Cats & Kids

What if they could all choose where they wanted to live? Sid adopted me about four months ago. He showed up. He stayed. My home has become a cat haven… When I moved into my condo over two years ago I inherited a mama cat & four six-week-old kittens. They were living on my patio. It was the perfect cat-lady-starter-kit on my door step. I found a home for one kitten, but that still left me with four. Everyone, Riley, Tobi and Tate, got sprayed at four months. Well, everyone except Neytiri (the mom). I couldn't catch her. Then, I watched in horror as she got pregnant. Again! Everyone got locked inside. No boys allowed. Six babies were born exactly two months later. I loved & hugged on those babies every day. They were good therapy. All but Feisty found a new home. I was down to five cats. Finally Neytiri & Feisty were also spayed & everyone was free to go back outside. Suddenly, my Neytiri disappeared. I searched to no avail. Then just before Christmas the condo HOA said I needed to bring all the cat food inside because they were afraid I was also feeding stray cats. I was thinking: of course I am. They’re all stray cats and you should be paying me to feed them.  I've cut down on the cat population by spaying six of your baby makers! Anyway, the food came inside, but the slider stayed open enough for my kitties to come in & out. That’s when I realized I had two other cats. Max. The biggest black cat I've ever seen. Not fat, big as in 44” from his nose to his tail. His body is over two feet long. I think he's part panther. Love that big guy. And the adorable green-eyed ginger kitty Sid. The biggest shock was waking up to a raccoon, looking at me, at night. Yes. In my house. The slider it's now locked in a position that only a cat can fit through. Raccoon problem solved. So back to Sid. I got him neutered. He got his shots. He became a permanent fixture on my couch. A couple of weekend ago. My girlfriend & I hear a couple talking outside. Woman: "Look. It's Joker. He's looking at me. He's inside that house. Joker. Come Joker. He's not coming to me. Why won’t he come? He’s just staring at me." Man: "That cat is no good. Leave him. Come on. Good riddance." Woman: "I can't believe he just left me. Oh well." And that was that. Away they went.  We stepped into the living room. Sure enough. Sid, aka Joker, is sitting at the slider looking out. I ran outside to see if I could catch them, but they were gone. I never even saw them. I wanted them to know I didn’t “steal” their cat. The slider was ajar. They could see that. And Sid wasn’t about to leave. They haven't come for him. I guess he's really mine now. Many of you know, I also take care of my neighbor kids. Since this happened, I’ve been thinking, I bet I'd have a few of them permanently living with me, if they, like cats, could just go where they wanted and stay; where they were loved and fed and cared for. But they can't. I'm glad they at least know they can come here and get hugs and love and food, if they're hungry. They know I care deeply about each of them. There are children all around us, just like my kitties, who are starving for love and a safe place. That's one of the reasons why I support Childhelp. It’s also why Trish and I started Butterfly Dreams for survivors. When you buy my art, 10% of every sale will be donated to ending abuse. It's a win-win for you ~fine art and a worthy cause. Here’s the link: Michal Madison Art Tobi, Tate, Riley, Feisty, Max, Sid and I send love and thank you for helping make a difference in the lives of children. ~m If you'd like to receive my email blog, sign up here.

Copyright © 2014 michal madison art, All rights reserved.

Knowing When to Stop

Knowing When to Stop

I just burned another pot of beans. The crazy thing is that they were finished cooking when I added the salt & a few other seasonings. But instead of turning the burner off & just letting the seasonings marry in the pot, I left the heat on thinking that I would help the process along.  It might have been ok, but I left the room & forgot I was cooking the beans. This isn’t the first time I’ve burned food. I need to stay focused on what I’m doing & know when to stop.
The same thing happened to a painting this week. Though it’s not completely ruined like the beans are, I wish I had stopped sooner. I feel that this painting has lost some of its crispness, its edge.
I think it’s an important lesson to learn in life. Knowing when to stop is just as important as knowing when to take a risk & charge forward. Sometimes we stay in a relationship that isn’t good for us, way too long, & we end up burned (been there). Or we stay in a job that no longer inspires us & we lose our edge (done that too). It’s good to reevaluate life occasionally & just check to see where you are. Are you still embracing each day with the reckless abandon & joy of a child or are you dreading waking up? If the latter is true, it’s time to stop & seek a new path. That doesn’t always mean cutting ties, but sometimes it does… sometimes it means looking at the situation with new eyes, or seeking counsel. Remember, whatever situation you are in, you are never stuck. Never.
It is important to surround yourself with things that inspire you to live with passion. A meaningful painting on your wall could change your perspective & give you the extra push you need to know when to stop & when to press on. My website is www.MichalMadisonArt.net/galleries.html. If you see something you love, let me know, we’ll work out the details of making it yours. If you imagine something you’d love to have, but don’t see, & think I can create it, let me know, send me a message. I do commissions as well.
Staying on top of your game, staying fresh, vibrant, full of life has a lot to do with knowing when to stop.
Wishing you a day filled with magic & miracles
~Michal Madison

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Happiness Heals

Look for Joy
 

...if it's hiding... find it.

Hi Friends,

I spent a long weekend in the hospital. No, I wasn’t the one in the hospital bed, it was my adopted mum. She was in again, because her counts were down. She has cancer. She’s had it for a long time, but it went into remission for years. We celebrated. It came back. We felt sad. She’s been taking chemo pills. Her hair has fallen out and grown back in. She now has the super cute style that seems to be all over Vogue. It just grew in that way.

