In a conversation, my friend Andrea told me how happy she was with the direction her life had been going. She said, “Things are going so good, I don’t want to let go of the glow.”
Don’t let go of the glow. I liked that. It’s important to guard our thoughts against the negativity that can so easily creep in. I’ve learned that whatever I illustrate sticks with me so I promptly rustled up a couple of models (Andrea’s son Adrian being one of them) and got this drawing down on paper. The next week when Adrian’s mom mentioned she was intent on “keeping the glow going,” I thought, “oh no, here we go again.”
What about you? How do you keep the glow going?
Working with Elizabeth and Adrian was a delight.
All text and images © Sue Shanahan. All rights reserved.
Commonplace Grace 
I look at the positives in my life, and remind myself that anything is possible if you believe.
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I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t afford the luxury of a negative thought.
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Thanks, Sue, for a gorgeous picture and lovely post.
For me, it is really hard to feel positive all the time. The important thing for me is to remind myself that things can and probably will improve. I have to give myself permission to have those inevitable lows, otherwise I’d be down on myself for feeling that way. As my Irish grandmother used to say, “I had such a good cry.” Sometimes that’s the prelude to a smile . . .or glow.
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I like that. Your post brought to mind the lyrics of the song “All Things Must Pass” by George Harrison.
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Beautiful sentiment and illustrations
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Thanks for a wonderful phrase, Sue! Sometimes I have to let the yucky, ugly, dark, sticky, brutal, etc. stuff come out, before the glow can even surface. If I continue to trust it’s inside me, even in the worst of times, then I know unleashing the icky feelings is what will free it up.
It’s an act of total surrender. When I feel myself losing the belief in the glow, The Divine puts a gentle, loving reminder in my path. My job then becomes getting still enough to listen.
Thanks again for sharing this!
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Gosh, I so happy this post was so meaningful to you.
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Beautiful work Sue. Loved seeing your inspiration photos too.
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Thank you for your kind words.
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Beautiful illustrations Sue. I try to always find the “silver lining” in situations even if they’re uncomfortable or new to me. Sometimes the glow happens right before my eyes and I’m fully aware of it. I captured a picture of my daughter Lindsey watching fireworks on the 4th. She was laying on her back looking up to the sky, and just as the fireworks erupted, I snapped a picture of the colors shining down on her. Now I have a picture of a beautiful glow to look back on if I’m feeling negative or down.
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Thanks for the thoughts. I love your spin on the “glow.” I can almost see the picture of your little girl in my mind’s eye. 🙂
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