Today's Feature

Fundraiser for Foundation.

The Precious Moments Supporting Foundation will hold a fundraiser to raise money to provide low cost or free children’s events in 2009 on February 7th and 8th at the Precious Moments Chapel and Visitor Center at 4321 Chapel Road in Carthage, MO.

The event will be at 11am to 3pm with the chance to obtain several items for $1.00 donations. There several items for Valentine’s Day, and several items to for Mother’s Day and even Friendship Day. Items will be available in the Visitor Center Atrium and will be available while supplies last! All donations received at this event will go to the Precious Moments Supporting Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) public foundation who exclusively owns and operates the Precious Moments Chapel and Visitor Center in Carthage, MO.

"In 2008 we were able to hold numerous events at very low cost or no cost to families and their children in our surrounding communities. We hope to have more events for families this year" said Larry Hazlett, President of the Precious Moments Supporting Foundation.

artCentral

ART NOTES from Hyde House

by Sally Armstrong, Director of artCentral

Everything is looking brightly towards the first exhibition of 2009 here at the Hyde House gallery, for artCentral! I have been happy to welcome a new feature writer for the CARTHAGE PRESS who will be bringing notice of our various activities more regularly, and appreciate Kevin McClintock for his efforts on our behalf as well as his Publisher, Rick Rogers, for this attention. As promised, I want to bring to you today additional information about our featured artist for this showing beginning February 13th here in the Main Gallery. Jim Bilgere has exhibited in a number of venues over a long period of years, beginning in 1984 with a student exhibit at Richland College in Dallas, TX. After his education from North Texas State University and a number of shows there in Denton, Austin, and in Dallas, he moved along to shows and galleries in Oakland and Los Angeles, California and a stint as an artist in residence in Kings Canyon National Park, Ca. Shows in the 1900s included the Wichita Art Museum in Wichita, KS, and Arizona, several back in Dallas, Plano and Richardson TX, before a two year move to Europe and exhibitions in Vienna, Austria, Portugal, and a stint as a Seminar Instructor in Croatia. Back stateside in 2000, he returned to shows in Texas before going to New York in 2005 and participating in a murals project at a hotel named The Carlton Arms on the lower east side. The Carlton Arts Project began in the late 80’s when a small group of artists decided to transform the rooms of, at the time, a dark and ill shelter. Today each of the 54 rooms, lobby, and 4 hallways are decoratively painted by many individual artists from all over the world, giving the hotel a unique and interesting décor. To view Jim’s room, # 10-B, and the other rooms of this unique small hotel, go to www.carltonarms.com and click on the various rooms. Jim’s mural projects continued to two restaurants in Rowlett and one in Rockwall, TX that same year. He has since exhibited in Eureka Springs, AR, Brooklyn, NY, and locally in Joplin in several venues and Carthage in Art In the Heartland in 2006 & 2007. It is a long list of exhibitions, and we are proud to add our venue to his list of achievements!

Mornin'

Frustration comes from lack of ability or ignorance about a subject. The real basis of frustration comes from not bein’ able to accomplish somethin’.

For those of us who know the frustration of repairin’ something and bein’ confronted by inadequate tools, there is always the satisfaction of venting the anger with the primitive shade tree hammer throw.

Thowin’ tools isn’t near as therapeutic as walkin’ out in the yard to retrieve them. There seems to be a direct relationship between how important the tool is to completin’ the job and the distance it lands from the job site.

With maturity comes the wisdom of just takin’ a walk instead of the tool toss. This insight usually comes after a forgotten hammer inflicts mortal damage to the lawn mower.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Journey Along the Wellness Path

Wholeness encompasses many dimensions in our lives. Consider the dimension of your health that involves investing your gifts and talents in the lives of others. Each of us have been given unique gifts by our Creator that, when discovered and shared, bring health not only to the person sharing but to those receiving.

Here are some thoughts to ponder this week:

• If you haven’t yet discovered your gifts ask yourself what constructive issues are you passionate about and search more deeply into ways you can give in this avenue.

• Isolation is not how we find or share health.

• We never know where our shadow of influence may fall. Giving our gifts will help even those we may never meet.

• Building this dynamic within us in turn helps build healthy families, churches, and communities.

• Giving our talents in a healthy inside-out manner is like a stream whose waters never end.

• Sharing our passion is healthy boundary setting. It helps us define who we are and who we are not.

• Imagine for a moment all of us in our community discovering and acting on our talents. What healthy projects do you see? What changes do you envision? What lives do you see turning around? What families do you see being restored? What illnesses do you see being resolved?

So on your wellness path; question, imagine, discover, and then act on your gifts. Be blessed and be a blessing.