Mum is an amazing person. She was the first petite models back in the day. She has endured horrific abuse, domestic violence that also ripped her daughter’s life apart. They survived. They found freedom. She loves Jesus with all her heart. For most of her life she has been a social worker. Working right in the heart of a system we know is corrupt, CPS. She has the attitude, If someone good isn’t in there doing their best, the whole thing will fall apart & it’s the best we’ve got right now. I’m going to do my best to make it better. And she has. Even at the hospital, she was talking about wanting to be at work... for the children. She did not want to be at the hospital & everyone who walked in the door knew it within a few minutes.

I was there when her beautiful Middle Eastern doctor came in and gave her the bad news that her counts were going the wrong way. She held my hand, pulled me close & said, “Madi, I’m scared.” I held her tighter. I knew she was, inside we all were. But we had to face the fear with courage. Because fear never cured anything, only Joy does. They gave her a platelets drip & I said, “Let’s imagine these platelets are little ninja angels going in to wipe out the bad guys and heal your body, making more, happy good platelet guys, so your counts will go up.” She smiled. Closed her eyes & said, “I can see them…”

My girlfriend (her original adopted daughter), her birth daughter & I were all there with her. We were laughing so much & being silly in the crazy yellow gowns they made us wear. She said we were better than TV. Laughter is truly the best medicine. I felt better.

The next day I was like a busy beaver. Mum was cold…she needed a fleece blanket (I’m a wiz at making them now). & She was sad… her room wasn’t helping. So I took a full sheet of watercolor paper and made her a “card”, the one in the picture. My girlfriend & I delivered them that night after she got off work in the emergency room.

Mum sent us a text: “My girls, my heart is truly filled with happiness and gratitude by the love you show me, I love you both to the moon and back for always and forever. Mom”.

Guess what!?! Mum got to go home the next day. Happiness heals the heart & the body follows.

If you’re feeling sad, find something that makes you happy. If someone in your life is feeling down, do what you can to lift them up. Creator heals us through Joy, Laughter, Happiness, Love. If you need something happy on your wall, I’d love to create something just for you, with your favorite word…or you can get a print of the one I made for Mum at my website www.MichalMadisonArt.net/galleries.html

If you’d like to learn more about the important work that my adopted mom has dedicated her life to, visit www.ButterflyDreamsAbuseRecovery.com. It’s something Trish McKnight & I are also passionate about…you know, ending violence.

Happy Joy,

Michal Madison

Follow Your Passion

Share Your Gift

 

 

She is amazing at what she does. She can get on the radio and talk to us like we’re right there in the room with her. It’s magical. I’ve been there & watched her do it. I’ve seen her do a whole show with a few notes she jotted down in a notebook before she went on the air. I was impressed. It’s one of those things that I’d like to be able to do well. I can do it. I can. But not with the same ease and grace. For me, it takes hours, no days, actually weeks of preparation. I write every word out, because there is something that happens to me when I get on the air. It’s like I lose my ability to think and speak at the same time. Yet… I’ve kept trying to do it. Trying to be a radio host. It’s something I’ve felt that I wanted to do. No one was forcing me to do it. It all started with an interview with her… this woman who makes us feel like she in the room with us having an intimate conversation. She has become one of my best friends. She made the interview so easy, so simple I forgot I was on the air. Someone heard that show & thought I’d be a good host. Because with her I feel invincible on the radio, I thought, sure I’ll do that! It wasn’t the same. I loved interviewing people. But the anxiety I’d feel would actually cause me to go into dissociation. So I quit. She came along and said, “Hey, let’s start a show together.” I thought… with her, I can do this. & with her, I could. As long as she was on the air with me, it was fun. It was easy. It was wonderful. But doing it alone? Ah… I was back to the craziness. It wasn’t until yesterday that I realized all of this. I realized that I was trying to do something that just wasn’t me. It wasn’t a lack of commitment. It wasn’t even a lack of desire. It just wasn’t what I was good at or felt passionate about or excelled at.

I think there comes a time in all of our lives when we have to choose. Do we keep trying to do something we’re just ok at? Or, do we focus more of our energy on the thing we’re really good at, the thing we’re passionate about? I decided to do the latter. And I feel a lot freer. I know my bestie will still love me just as much, even if I don’t have my own show on our amazing network. And, yes, I still feel that it is just as much mine as it was before, when I kept struggling to be a host and feeling like I was letting everyone down when I’d freak out and cancel yet another show. Now I feel I can enjoy it a lot more, because I’m doing what I’m good at… painting.

What are you good at? Follow your passion. Devote your time to the thing that you’re great at and become better at it. Want to hear the magical host? You can. She’s on www.blogtalkradio.com/ButterflyDreamsAbuseRecovery every Monday and Wednesday evening at 9pm eastern time. Her name is Trish & I love her! Want to see what I’m good at? You can. Visit my website at www.MichalMadisonArt.net/galleries.html and while you’re there, pick out something that touches your heart, keep it for yourself or share it with a friend. 10% of every sale is donated to ending child abuse (Childhelp. My art helps support Butterfly Dreams too). That’s something Trish and I are both passionate about. That’s why we started Butterfly Dreams in the first place.

Follow you passion my friends. You have a gift that only you can give the world. Share it!

Dream Big. Create Miracle. Expect Magic.

Michal Madison

 

21 March 2014