They Look So Innocent When They Sleep - Quickie 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

“I have always believed that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value.”
– Hermann Hesse

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

They Look So Innocent When They Sleep
Quickie  4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Sharpie

This is a 15 minute quickie that I did this morning of Lin’s (Old Rock Chick at WetCanvas’) cat, Dave.  I have painted Dave so many times over the last 5 years.  I didn’t have much time this morning, but I couldn’t pass up his innocence. 

Have a safe and fun Labor Day weekend!

About Hermann Hesse

Hermann Hesse, the Pulitzer Prize–winning German writer, became extremely popular in the 1960′s and 1970′s for his deeply spiritual novels spiked with Eastern philosophy. He is best known for the novels Siddhartha, The Glass Bead Game, and Steppenwolf. He was born in 1877 in Germany and immigrated to Switzerland in 1912. Hesse was exposed to Eastern thought from childhood: His grandfather taught Indian studies, and his mother had been born in India. He won the Noble Prize in Literature in 1946. He died in 1962.

Dessert Anyone? - 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“There is a criterion by which you can judge whether the thoughts you are thinking and the things you are doing are right for you.
The criterion is:   Have they brought you inner peace?”

–Peace Pilgrim

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Dessert Anyone? - 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

This is the last one I painted from Lin’s photos at WetCanvas.  It was actually two different photos for this one painting.  They seem to have the yummiest desserts over in the UK.  I have painted a lot of desserts over the years from WetCanvas’ European artists’ photos.  Fun!

Peace Pilgrim

From 1953 to 1981 a silver haired woman calling herself only “Peace Pilgrim” walked more than 25,000 miles on a personal pilgrimage for peace. She vowed to “remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food.” In the course of her 28 year pilgrimage she touched the hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of individuals all across North America. Her message was both simple and profound. It continues to inspire people all over the world.

“This is the way of peace:  Overcome evil with good, and falsehood with truth, and hatred with love.” ….Peace Pilgrim

Lovely Old International Tractor – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor and Ink

“All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail.”
– Dorothea Brande

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Lovely Old International Tractor – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor and Ink

Lin (Old Rock Chick) from WetCanvas posted a wonderful photo of a International Tractor last weekend.   I had a great time painting it.  Lin took this picture in Abercastle.  I love the instructions on how to get there from the website I just linked to…

How to find Abercastle

• Satnav: SA62 5HJ
• Bus, The Strumble Shuttle from St Davids or Fishguard
• Abercastle is on the All Wales Coast Path

They have such neat names for places on the other side of the pond.  Lin lives in the UK and she loves to travel and explore her surroundings.  I like that because she shares her wonderful photos with her WetCanvas friends. 

About Dorothea Brande

Dorothea Brande wrote the quintessential how-to-write book, Becoming a Writer, which was among the first to address every writer’s core problem: How to sit down and let the words flow. Her book, published in 1934, remains in print today. She was born in 1893 in Chicago. She worked as an editor on the Chicago Tribune and The American Review and married the latter journal’s owner. She also wrote Wake Up and Live, which was adapted into a movie in 1937. She died in 1948.

A Very Tall Birdthday Cake – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it when it runs by.”
– Carl Sandburg

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

A Very Tall Birdthday Cake  – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

Tall is the word this week at Illustration Friday.  Who wouldn’t love a very tall Birdthday cake with a rooster on top.  I painted this card for my friend Teresa.  The flowers and the rooster were from two different  reference photos by Lin at WetCanvas.  I had so much fun painting this for my very special friend.

About Carl Sandburg

American poet, songwriter, and journalist Carl Sandburg played an essential role in the Chicago renaissance of the early twentieth century. He won two Pulitzer Prizes, one for poetry and one as a historian. He was born in Illinois in 1878. When he was 19, he hopped a westbound train and lived as a hobo. His poetry is filled with slang and the language of ordinary Americans. His publications include Chicago Poems, Cornhuskers, and the children’s series, Rootabaga Stories. He died in 1967.

Saundersfoot Cottage – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Pen

“I can’t give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: Try to please everybody all the time.”
– Herbert Bayard Swope

Isn’t that the truth!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Saundersfoot Cottage – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Pen

I painted this from a photo by Lin (Old Rock Chick) at WetCanvas.   It’s a cottage that Lin just had to stop and take a photo of to share with her WetCanvas friends.   The pretty, seaside town of Saundersfoot, is one of Pembrokeshire’s finest holiday resorts, in the United Kingdom, where Lin lives.

