Catching Up....Has it really been Six Months? (Audio)

ITP #38: The past 6 months have flown by. Anush is back and playing "catch up " in this episode: from grandparenthood, World Adoption Day, to the illustration of her second book, tackling fears about work (and making it work!), to walking for the homeless...it's all inside! Inside the Pomegranate!
Links: Anush's email
Story of Nareg
Anush's HomeWalk Donation Page
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
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Catching Up....Has it really been Six Months?

What?  Is it really November already and have I truly not posted since May???  That's, like, six months! How can that be?  It's crazy how time has just flown by, but I guess it's true.  I took a break, but life didn't.  And during all these weeks that have flown by, I want you to know that I seriously did give my blog and my podcast thought.  I wanted to post and record,  but I was looking for that perfect time - the time to just sit down at my computer, collect my thoughts, and reconnect, but it just never came.  And so this morning....this beautiful morning, with last week's craft show behind me, and regrouting our kitchen sink ahead of me, I decided to put the brakes on and well, here I am!

So much has happened since we were together last.  It's hard to put it all in order, but I'll try. The
most amazing, and wonderful, and life-changing thing that has happened is that I am now Medzig to our new baby grandson, Arek!  My daughter and son-in-law were blessed with a beautiful little boy on Labor Day, September 1...and then we, in turn, were blessed as well!  And life, as we know it, has changed.  I am in love with my grandson.   My cell phone is overloaded with photos of him, and I can now understand Mamajan's (my mom's) obsession with taking photos of us all.  They are what I look at between visits with my grandbaby.  What a blessing.  He is 10 weeks old, and when he smiles at me, it just melts my heart.  

Smiling for Medzig!!!

I had always heard about the joys of being a grandparent, but until you're here, you don't understand it. I'm the one in the crowd holding my cellphone ready to show pictures of Arek to anyone and everyone.   Complete strangers even!  And although I get it....not everyone shares my excitement,.. it's hard to contain. My heart is just overflowing with love.

But it's not only about having a grandson, but there's another huge factor in this happiness:  It's  about our children.  When your child is born, you pray to God for His protection, wisdom and blessings on them.  When Ani was still pregnant, we were talking about her worries about labor, delivery, motherhood.  It's all fear of the unknown, right?  I told her not to worry (that part was totally normal) but to pray, and have faith.  And then I realized something pretty profound:  Since the day I found out I was pregnant with Ani, and since the day we knew about the possibility of adopting Nareg,  I have prayed for them EVERY DAY!  I can honestly say that other than waking up in the morning, there is not ONE thing that I can say I have done every single day other than pray and give thanks for my children.  That's a lot of prayers!!!   If you are parents of faith, you know what I'm talking about right?  Praying for our families, our children, is a daily thing....even several times a day sometimes.  We give thanks for them, we pray for their safety going to and from school, we pray that God give them the needed wisdom to focus on a test, or that they choose the right friends, make the right decisions.  We pray for their health, we give thanks for the sticky hugs and kisses.  And we pray for openness to accept God's will for them, whatever that may be.  

And miraculously, it all comes together.  It was just yesterday that I blogged about the two of them getting married, and now Ani and Eric are parents!.  There's a joy that fills my heart when I see them with their new baby.  So caring, so loving.  In just the short couple of months that have gone by since Arek was born they can't imagine their lives without him.  I had gone over for a visit (seriously, I can't go more than 3 days without my Arek fix).  Eric and Ani were sharing about their past trip to Italy and how beautiful it was.  I told them that they would just need to go back in a few years.  And that they could leave Arek with us.  And I really loved what Eric shared with me. He shared that growing up, his parents never went on vacation without them.  That his greatest childhood memories were of those vacations together.  Sitting around campfires, or traveling together.  And that's what he and Ani hoped to do with their children too.  It was beautiful to see how full circle we had come. Thinking back to when our kids were young, it was the same way with my parents when we were young.  Our modest camping vacations or trips to local beaches and mountains hold the best memories.  Collecting shells, climbing tide pools, building sandcastle, finding colorful fall leaves and acorns.  Simple things that glue us together with beautiful memories.  Needless to say I'm so proud of them both. Arek is a lucky little boy! 

