accidental saints

When I found out my cousin was diagnosed with cancer I painted this icon for her.
"Saint Kim, patron saint of dogs".
Yup, that's her with her two dogs.
I was so happy she liked it.
Painting is what I do to help me focus and deal with things. I am grateful to my Russian icon teacher, Marina, because I feel like I found my spot in the art world.
I will shift the subject slightly now on to a topic that is somewhat connected.
Last week I saw an ad in the local paper about a book discussion group at a local church.
The book in discussion was titled "Accidental Saints-finding God in all the wrong people".
I'm not much for book clubs or really any type of social gathering but this peaked my interest.
Author Nadia Bolz-Weber describes herself as a Pastrix (her version of a female pastor)and 'invites readers with what she calls "a religious but not-so-spiritual life' ".'Tattooed, angry, and profane, this former stand up comic turned pastor stubbornly, sometimes hilariously, resists the God she feels called to serve'.
Hmmm..I found this introduction quite intriguing so I bought the book and went to the discussion.
I found it quite funny (of course I would) sitting with a pastor and group of little old ladies reading out loud passages from this book in a church that had sentences such as this :"I was confronted by my own bullshit"...and "oh fuck".
Funny, yet, as I am reading I am finding so many things that I can relate to.
I told the pastor that I paint icons> Some traditional and some, not so traditional. With that being said, one of the member of the parish took me around in the church to show me icons that were painted by one of their parishioners that they have on display.
They were so beautiful and perfect.
It was so exciting to see them-especially knowing that they were done by a local artist.
The next discussion  group meeting is tomorrow. I am a pretty slow reader but I read half the book already. There is the potential of each and everyone of us becoming a saint, flaws, farts and all.
Who would've thought that somebody else thinks on this wave length.
hmmm...