Got a Hobby?

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By Diane Forrest

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When my husband became injured and was no longer able to work, he became very anxious.  He loved his job, and the interaction with his customers, and being home alone was a big change for him.  With nothing to do beside watch TV, he became bored.  I had read about a football player who began to knit during the off season, so I suggested that my husband take up some sort of hobby.  I knew he would be unable to knit, I couldn't teach him, since I didn’t know how, but I did know how to do latch hook.  That was something I would do while I was in my dorm room at school.  So I got him a kit, and got him started, but that activity was not for him.  He did like to do the painting by numbers, but his leg spams made that activity difficult.  Then he discovered baking.  He would make the most wonderful brownies and Italian Cream Cakes every week.  He would bring them to the hospital where I worked and share them with my coworkers.   He was happy for a while, until I was eating all the results of his hobby and told him he might want to learn how to do something else.  He got some birds, and enjoyed training them how to talk, but the mess they made became too much for him to clean.  Then we moved to a new house, and our next door neighbor taught him how to do woodworking.  He would beam when he finished making a wooden bowl and present it to a friend.  Many fortunate people have a project he made for them, and still treasure them today.

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When he passed away, I found myself needing something to occupy my time, so I began baking, only I didn’t eat my hobby, instead I sent it to friends and family and let them enjoy it.  Then I began to make cards.  I could never find a card that said what I was feeling, so I thought, why not make my own.  I love finding just the right picture, and lace and ribbons to place on them to make each one special and unique. I have even done a few wedding invitations party invitations and all occasion cards.

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A hobby is defined as an activity that is regularly undertaken for pleasure, typically during one's leisure time. Some examples include sports, crafts, collections and games.  Some of Terry's hobbies include Genealogy, playing cards, reading, watching sports and playing golf, and feeding/watching the birds.  And lately home remodeling. I still enjoy baking and making cards, and also love to play cards or other games.  This month is national hobby month.  If you don’t have a hobby you enjoy, why not find something you think you would like to do, and begin working on it.  Not only is it a great stress reliever, you may find that you could turn it into a lucrative business such as photography, woodworking, making stained glass or picture frames, baking cakes or painting.

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What are some of your hobbies?   
Leave a comment and let us know.

Inspire Your Heart with Art Day

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By Diane Forrest

When my brother was in high school, he acquired a fondness for drawing.  He took an art class in school, and became quite good at drawing flowers and fruit and still life.  I on the other hand have trouble staying within the lines while coloring a picture.  I love art, and I get thrilled when someone I know is artistic, I consider them like a rock star.  My cousin's daughter is 13.  She has developed a talent for painting and drawing.  I take a certain amount of pride in her achievements since I gave her one of her first sets of colors.

Art can be found everywhere.  Art is not just drawing or painting.  Art is music, acting, photographs, anything that pleases your eyes, ears and other senses.

While I can't draw, I love to sing.  I participated in the school and church choirs since I was small.  As I grew older, I sang in my church's choir, and continued singing until my husband became disabled.  He would love to watch me sing, and would tell me I looked like an angel.  I haven't been able to make it back to the choir since his death, but I am hoping to ease my way back.  Music is so emotional for me, and I sometimes find myself sobbing during particularly moving songs.

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My son is so entertaining.  When he was younger he could produce tears at the drop of a hat, and the next instant be rolling with laughter.  I always told him he should be an actor, and he participated in a few skits at school and church.  He has a rare gift of making people laugh.

Since my father retired he spends alot of time in his wood shop.  He has learned how to make beautiful furniture and turn wooden pens on his lathe.  A local reporter recently published a five page article and pictures of his works, and that article has drummed up alot of "business" for him.  He doesn’t sell his works of art, however if someone wants something he makes, he will "sell" something for a donation to the local Children's Home.

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Today is Inspire Your Heart with Art Day.  Art can be found everywhere you look...whether it’s a painting, photograph, music or architecture. Even the worn lines in a person's face or the pink cheeks on an infant, all of these will bring a smile to your heart or tears down your face.  So, today, take some time to look around you, take a stroll down your town's downtown area, and look at the buildings.  If you have a museum, walk around there and take a look around. Maybe you will even be inspired to show a little of your artistic side.  It’s never too late to get started, after all, Grandma Moses was in her 70's when she started painting, and she became one of the country's best selling artists!  Find your inspiration today.