You are a blessing to me, dear Readers! I am so glad to be back and even more excited to share how a painting can bring joy into people’s lives. Enjoy my friend Debbie’s thoughts on my painting “Fishing Around” and what a blessing it has been to her, her husband, Sparrow, and their son, Hilary!

© Laura Gabel, “Fishing Around”. 12x12, mixed media. $250. blessing blog

© Laura Gabel, “Fishing Around”. 12×12, mixed media. $250.

“Laura, I wanted to tell you what your painting means to me.

I was immediately drawn to it when I saw the beginnings of it in your
studio.  We have a pond at our house in front of our porch. In it are
water hyacinths and goldfish.  Above it there are almost always
numerous, multi-colored dragonflies, flitting about.  Next to the pond
is a metal sculpture that Sparrow made of a dragonfly. We  have a bird
feeder and a bird bath next to the pond. There is also a fountain that
runs from 6 am to 6 pm.

blessings blog dayton pond
My “prayer room’ is the hammock next to the pond, or in one of the
rocking chairs on the porch.  I find that my favorite time of day to spend with the Lord is after dinner, when the birds come to feed and the sun is
beginning to set.  The light makes the leaves in the trees look like
jewels and the shadows on the green grass make me think of God walking
in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day.

I have always loved both goldfish and dragonflies.  Goldfish remind me
of Jesus and also of Sparrow, my husband, in some ways.  They can see colors that we cannot; they see ultra-violet light.  These fish can withstand nearly frozen temperatures and live.  In fact, someone did an experiment where they froze a goldfish in liquid nitrogen and then thawed it and it revived–it was resurrected!

Dragonflies have fascinated me my entire life.  The beauty and genius of the
engineering of them!  When they skim the waters of my pond, I think of
the Spirit of God hovering over the surface of the earth.

As I watched your painting come to life, I was moved by the beauty of it
and how they came to life, just like the goldfish does and the dragonfly
flies!  I was struck by the majesty and wonder of God’s creation and wanted to give thanks for all He has done and all He has given me.

blessings blog hilary and "fishing around"
While I was sitting in that large, empty waiting room at the hospital while my husband was in emergency surgery, I could sense he was slipping away.  I prayed desperately for the Lord not to take him because I just could not
do it alone.  Though I love Hilary, I would be imprisoned by his
disability without someone there to share the load.  And I have never
found anyone who “gets” me the way Sparrow does.  He is my best friend. he knows me better than I know myself!  What a loss that would be! I
cried out that night and He heard me.

Sparrow told me he was given a choice and he chose to come back to me so
I wouldn’t be alone.  That choice cost him.  He lost most of his colon
and part of his small intestines and he has a permanent colostomy. 

Nevertheless we are so grateful that he is with us. He is a blessing to our family.

This painting epitomizes my answer to prayer!” Debbie D.

Paintings are gifts that keep on giving. Do you have someone special in your life that you can be a blessing to through an original painting? If so, give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to discuss it with you.


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