Know Thyself

Some of you may have met me via other internet adventures, particularly the art challenge blog Every Inchie Monday or the Diva's Zentangle challenge or even Reduce Footprints, a true challenge to live a better life all around. But today you probably found me by way of the twinchie challenge, Two by Two by Tuesday, that I also host.
I've been having a real field day creating the bi-weekly art prompts. I like seeing the art hit my inbox. It's so uplifting. I don't like to think of it as a challenge, but rather as a much-needed deadline for creating. I'm a bit of a procrastinator, always pushing my calendar to
THE. VERY. LAST. MINUTE.
Sleeping Man has been reminding me that we have a trip coming up. Tahoe for a wedding. Driving in the convertible. It will be a blast, I'm sure. But it's a lot of miles and it's a teenie little car, so packing is going to be fun. NOT. We're the photographers, so there's ton of equipment going. And what will I wear? The trunk is just large enough for my shoe collection, let alone technology.
What this means is I'm actually working ahead.
HA! ME!?!
So, for the art prompt, "Favorite Things," here goes:

I found this project very emotional. You see, during my fiftieth year on this planet, I had several surgical procedures. I knew my anesthesiologist by first name, that kind of thing. One of the surgeries didn't go so well and I've been living with pain ever since. That year, my friend Barbara gave me a little necklace with a pendant that read, "Strength." That same year she was in a car accident that has left her in pain, too, and she thought I could use a boost. I wore it for exactly one year, took it off on the day my divorce was finalized, quit the painkillers cold turkey and put the charm with some other little tokens that I have carried with me everywhere.
Until now.

Strength
Ledger paper, stamp, fabric, fortune, pendant, shell,
puzzle piece with pearl

I put them all together in a collage for this particular challenge. It's actually too big to meet the criteria, so my official response is a "brown paper package tied up in string," as you can see.

Brown Paper Package
tied up with String

Have you been humming the music from the "Sound of Music?" Me, too!
The other four collages that you see there are ones I have worked on as I've been doing the twinchie challenges. While I have all these materials out, I  might as well make more, right? Actually, I tend to make them in sets of three. I put these together about the same time:

Counting the Days
Ephemera, calendar, paper,
Zentangles with found objects

Just the one, "Strength," is exceptionally unique and deeply personal. And I'm fairly certain I'm not sticking it on the refrigerator with the others (for one thing, I'm running out of space!) I don't need a reminder of the pain as that doesn't go away, but I am emboldened by how far I've come in five years: we have a house--with no mortgage!, we have each other; we are blessed.
Have a brilliant, sunny day! c