I did have to explain to my dear hubby that there are no brown roofs in Betheville and we will never run out of pink paint. 

About Herbert Bayard Swope

Herbert Bayard Swope, the colorful, hard-driving American journalist who became famous as a war correspondent and editor of The New York World, was the first writer to win a Pulitzer Prize for reporting. He was born in St. Louis in 1882. He coined the phrase “cold war” as a speechwriter for statesman Bernard Baruch. In his leisure time, he was a brilliant gambler at the track, at cards, and at stocks, and threw lavish parties. He died in 1958.

Doctor’s Building at McAlester Regional Hospital – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

“No great deed, private or public, has ever been undertaken in a bliss of certainty.”
– Leon Wieseltier

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Doctor’s Building at McAlester Regional Hospital – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor

I was in McAlester Monday and had 30 minutes to kill, so I drew this building on a little pad of 4″ x 6″ watercolor paper I had in my bag.  Then I painted it over the last couple mornings before work.  The ink is Prismacolor pen.  I have been using them more than Sharpie because I have more control and I have 5 sizes ranging from .01 to .08.  They are awesome! 

About Leon Wieseltier

Leon Wieseltier, the sharp-tongued literary editor of The New Republic, has used his role to deliver brilliant, scathing put-downs of intellectual fads and pretense. He was born in Brooklyn in 1952. He studied Jewish history and philosophy at Columbia, Oxford, and Harvard’s Society of Fellows. He won the National Jewish Book Award for the memoir Kaddish, about his year of mourning after his father’s death.

Split Rock Lighthouse – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.”
– Robin Williams

Yeah!!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Split Rock Lighthouse – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

The reference  photo was from Surob at WetCanvas.  It’s the Split Rock Lighthouse on the shores of Lake Superior in Minnesota.   I know it’s hard to believe…. but I had so much fun painting this!    It really was kinda this color, too. 

About Robin Williams

In 2005, Robin Williams, the Oscar-winning American actor known for his wild improvisations and amazing mimicry, was voted by fellow comedians and comedy insiders as one of the top 50 comedy acts ever. He was born in 1951 in Chicago, and he first garnered attention as a stand-up comic in San Francisco. A guest role as the alien Mork on the TV series Happy Days was so popular it led to his own show, Mork and Mindy. He has starred in many successful films, including Mrs. Doubtfire and Good Will Hunting. He has three children.

Chocolate Lab on a White Couch – HA! – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.”
– Anna Quindlen

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Chocolate Lab on a White Couch – HA! – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

Surely you knew that probably wouldn’t happen.  In the photo from Surob at WetCanvas, he was on a brown couch draped with a white sheet.   Not for me, you see.  I really struggled with “to ink or not to ink” since I was painting on that cheap watercolor paper.  I finally settled on a little ink…  for now. 

About Anna Quindlen

Anna Quindlen was only the third woman to become an Op-Ed writer for the New York Times. She was born in 1952 near Philadelphia. As a columnist, she blended the personal with the political, drawing parallels between the two. She left the Times to write fiction. Her novel, One True Thing, became a film starring Meryl Streep. She is the first writer with books on the fiction, nonfiction, and self-help New York Times bestseller lists. She lives with her husband and children in New York.

Green Eyed Cat – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“Happiness is different from pleasure. Happiness has something to do with struggling and enduring and accomplishing.”
– George Sheehan

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Green Eyed Cat – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

Happiness also has to do with things that just feel silly for no reason…. like this cat. 

I painted it from a photo by Surob at WetCanvas.  I think the cat’s name is pumpkin.  I like all the white I left in it for a change of pace.

About George Sheehan

American doctor George Sheehan changed course midway through his life. He was born in Brooklyn in 1918 to a cardiologist father and grew up to follow in his footsteps. At age 45, bored with his life, he began reading philosophy and took up running. Within five years he ran a 4:47 mile, the fastest ever clocked by a 50 year old. He started a weekly column and became medical editor for Runner’s World. He wrote eight books. Bill Clinton dubbed him the philosopher-king of running. He died in 1993.

Cute Little Boy – 2″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
– Andy Warhol

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Cute Little Boy – 2″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

I think this would make a cute bookmark.  It’s Susan’s (Surob at WetCanvas) grandson admiring a train.  I had a great time doing this and I normally don’t paint people.  Well, of course you know that.  I usually use my magic powers to remove all the people from reference photos before I paint them. 

About Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol, the American pop artist, is probably best known for his silk screens of Campbell Soup and Marilyn Monroe. He was born as Andrew Warhola in Pittsburgh in 1928. His style borrowed from comic books and advertising; he wanted to remove the separation between commercial and fine art. His studio, the Factory, became a hub for the New York art scene. He was also a prolific filmmaker. He was shot three times in the chest in 1968 and narrowly escaped death. He died in 1987.

Little Orange Truck – Watercolor and Prismacolor Fine Art Marker

“The best antidote I have found is to yearn for something. As long as you yearn, you can’t congeal: There is a forward motion to yearning.”
– Gail Godwin

I like that quote!

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Little Orange Truck – Watercolor and Prismacolor Fine Art Marker

Well, I looked at that flowerdy truck and could not come up with a cool background in my sleepy state this morning, so I whipped out a little orange truck.  35 minutes of fun and it’s just a couple inches.  I’m sure I’ll play with both of these trucks some more to add some background interest.  Have a great weekend!

About Gail Godwin

American author Gail Godwin is best known for her well-developed characters in such novels as A Mother and Two Daughters, The Odd Woman, and Violet Clay, all National Book Award nominees. She was born in 1937 in Alabama and raised in North Carolina. She married and divorced twice and lived with composer Robert Starer for 25 years until his death in 2001. They collaborated on ten musical works. She has written 13 novels and two short-story collections. She lives in Woodstock, New York.

Flowerdy Truck Paint Job – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor, Ink & Inktense

“Man’s main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is.”
– Erich Fromm

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Flowerdy Truck Paint Job – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor, Ink & Inktense

I had 45 minutes to paint this morning.  Yesterday, I painted the fenders, tires and interior, so today I did the paint job.  Tomorrow, I do the background.  Backgrounds are usually my least favorite part.  Maybe I can use photoshop to layer it in front of a painting I have already completed.  Hmmmm….. check back tomorrow and see. 

About Erich Fromm

Erich Fromm, the humanist German psychoanalyst and author, is best known for his book, The Art of Loving, which describes love as care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge. Born in Germany in 1900, he emigrated to the United States in 1934, fleeing Hitler’s regime. He taught at a number of universities in the U.S. and Mexico and wrote eight books delineating his view of human nature. He believed that modern society makes us feel isolated and long to reach out to others. He died in 1980.

A Vintage Truck Sketch – 5″ x 7″ Work in Progress

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”
– Anatole France

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

A Vintage Truck Sketch – 5″ x 7″ Work in Progress

I do some art nearly every morning before I get ready for work.  It’s like I need to do art and it always makes my day better when I start it this way.  Yesterday morning I drew this truck.  This morning, I inked it and started painting it.  Tomorrow, I’ll paint the truck and maybe the background.  It’s red in the photo I drew it from, but I’m thinking it may be a little fancier.  We’ll see. 

About Anatole France

Anatole France was the pen name of Nobel Prize–winning French author Jacques Anatole François Thibault. He was born in 1844 in Paris. His father was a book dealer, and France spent his life among books, including 14 years as assistant librarian to the French Senate. His novels, including the Contemporary History series and The Gods Are Athirst, often use allegory and religious symbolism as vehicles for moral questions. He died in 1924.

A Vintage Car and a Glacial Norwegian Lake – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

“Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.”
– James Bryant Conant

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

A Vintage Car and a Glacial Norwegian Lake – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

I had fun with this one.  It’s a combo of two photographs from Rozzi at WetCanvas.  The doors to the car were open in the photo and there were two guys standing on the running boards.  I left all that pesky stuff out.  Oh, and of course the car was black.  

About James Bryant Conant

James Bryant Conant, the American chemist and educator, is known both for his role in the Manhattan Project — which developed the first nuclear weapons — and for his innovative tenure as president of Harvard University. Harvard had been a finishing school for the rich; Conant turned it into a world-class research university and created aptitude tests to choose students by ability. These tests became the basis for the SAT. He was born in Massachusetts in 1893 and died in New Hampshire in 1978.

A Yellow House Among the Trees – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

“It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time.”
– Winston Churchill

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

A Yellow House Among the Trees – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

I painted this from a photo by Rozzi (Ros) at WetCanvas.  Ros lives in Southwest Australia, but I don’t know where this picture was taken.  It was on the waterfront somewhere.  It was fun!

About Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill was an extraordinary British prime minister; he laid the groundwork for welfare in England, helped set the boundaries in the Middle East, became a symbol of the resistance against the Nazis in Europe, and was a central force in the Allied victory in World War II. He was born in 1874 near Oxford. He was known for his courage, his stubbornness, and his powerful personality. He was also an accomplished painter and writer. He died in 1965.

