Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us” (Heb. 12:1).

I was born into a family of artists. My grandma had an artist’s loft complete with canvases, easels and a rainbow of both oil and pastel paints She painted original portraits and still lifes, but she could also reproduce full sized copies of her favorite impressionists (Monet and Manet were names I learned by the time I was 7 years old.) My mom was an artist of a different sort. She was a genius with interior design. My childhood home was always filled with little artistic touches of the season. During the last two years of her life, mom started taking classes in fabric art and a lighthouse scene she created entirely out of fabric now hangs above the mantle at our house. Sadly, I inherited zero art skills, but I still enjoyed watching mom and grandma create while I experimented with simple projects alongside them.