, Jackie and Renee (two beautiful and brilliant women both well past their fifties and just completing their doctorates) in different ways and probably without even realizing it, encouraged and inspired me by reminding me that life is short, precious and fleeting and that it's never too late to achieve new goals. So now I'm reminding my readers—"we're too blessed to be stressed!" Keep moving forward.

I also thank the 500 Hancock St. Block Association with special acknowledgment to our President, Desiree, for the work they've done to improve our block. In less than 2 years, our once neglected block has been transformed with new potted plants, new tree guards, friendlier neighbors, and regular block events for children. For over 20 years I've talked with a few neighbors or just waved and smiled--but we never visited in each other’s homes. Our association meetings were held on the sidewalk. Now, we have blossomed into real neighbors and friends bonded to beautify, secure and clean our block. And we now meet in each other’s homes. Getting involved in your block association is a very small thing that can be done on every block that could potentially make a HUGE difference. Imagine if every block in Bedford Stuyvesant, Jamaica and Harlem was committed to clean, beautify and secure their block. That would be real Power!

So I'm suggesting that if you want to make a difference and improve community, join and reinvigorate your block association for a cleaner, safer, friendlier and more beautiful block.
I also invite you to join me in beating "the blues" by planting window boxes and flower pots for your stoops. This is guaranteed to bring you beauty and joy.

Best wishes,
Sheila