Auldirth Joins Ormside – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink

“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.”
– Frank Lloyd Wright

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Auldirth Joins Ormside – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor and Ink


Dominic posted photos of farm areas near Auldirth and Ormside on WetCanvas last weekend.  (I’m assuming they are in the United Kingdom, where Dominic is from.)   I combined the two to get this little view.  So fun to do!

About Frank Lloyd Wright

The influential American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, father of the Prairie Style, is most famous for designing the Guggenheim Museum. He was born in Wisconsin in 1867. His buildings have strong geometric lines and often mimic their environment. He believed that form and function should be one, and that the way people live in a space shapes the space itself. His personal life was tumultuous; he married three times and lost his beloved mistress to a fire at his home. He died in 1959.

A Big UK Truck – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor, Inktense and Ink

“When we live in the present, joy arises for no reason. This is the happiness of consciousness that is not dependent on particular conditions. Children know this joy.”
–Jack Kornfield

 I like that! I’m going to be child-like today! 

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

A Big UK Truck – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor,  Inktense and Ink

I love this truck!  It really looked like that in Dominic’s photo on WetCanvas.  I only changed the message on the top.  It had some company name, I think.  I had a great time doing this one.

I am taking the day off today.  (I know!  Weird, huh?)  I have scheduled several appointments in Muskogee, like a long over due eye doctor visit.  If I’m going to drive that far, I’m going to use the whole day doing stuff I have been putting off.  When you work 6 days a week, procrastination just comes natural for all the personal stuff.

I’m even visiting the fabric store today.  (big grin)  I’m going to make my husband a shirt.  He’s not even scared!   He’s such a brave man.  I used to sew all my own school clothes when I was a teenager.  I got store bought jeans and shoes, but I made the rest.  It’s been a while, so I am really excited!  I can’t wait to dig in to that project.  I made some stuff in the 90′s with my old Singer, but I even have a new sewing machine to play with.  Yay!

Jack Kornfield is one of the leading Buddhist teachers in America. A practitioner for over 40 years, he is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness and vipassana meditation to the West. His approach emphasizes compassion, lovingkindness and the profound path of mindful presence, all offered in simple, accessible ways in his books, CD’s, classes and retreats.  His website is here.

Sanqhar, Scotland – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor and Ink

“If you have one eye on yesterday, and one eye on tomorrow, you’re going to be cockeyed today.”
–Author Unknown

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Sanqhar, Scotland – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor and Ink

Dominic posted the photo of Sanquar on WetCanvas over the weekend.   It was fun to paint.  I didn’t even have to eliminate the people… because there weren’t any in the photo.  Hmmmmm 

This quote is from my little book Wrinkles Don’t Hurt, by Ruth Fishel

Ruth Fishel, M.Ed., is an inspirational meditation teacher, workshop leader and the author of many books including:

 TIME FOR JOY

LIVING LIGHT AS A FEATHER

CHANGE ALMOST ANYTHING IN 21 DAYS

HANG IN ‘TIL THE MIRACLE HAPPENS

PRECIOUS SOLITUDE

TIME FOR PEACE: A Monthly Affirmation Plan

WRINKLES DON’T HURT, Daily Meditations on the Joy of Aging Mindfully

Town Hall – Carlisle, UK – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
– Theodore Seuss Giesel

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Town Hall – Carlisle, UK – 4″ x 6″ Watercolor & Ink

Dominic hosted last weekend’s WDE at WetCanvas and he lives in Carlisle, UK.  I loved painting this building, as soon as I used my magic to remove all the tourists mulling about.  Something about lots of people in paintings that I just can’t do.  I suppose I should practice painting people…. but not today. 

About Theodore Seuss Giesel

Theodor Seuss Geisel, the beloved Dr. Seuss, is renowned to generations of children as the author of Green Eggs and Ham and other deliciously absurd picture books. He was born in 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. His first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times. He wrote The Cat in the Hat after Houghton Mifflin asked him to write a children’s primer using fewer than 250 easy-reader words. He died in 1991.

Wow… rejected 27 times!  See… if at first you fail, try, try again.  Thank goodness he didn’t give up.  We would not have had all those wonderful books to grow up with.

