"not all who wander are lost"

one of my favorite quotes by JRR Tolkien is:

"all that is gold does not glitter

not all those who wander are lost;

the old that is strong does not wither

deep roots are not reached by the frost"

"wanderer"
art journaling

i have been somewhat artistic all of my life.  i enjoy nature, gardening, creating music, painting, writing, cooking, reading great books written about dragons, kings, princesses and good vs. evil, etc.  

although the label "the creative type" somewhat bothers me because of the implication that you are only "creative," much of my life has followed that path.

yesterday i was wondering about my "creative" wandering - "i wonder as i wander" - 

my life journey - that in some ways seems random

the destiny that i have followed that at times has seemed somewhat disjointed

and then i recalled the rest of JRR Tolkien's famous quote - 

"the old that is strong does not wither

deep roots are not reached by the frost"

"journey"
art journaling

"creative type" or not

my roots are deep and strong - grounded in His mercy and strength

"hope"
art journaling

have i made mistakes - choices that have ended up badly - 

of course - i am only human

but i hold on to the One who keeps me grounded and strong

and teaches me to find "gain" in any and all "pain"

a few of my favorite JRR Tolkien quotes

"courage is found in unlikely places"

"all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

"faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens"

"you have been chosen and you must therefore use 

such strength and heart and wits as you have"