WHEN YOUR HEART SPEAKS

i love my nephew so much. i received an email from my nephew. a very heartfelt email. he's a very talented young man and has an extremely creative spirit. i can't say he got his creative nature from me, becasue he didn't. i believe it is God-given. i have been creative all my life and i have always "listened" to my heart re: my creativity. i have always gotten compliments and support from family, friends, and strangers about how talented i am. but doing what i do had nothing to do with compliments-as much as it had to do with doing what i love and felt called to do. growing up-there was no one i could explain that passion to. i use to think it meant making alot of money with it or being famous (which i could have done). but it took me awhile to learn to understand my creative nature and how it would make its purpose in my life. there is nothing wrong with making a good financial living with an art you are good at. but my priority when i was young was discovering more about who i was as a person and trying to understand my passions better. i am different from the rest of my family in my thinking, actions, spiritual life, and social decision-making. i love being me. every now and then i will run across another individual that "gets me" and it's a great feeling. God has always understood me and that has always been comforting, but when He brings another human being into my life that understands where i'm coming from.....it's an awesome experience. i have someone like that now. it took years to pass to know what it's like to have a conversation with someone who has the same passions as you do as think like you do. but even if my friend never came my way-i knew who i was and what i was all about-despite the struggles of trying to be heard and understood. luckily, my nephew is supported by me and the rest of the family (as i was), and he has a few people in his life that "somewhat" get him, but really can't relate to his creative passions. to have him open up to me and hear the same words i had once said to myself when i was his age created a bond i couldn't have made happen on my own. i learned to listen to my heart and to God to be at peace to enjoy my creative spirit. i'm hoping i can become another comfort, supporter, and ear to listen to my nephew's heart, and hope he understands how much i really do "get his passions" and struggles that comes with it. i will give him my opinions and tell him stories about my own journey to find myself in art. but he has to learn and experience his own journey. life will be the best teacher for him. hopefully he will pick up some wisdom and suggestions from family to avoid some pitfalls he may encounter. but when all is said and done: he has to learn to be wise by what he'll learn through hard times, failures, and disappointments. he will always have family there no matter what. he will always have God beyond what family can give him (no matter what). and he will always have his heart to listen to when ever he wants to listen "when his heart speaks".

FINAL THOUGHT: i find it easy to find people to believe in me. i find it harder to find people to "understand me". i can function and have functioned without the understanding (it's a great family trait i have). but it's nice to find those people that actually relate to how you feel-especially for us who think and live from our passions. listen to your heart and see if God is telling you something about yourself. about Him. find your passions or renew them and experience them in a whole new way. they are never far away.

QUESTION: what does your heart tell you about your passions?