But I have been blessed with two children, and I am equally as proud of my son Nareg.  Recently his girlfriend brought to my attention that this past Sunday, November 9 was World Adoption Day.  How beautiful.  A day where we acknowledge adoption and families that are made possible because of it. As I was going through my past photos, looking for pictures to share of my son and I, I couldn't help but think about Nareg through the years and how far he had come.  How much he has grown, and how rich our lives are because of the decision to adopt.  Last year I shared with you the Story of Nareg and how we were blessed with our son.  It was 24 years ago that he joined our family.  And since that day he has brought his positive energy, love, and inner joy to our family despite the adversities he has faced.  Just the other day, he had found a little school picture of himself.  I think it was his 6th grade photo so it would have been about 2 years after he was adopted.  There he was with a little gel in his wavy hair, his always warm smile.  I flashed back to him on his bike when he did a daredevil ride down the Wilkie's steep driveway and crashed into the fence across the street, or the time I got a call from the neighbor that he was setting leaves on fire in their back yard, or that he had turned trashcans over one street up.  And then i remembered the day in the kitchen when he was just our foster child prior to the adoption, when he asked us if we would adopt him.  Going to his jazz band concerts, basketball games, the uncanny way he would memorize baseball stats, I remembered all those things, but mostly his loving nature. That little boy i the picture is still in there, he's just all grown up on the outside now.  Anyways, I wanted to just share a little with you about how blessed we have been to have adopted Nareg.  He grew in my heart, and I am so blessed and fortunate to be able to call myself his mom.

I almost forgot one other big reason why I haven't been here.  Prior to Arek's birth, about 2

Panel from my new book showing the priest pouring the
holy muron into the baptismal font

months prior, I was commissioned again by the Armenian Church Eastern Diocese to illustrate my second book!  This time the book is about baptism in the Armenian church.  The format of the book will be the same, The only stipulation of my acceptance of the job was that they wanted all the illustrations done by September...and it was the end of June when they contacted me.  That's not a lot of time when you have a full time day job, have family responsibilities and want to spend time helping your expectant daughter, but I said yes!

My first book, "When I Go To Church" was illustrated with colored pencil and pen and ink. I've always worked in pencil, doing a lot of layering of colors to get the right color saturation.  This time around I used a new medium....Prismacolor markers, and it just made the job so much easier, brighter and faster...and therefore, more FUN! It was an intense couple of months but I was able to get the illustrations done on time.  Arek was born, and I had just a week to get the illustrations shipped out to New York, but I did it!   The book is off to the printer now, and I'm told it will be published in time for Christmas this year!  I'll definitely let you know when it's available.

And then another exciting thing (see, I'm filled with all kinds of exciting stuff, right?)  I had been struggling for the past few  years about my job in the insurance world.  I came into this job out of necessity.  It's not a creative job.  And for me, it's been very stifling in an "energy suck" sort of way.  After months of feeling stuck I thought of a plan: what if I worked 4 days a week and used one day to work on my jewelry and art?  It sounded good but I was sure my boss wouldn't go for it.  Another consideration was my benefits.  Given all my health and cancer issues, I was afraid of losing my health insurance.  Anyways, I just prayed about it....all the time telling myself they weren't going to go for it but at the same time asking God to please make something happen for me.   Along with my unhappiness, my attitude just kept getting  worse and worse.  I would go to work early in the morning, come home drained, deal with home and family, no creative outlet...I felt like that part of me was dying.  I had to do something.  And I did.

One morning, God gave me the courage to go in and talk to my boss.  I told her how I was feeling. Surprisingly, she was actually supportive.  She told me she didn't want to lose me and so if this was what I needed to do, that she would see what we could do to make it work.  Imagine that.  Working a 10 hour day wouldn't work because of overtime issues, but we figured out how many hours I would need to work in order to keep my benefits.  And she made it happen.  So I'm now working a 4 day work week.  And it's really amazing how just getting that extra day to be creative has helped change my attitude for the better.  The weekends have always been so full of chores and family, church and catching up.  So having that extra day has been just what I needed.  I've been able to focus my energy on making new designs in my jewelry and drawings.  And having that creative outlet has really helped my productivity at my job too.  Though my hours are longer, I try to get everything done in four days rather than five and come Friday, I am so happy to be done for the week with 3 days ahead of me.

