“Honour & Gratitude” by Gail McNaughton

In this season of our lives,

You will always be my friend.

Dear “Poppy Pin”, everyone knows you,

As you sit patiently on the lapels,

Of people who honour you.

I bow to you in acknowledgement,

Of what you stand for,

In a changing world,

Where change is at every corner.

We must all think about your sacrifice,

To bring freedom and peace,

And honour you in the world,

As a good will ambassador,

As the reminder of what could be

And what has gone on before.

You can slip off our lapels so easily,

And this is to remind us how loosely,

We are tied to freedom,

And how we must,

Continually keep being vigilant.

I’ll cry for you just for today,

For so many people have been lost to war,

And I’ll stand up tall to protect and save,

Your everlasting memory,

In the pages of our lives,

Not only today but every day.

http://quick-brown-fox-canada.blogspot.ca/2015/11/honour-gratitude-by-gail-mcnaugthon.html

gailGail McNaugthon is a poet, writer, photographer and doodle artist. She calls herself “the Passionate I” and is a storyteller using life as her subject matter. She has self-published six books.

10th annual Healing Palette Art Exhibit

The 10th annual  Healing Palette Art Exhibit opens Friday October 23rd with a reception at 7:00 p.m. in the Atrium of St, Thomas Elgin General Hospital, and will run until Nov. 7, 2015.

Please join us for an evening of art, poetry, song and celebration, featuring the art of individuals with firsthand experiences with mental illness. Each piece is a testament to the creativity, courage and resiliency of artists with various forms of mental illness.

If you cannot join us in person,  we encourage you to visit our on-line gallery and view all of this extraordinary art.

We think you’ll be inspired! 

Website:  www.thehealingpalettehome.com

National Doodle Day: share your creations

In order to help raise money for the 600,000 people in the UK living with epilepsy, the charity Epilepsy Action are auctioning doodles created by celebrities such as Rick Astley, Joanna Lumley and Sir Ben Kingsley as part of National Doodle Day today.

To celebrate, we’d like to see your doodle creations. Whether it’s one from your days as as a child, or a quick sketch on a napkin as you sat in a café share yours with us. You can do so by clicking on the blue ‘Contribute’ button on this article. You can also use the GuardianWitness smartphone app or the Guardian app and search for ‘GuardianWitness assignments’.

CLICK HERE to read the full article

Graffiti Flower Garden

Graffiti Flower Garden
By Gail McNaughton

I have added numerous flowers on top of the rug which may or may not be apparent to you. I am leaving the flowered masking tape border as it is as it blends with the rug. The turquoise/green (wool blanket) was given to me by a Mennonite woman where my Aunt lives. My sister gave me the orange plaid that goes around the yellow flannel flowered material as this was the last of curtains my Dad had in his office downtown Toronto, years ago. The blue flowers are made out of a shrunk sweater. The red and pink flowers I made with my Daisy Hazel’s Loom that I’ve had for 30 or more years. There are small mounds and these have silk scarves hooked in them and blue/turquoise flannel (blanket) hooked around each. The sunflower has both wool and silk scarves in it surrounded by the yellow flowered flannel material. This has been hooked on burlap that had a pattern on it that I purchased at a local nursery. This burlap is for wrapping trees or other uses. To date, this is the most eccentric rug hooking that I’ve made and it has been hours of work. I am calling it “Graffiti Flower Garden”. As I am a Doodle Artist, “Graffiti” is a form of Doodling.

The EBWN Admin Team 2012 – 2013 Receive “Lighten Up” The Wild Apricots Doodle Art

Our annual Success Meeting took place at the Duton Meadows Golf Club on April 17, 2013 and fun was had by all.

The Lighten Up Team

and will they come before you and stand with me up at the front –

Susan, Kim, Sarah, Linda, and Yvonne will you come forward.  As well would Mary and Lori come up as well.  Anne, Andrea and Ann-Marie are unable to be with us this evening  These are the women who have represented you over 2012 and 2013 some leaving and some coming.

What does it mean to lighten up?  It means to have fun while you are doing your volunteer role and interacting with one another and the rest of the membership.  Being women we can get so serious and take everything on our shoulders.  As volunteers we also have many other responsibilities.  To Lighten Up means it brings a sense of balance to our lives and helps us remain light, but at the same time carry out our individual responsibilities with professionalism and as a team to ensure the stability to keep our EBWN working to the best of our abilities.  The Wild Apricots software system came into our lives and it too speaks of a lighter side of life for it is such a fun name.  As members of the EBWN we are all Wild Apricots and this name has been fun to refer to the Admin. Committee as.  These are wild team mates with individuality, spunk, creativity, expertise, knowledge and a pledge of allegiance to service.  To celebrate the Admin. Team I’ve made a doodle art for them.

 

The Lighten Up Team – Wild Apricots Doodle Art

The Elgin Business Women’s Network had their Success Meeting for 2012-2013 on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 at the Dutton Meadows Golf Club.

What does it mean to lighten up?  It means to have fun while you are doing your volunteer role and interacting with one another and the rest of the membership.  Being women we can get so serious and take everything on our shoulders.  As volunteers we also have many other responsibilities.  To Lighten Up means it brings a sense of balance to our lives and helps us remain light, but at the same time carry out our individual responsibilities with professionalism and as a team to ensure the stability to keep our EBWN working to the best of our abilities.  The Wild Apricots software system came into our lives and it too speaks of a lighter side of life for it is such a fun name.  As members of the EBWN we are all Wild Apricots and this name has been fun to refer to the Admin. Committee as.  These are wild team mates with individuality, spunk, creativity, expertise, knowledge and a pledge of allegiance to service.  To celebrate the Admin. Team I’ve made a doodle art for them.   Thanks to all of these Wild Apricots for their volunteerism, for attending the monthly Admin. Committee Meeting, coming to facilitate, register and help at our EBWN dinner meetings, working with one another and for their on-going suggestions on behalf of the membership.  Thanks to true women leaders.

LAUGH AT YOURSELF

Drawn at The Breast Show, Windemere Manor, April 6, 2013

Hold your head up high and reach for the sky in stature.  Put on a funny face even if you don’t feel like it.  Hold your heart in your hands and visualize the word HOPE.  There are lots of people around you with sunny dispositions who you can hold in your heart and their lightness and clarity will give you peace and understanding.  Attach yourself to healthy people.  Have some fun and possibly go skate boarding, walk in the park and look for feathers, talk to the birds as they will sing back their love in their melody.  Look at colour wheels and perhaps sit in a church that has a stained glass window and feel the colours radiate on your body.  Pray for yourself for when you pray for yourself you also pray for others.

Flowercat’s Nurturing Garden

Drawn at the Breast show, Windemere Manor, April 6, 2013

Flowercat is a very special magical cat who is an old soul with lots of healing energy and she hangs around the garden to help those who need love, support and nurturing.  She has big paws to wrap around you,  She will hug you close to her heart.  She will help you grow like the bulbs that magically set themselves in motion to mature into blossoming flowers and take their rightful place in the world.  She just tells you to sit and bring a cup of tea to the table she has set out for you.  She is waiting patiently for you to ask for help.  When you take a seat, she will know that you are ready.