Easter Penguin

I made this piece of art in the midst of the snowstorms we were encountering a week or so ago. I had decided with the weather being so cold and nasty, the easter bunny would boycott us. We were having weather fit for a penguin, so I threw some bunny ears on one and gave him a basket of eggs. It is a bit warmer this week and most of the snow is gone, but I still think the Easter Penguin has a lot going for him. I meant to make him into cards, but I encountered some scheduling problems and couldnt get to a copy shop. I still might take it and make some copies to have on Easter.

I have had incredibly good lessons this week. I'm not sure whats going on with my students, but they were all so enjoyable and attuned to their lesson. If every week were like this one my job would be pure bliss. I started picking out recital music for most of them so for the next 2 months, lessons will be very focused. I hope "summer vacation fever" that usually starts right after Easter will hold off since its so early this year. I'd prefer not to have that struggle quite yet.

I received this in an email today and thought it was beautiful. I loved that I received this message from a MAN who truly respects and celebrates the beauty and power of a woman.

Why Women Cry

A little boy asked his mother, 'Why are you crying?' 'Because I am a woman,’ she told him. 'I don't understand,' he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, 'And you never will.' Later the little boy asked his father, 'Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?' 'All women cry for no reason,' was all his dad could say. The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry. Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the 'phone, he asked, 'God, why do women cry so easily?' God said: 'When I made the woman she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children. I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining. I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly. I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart. I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly. And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed.' 'You see my son,' said God, 'the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides.'

I hope all of you embrace the qualities touched upon in this message both in yourself and in the women around you. Take a moment to reflect on those women who have sacraficed for you and let the goodness of those memories surround you with love.