So, take it from me, don't be afraid to dream and make it happen.  I was so sure that this was not going to be something that would be happening for me.  I had worked out every scenario in my head as to what my boss was going to say as to why my plan wouldn't work.  That was all fear.  Through prayer I got the courage to act and when the time was right, it happened.

Last month's homeless outreach, my sister
Susan and I working the sundae bar for
the residents there!!! Would you like
whipped cream with that??

Let's see, what else?  Our homeless outreach is still happening on a monthly basis.  We'll be at Ascencia, Glendale's homeless shelter this coming Thursday evening. We've been faithfully serving our homeless brothers and sisters there each month, and we are seeing more families with children.  This month is no exception.  Sadly. Want to get involved?   I'm sure there is a shelter in your local area. I'd like to encourage all of you to give them a call and see how you can get involved.  This time of year, I'm sure their needs are even greater as the holidays are approaching the weather is getting colder.  You can offer to serve a meal there, or organize your friends/family to cook dinner for the residents.  You could take it a step further and consider adopting a needy family for the holidays by providing clothing and toys for them for Christmas.  If nothing more, maybe you can drop of yused clothing or canned goods or some furniture for families in transition, I'm sure your help will be welcomed and greatly appreciated.  And if you'd like to donate to our In His Shoes Homeless outreach, please email me directly, and let me know:  anushnoor@gmail.com

This coming Saturday, our In His Shoes outreach group will be walking to raise awareness at Home Walk L.A., and annual event held to raise money and awareness for the homeless in our city.  This year, everything that we raise will be matched, so a $10 donation is like $20!  $50 is $100!  If you'd like to donate, I'll include the link to my donation page on today's show (or click this link!) . 

Our In His Shoes Team of Walkers at Home Walk L.A. 2013
Walking to end homelessness!

And finally, Given that we're in the month of November, and it's the month of Thanksgiving, I'm going to be adding something to be thankful for every day of this month....and I'll share part of it list with you next week....and we'll just keep it going for the month of November, and maybe even beyond!
Share with me!  Leave a comment on my blog about what you're thankful for.

We have so much.  We're so blessed.

Taking Inventory

Last week, I wrote about being thankful for the little things - saying that I was going to jot down one per day of the things that make our lives more beautiful and full.  So I thought, I'd start off this week by sharing with you some of the things - the little things - that make me happy.

Choices:  Ever think about how blessed we are that we have choices?  I mean, just think about all thechoices that we so fortunate to be able to make.  Like what shoes to wear, what form of transportation to take (to drive or take the bus), where to shop, how to spend our time, what to eat, what to drink.  How many of us have ever thought about what it would be like to not have a choice. I have a lot of friends on the street that don't have that luxury.  That's really a true blessing when you think about it.

Warmth: As you know, I take the bus in the morning.  At 6:30 in the morning, it's cold out on the street. Usually, on those cold mornings when the bus pulls up, the driver's got the heat on, and it reminds me of how fortunate I am to be warm.  I have a jacket, a home and family to keep me warm.

The foothills:  I live in the foothills in Sunland.  They're so beautiful, especially in the late afternoon when I'm getting home from work.  The sun is hitting them just so, and they have this beautiful color to them.  It always reminds me of the words in the song America the Beautiful.  The "purple mountains majesty above the fruited plane".  I always wondered about purple mountains when I was a kid singing that song in elementary school (and once, when I was about 8, drew a picture of a fruited plane...a jet airplane with fruit trees on it...but I digress). Anyways, in the late afternoon sun, my mountains have this beautiful warm, rich reddish purple to them.  And when I see my them, it reminds me that I'm almost home...and lucky to have a home to return to.  It also reminds me that God is the best artist of all.

