Many of you already know Alaina from here in our group. She has been a faithful follower of my channel since the beginning. She always comments. She does the most exquisite low fire pieces❤️. She has been struggling to get a high fire kiln up and running but it looks like that will take a while longer and I know this is frustrating and discouraging for her. I know that she currently has 721 subscribers so it would be wonderful if we could help her feel loved and appreciated. If you haven’t subscribed, please subscribe. If you have, she just had a kiln opening a day ago. Let’s flood her channel with many positive comments. We need to remember to nourish one another. https://youtube.com/@laneyscraftingcreations431?si=Yj5BaLY10Bw2Zcs6

Our dearest @Suza Roswandowicz opened a kiln a few weeks back and didn't like a bowl that she had refired. I thought it was gorgeous and told her so. She was kind enough to send it to me, with a special note, and a couple of other thoughtful gifts. But the greatest gift of all is the friendship that we share. Little did I know, when I started my pottery journey, that it would enrich my life in so many ways. Thank you, Suza, from the bottom of my heart! Here is the video of the gifts that were sent. Please join me in sharing the love that spread from Germany throughout the world! https://youtu.be/XtIV0tbALGY

With our lives being chaotic it is so important to focus on joy. Perhaps it is the taste of a biscotti dipped in morning coffee, a flower or leaf that wasn’t there the day before, the feeling of sunshine on your face, a creative moment, a stroll through a park or downtown or walk in the beach, or watching young ones at play. For us this week Shane and I went to a friends studio and did an impasto class. I could feel the joy all day long. My wish is for each of us to actively boost our joy in some small way each day.

I think this is something we struggle with over and over again: accepting gifts. And it is kind of crazy, because we know how full our hearts feel when we give something to someone and make them happy 💛 And yet, on the other side, we find it so hard to receive. I believe it has a lot to do with self worth. I have reflected on this many times before. And the topic came up again recently. I even found myself tearing up while watching that video of @Natalie Duff receiving those textured rollers from @Lori Turner. That was so kind and heartwarming🥹 And it made me realize that maybe we should stop resisting the love that others are trying to give us. They simply want to show us how much they appreciate us, how much we mean to them, and to bring us joy ✨ And if we block that or push it away, we might even take away their joy of giving. Maybe it is time we allow that in 🤍 I wish you all a beautiful day. May we accept every smile, every gift, and every kind word that comes our way today 🌸 And we do not always have to balance it out with a gift or a return. We do not have to earn it. We can simply receive it for what it is 🌿 Let us learn to do that. Let us work on it, together 💫

Drew with clayscapes.com is fighting an expensive medical battle. If you're inclined to help, here's the link. https://gofund.me/d08cffecd