Bouncing Down a Country Road – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

“If we blindly accept someone else’s beliefs or opinions – taking them as our own – then we set ourselves up for disappointment and heartache. If we do not examine another’s viewpoint, in the light of our own experiences and abilities, we place the control of our happiness or sorrow in someone else’s hands.”
–Liane Cordes

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Bouncing Down a Country Road – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Ink

Bounce is this week’s word for Illustration Friday.  As this truck bounces his way back home after a trip to the farmer’s market, the rocks on the bumpy road are causing his load of fresh fruit to nearly bounce completely out of the truck.  In afterthought, I should have painted a couple pieces of fruit laying on the side of the road.  Oh well… too late. 

Liane Cordes is the Author of Reflecting Ponds.  I could find no biographical information on Liane, but I found this about her book:

The Reflecting Pond is a collection of meditations that takes one subject at a time and covers it in depth. Whether we have a concern about self-acceptance, fear, friendship, or love, there is a chapter full of understanding thoughts. Used as an extra dose of support on specific issues, this book will help us think through day-to-day living problems.

Elsie the Locust from Paint My Photo

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Elsie the Locust – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor and Sharpie

I didn’t name this locust.   ESP from Paint My Photo named it.  Believe it or not, these colors really are the colors on that bug.  I swear!  Even the pink.    My friend Leslie White shared this site (Paint My Photo) on her blog recently.  So of course I had to go see.   If you click on the ESP link above, you can see the locust photo.

About Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was a powerful political figure in her own right, crusading tirelessly for humanist causes. She was born in New York in 1884 and was orphaned young. After Franklin was struck by polio, she acted as his eyes and ears. She was central to the creation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which she considered her crowning achievement, and wrote numerous essays, including a long-running column called “My Day.” She died in 1962.

I just finished a book by Ms. Roosevelt where she talked about the years immediately following the President’s death.  She was a remarkable woman.  I’m sure I’ll be reading more of her books.  –Beth

New Annan - Lovely in the Wind

“Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.”
– Will Rogers

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Lovely in the Wind – 5″ x 7″ Watercolor & Prismacolor Ink

I found this photo in the WetCanvas Reference Image Library.  It was contributed by Sundiver and she labeled it New Annan.   I looked it up in Wikipedia and found this:

New Annan is a outlying community within the city of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is named after Annan, Dumfries-shire, Scotland.  Cavendish Farms, Prince Edward Island’s largest private sector employer, maintains two large frozen foods processing plants in New Annan.  An 1875 gazetteer refers to New Annan Mills as a “small village in Prince County, 6 miles from Summerside. Pop.[Population] 80.

I just love the composition of this photo and I imagine I’ll paint it again.  I added the truck for fun and of course, I painted the white house pink. 

About Will Rogers

American humorist Will Rogers was considered the Mark Twain of his generation. He was born in 1879 in Oklahoma, of Cherokee descent, and left school early to become a cowboy. In South Africa his showy roping skills won him a job in a traveling Wild West show, and he quickly switched over to vaudeville and film acting roles. He wrote six books and 4,000 syndicated columns. An avid flier, he died in a plane crash in 1935.

Geese and Kangaroos? Huh? 5″ x 7″ Watercolor and Sharpie

“Pay attention to how you feel: what you love, dislike, hate, enjoy. Pay attention to what grabs your heart, what interests you. Discover who you are, not who you think you should be.”
–Melody Beattie

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Geese and Kangaroos?  Huh?  5″ x 7″ Watercolor and Sharpie

Of course you have figured out that this was painted from 2 different photos by Mary Y (from Australia) at WetCanvas.  I don’t even know how big a kangaroo would be if he was standing next to (and chatting away with) a goose.  It’s possible he is much larger than this… or smaller.   The only thing my hubby wanted to know is if I am ever going to run out of pink paint.  he he he   Not a chance!

Melody Beattie is one of America’s most beloved self-help authors and a household name in addiction and recovery circles.  Her international bestselling book, Codependent No More, introduced the world to the term “codependency” in 1986.  Millions of readers have trusted Melody’s words of wisdom and guidance because she knows firsthand what they’re going through. In her lifetime, she has survived abandonment, kidnapping, sexual abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, divorce, and the death of a child. “Beattie understands being overboard, which helps her throw bestselling lifelines to those still adrift,” said Time Magazine.  More here.

“Don’t look down.  Look up!  The steeper the climb,  the more important it is to laugh.  People say the bubble is popping, it’s bad out there, and it’s getting worse. Everyone’s getting the rug ripped out from under them, one man said.  No matter how bad it gets, we can still find happiness. There’s some for each of us. We may need to redefine what happiness is before we can find it but when we do, we discover it’s been there all along.   Another word for happiness is Peace. It’s been looking for us.”

I like that.  She sounds like a smart lady.