Opportunity: As tough as the economy is, and as difficult as it is to start a business, I am thankful that we live in a land of opportunity.  I have watched this one corner in my neighborhood change from a vacant lot, to a small produce stand, to a very nice "farmer's market" type of store where I buy my produce.  This little store is owned by Armenian immigrants who started their fruit stand, and then were able to build it into a better store because of this country and the opportunity it affords. I'm grateful to live in a land of opportunity, where with some VERY hard work and the support of your community, dreams can become reality.

A sturdy bus bag - Okay, this really is a "little" thing...though not so little at all.  As minor as this sounds, my reinforced bus bag helps me to carry my reading, my lunch, a scarf or sweater when I get too warm,  my produce on Thursdays when I shop at the farmers market.  This bag has big flowers on it, is white/black and blue, and it's sturdy,  and saves my hands from getting the circulation cut off. I just throw it over my shoulder with my purse and I'm ready to go.

Beets! - Need I say more?  What's not to appreciate about beets!  They're beautiful, and pink.  Filled with vitamins and iron.  They keep on giving you "pink" if you know what I mean.  And I love them.  And I even love the golden ones too!  I'm grateful for beets!

and the last one for this week...Morning Kisses from my mom - My mom has been living with us. Every morning when I'm ready to leave for work, I go into her room.  It's early.  She's asleep, but I have to tell her I'm leaving.  It's the rule.  As soon as I walk in, she wakes up.  It's always, the same, "Gertas?  Already? Gimme a bachig.  Asdvadz heded."  (basically, "You're leaving?  Already?  Give me a kiss.  God be with you.") And I get my morning kiss  from mom. As old as I am, I will always be her baby.   I love her, morning bachigs and her daily blessing.

So there it is.  One week's worth of the small stuff!  I hope you think about things that make you thankful. At first I was trying to write them down, but it became to cumbersome to carry a notebook with me, so I justed used my memo app on my phone and put them down as they came to me.   Then I could look at them and build on it later...(which I did).  Like I said last week, I'll be doing this for the month of November, so I'll have a fresh list for you next week.  Please share yours with me as well.  By the time Thanksgiving comes, we'll have a whole new perspective on those little things that make our lives so beautiful.

Okay...so on to this week's topic.  It's been a busy week! Just a week ago I was working so hard on jewelry for a harvest craft fair that I participated in.  My friend  and epostle producer extraordinaire, Suzie and I were vendors at a craft fair.  I had my Pomegranate & Eye line of jewelry for sale and Suzie had her crocheted creations and her amazing homemade jams.  Things were slow for the first few hours, and thank God we had each other. (which reminds me that I have to add Suzie to my list!)  We kept each other company, talked, laughed....I mean, the worst day of craft fair is better than the best day of work, right?  Oops, what happened to my new positive attitude about work???  : )  No, no, it's still there.  But it was nice to be able to do what one loves.  Anyways, the day was a huge success though thanks to Facebook...and there's that power of social media again.  I had posted the address of the fair on Pomegranate & Eye's facebook page and some of my fans came out!  It was great to meet Carmen, Sonia and some of the others that stopped by that day!

So last night, I was talking to my mom.  I was wondering what I could blog about this week.  I had hit this wall and just had no ideas at all.  My mom started thinking...."Write about your cat that escaped and how Ned had to shower with it."  As true and funny as that sounds, uh, no.  Although I'll tell you about it a little later.  So mom had all these suggestions but none of them felt like a good fit.  I told her not to worry about it, because everytime she would walk from the TV room to her room, or the kitchen, she'd offer more suggestions.  Finally she said she was going into her room to do her nightly prayers.   I gave up...I played a few rounds of Candy Crush....answered a few emails. It was getting late, and mom came out to say goodnight.  "Did you find something to write about?"  When I told her no, she said,  "You will.   I prayed about it."

Even though it was getting late and I should have been getting ready for bed, I had this idea to go through the jewelry that I had brought home from the fair - and compare it to what was on the website.  Right after the fair, I had made some sales online, and unfortunately what was purchased online  was what was also sold at the fair that day.  I had to create new pieces...and I wanted to make sure that I cross checked my inventory so this kind of thing didn't happen again.  .  So there I was at close to midnight, checking actual pieces against the site when the topic came to me.  Divine intervention perhaps?  The topic for today is Inventory!

Most times when I have my items for sale, people come by and either look or buy.  But sometimes I get people that stop and talk.  And they offer suggestions.  Not that I asked for them.  But they tell me what I could do, how I could change things, what would look good, what would sell.  Unsolicited advice.  Sometimes when I'm in the mood, I chat them up. But other times, it's kind of a "yeah, whatever" (mentally, of course).  So last night as I was going through my inventory, I was thinking about all this.  And change.

Although I make bracelets for the most part and handmade silver, copper and bronze pomegranates, what sold out at the craft show were my copper wire sweater/scarf pins.  It was a total surprise to me too since they are not really the main focus of what I make.  So I was making a note of what I need to make more of, what supplies I have to buy in order to increase my inventory in those areas and then assessing what I have in stock,  and I started thinking about how so much of this inventory process was also pertinent to life.

Think about it.  God has given each of us has a life to make the most of.  Somethings about us "sell" or are desireable, yet other things "sit" on the table.  That desireable trait that we have is usually a talent or something that sets us apart from others.  Something that God has given us...whether it's artistic ability, sense of humor, musical talent, the ability to speak, create, parent, etc.  That is what makes us unique. When we use those talents to glorify God, others will naturally gravitate toward us wanting what we have.  Not because we blatently profess it and say, "Hey look what I've got. Don't you want it?"  But because the love in us - God's love - shines through and makes those that are searching sit up and take notice.

Then there are those things about ourselves that we THINK will be appealing to others.  We showcase them, dress them up, package ourselves nicely.  Sometimes we're accepted, and other times not.  If we're rejected more often than not, then it's time to assess. Do a little self inventory.   Do we need to bring ourselves down a notch?  Make ourselves more approachable.  Are we being the best we can be from God's standpoint?  Are we loving, giving, caring and compassionate? or are we too concerned with the package and not the incredible potential inside?  What about the suggestions made by the outsider?  Are we too proud to take constructive criticism? or can we listen with an open heart and mind and then decide if the suggestion makes sense for us?    How can we accentuate the positive qualities that God has given us?  And how can we make them shine on others so that they see the beauty of God within us?

The responsibility of Christianity is a big one.   I love the quote that says, "At all times preach the gospel.  When necessary, use words."  We have a responsibility to carry Christ's message of love and light in the world to all - taking inventory of ourselves, adjusting attitudes and approaches, so that we can preach that love and light to all, not with words but with actions.   So that they'll know we are Christians by the love the that we have toward all.  And it's definitely not easy, but something to work toward.

So what do you think?  Agree?  Disagree?  I'd love to hear from you.   So leave a comment and let me know what your thoughts are, or share your "little things" with the rest of us.

One last thing.  As promised, I'll share with you the cat story.So we have two cats, Mati and Zelda.  Mati is my big bad boy kitty weighing in at a whopping 23 pounds.  And Zelda is the demure and beautiful black

The sleeping Mati - the bad boy kitty!

cat.  Both kitties are indoor cats, and not allowed outside.  But once in a while, if Neddy leaves a door open while he's checking something outside for a minute, one of them will escape.  Inevitably, they always end up under the house, and this means one thing only?  They must be bathed.  Okay, so have you ever bathed a cat?  Maybe.  But have you ever bathed WITH a cat?  No, I didn't think so.  Yet my fearless husband will shower with the cat, shampooing and holding him down at the same time while hearing the cat meow and howl in complaint.  But his justificiation is a good one.  I mean, the cats are allowed on the couches, and on the rare occasion when they've "escaped", they come back pretty dirty!   Anyways, needless to say it's a traumatic experience for Mati, and he had to go through that today.  And usually, they remember. Zelda has learned her lesson.  It's only happened once for her, and once was enough. So if the door happens to be open, 9 times out of 10 they will both just sit in the doorway and not venture out.  But sometimes the call of the wild is too much for poor Mati, and he has to endure the 'wrath of Ned' and have a shower. And then of course, sadly, when he is finally released from the shower to my open towel, after drying him off, the poor cat is so humiliated.  Hardly the toughy that he looks like when he's dry. Live and learn, Mati.  Live and learn.