Welcome to "Joni and Friends" and welcome to my art studio…
Okay, I realize we’re not really in my art studio right now, we’re in a radio recording studio, but if we were in the place where I paint, I’d want to borrow your hands. What for? Well, how about fluffing up a fresh arrangement of daisies for me to draw? After all, daisies are my favorite flower. When I got married back in 1982, and I was choosing colors and flowers for my wedding I chose daisies. My bridesmaids each carried a fresh bouquet of them as they walked up the aisle… and when I wheeled up the aisle, I had the same beautiful flowers (only bigger) on my lap... I couldn’t hold them but we kind of taped them to my lap. Daisies, in fact, even lined the ramp that my church constructed so that I could wheel over the front steps all the way up to where the preacher was. It was Dr. John MacArthur who married Ken and me. When John saw me coming up that ramp he said I looked a little like a float in the rose parade. And I have to confess… when the ceremony was over and I turned my wheelchair around to go back down the ramp, I lost control.
You see, because I was, well… vain (there’s no other word for it)… because I was so conscious of my appearance in my wedding gown, I had decided not to wear my arm splints which stabilize my wrists. All my wedding photographs show me with bare arms and hands… no ugly leather straps around my hands. Well, that was nice, and it made for pretty photos… but it made for very unstable driving of my wheelchair. So when I started back down the ramp after we were married, I veered too far to the left and knocked over one or two pots of those beautiful daisies lining the ramp. Thankfully, my new husband Ken was right there – his very first function as my husband was to rescue me from careening over the edge of the ramp and falling to the floor. (Thank you, Ken, rather the flowers flop to the floor than your wife)!
All this to say, I still love daisies! And even though my days at my art easel are not as frequent as they used to be – due to the pain in my back and neck; it’s just hard to put those pastel pencils between my teeth and work at my easel. Even though my drawing days are limited, I still love to keep a vase of daisies around if I can… if someone asks if they could send me flowers, I always ask for daisies.
And I’d like to show you some of the drawings I’ve done of flowers, most specifically of those fresh little daisies. And just to celebrate spring coming, I’d like to send you three of my spring greeting cards with envelopes – but my favorite is the one that says “May the Lord's sweet joy bloom in your heart today.” That’s the one with the watercolor painting I did of daisies and a little butterfly. You can get your free samples of my Spring cards and envelopes by calling me at 888-522-5664 or you can get a preview – a look-see in advance – of this card by visiting me today at joniandfriends.org.
And while you’re there, browse around and take a look at some of my other artwork… you’re always welcome to visit our "Joni and Friends” website. And since this week begins National Card and Letter Writing Month, I can’t think of a better way to get it started than for you to jot a note filled with Christian encouragement to a hurting friend by using one of my three spring cards. So celebrate spring today with me – I'll be watching out for you at joniandfriends.org! And you can always contact us at P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376. May you know the joy and favor and approval of our wonderful savior… until next time on Joni and Friends.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends