A Vocation of the Spirit
 

Monday morning, the fourth week
of September, and my youngest
cat toddles from his breakfast
bowl to the living room, suddenly
joggled by the convulsions of a
hairball. I dash in and whisk him
across the dining room’s carpeted
sea to the vinyl shores of the
kitchen. Almost there, I trip over
the lace edge of my nightgown
and land on my hip, the cat still
in my hands, suspended above
me like a football plucked from
midair, as I roll to the goal line,
and the hairball pours on the
vinyl floor. Reese slumps in his
reclining chair, reading the paper,
and then leaps toward the kitchen
when he sees me fall with the
cat. But I laugh, unharmed and
happy to deliver the carpet
from the hairball’s messy threat.

Even without taking a morning
tumble my head would spin.
The studio exhibition with Nadine
ended yesterday, and I hardly
know where to begin. The heat
index soared this weekend, temp-
eratures hovering near one hundred
degrees, while hurricanes churned
in the Gulf. No wonder the cats
as well as the trees chose to
shed their coats. Yet nothing
hindered our opening on Friday
night from its surprising success,
due in part to Nadine’s good
energy, I’m sure. Friday morning
we cleaned and decorated the
studio. Nadine brought fresh
flowers from her garden to garnish
the main room with buckets of
verbena, gerbera daisies, zinnias,
marigolds, and lantana. These
vibrant bouquets complemented
the bright palette of my Angels
& Saints paintings scattered on
walls and easels and nestled
between tables brimming with
baskets of notecards. I added
a generous selection of scented
candles, and we borrowed Reese’s
collection of Chopin for background
music. Nadine thought we should
not only hang a sign with balloons
on the mailbox, but I should also
persuade Reese to drape icicle
lights along the roof of the studio
building, adding a festive touch
to the exhibition. And the effect
was spectacular. Nadine brought
her suitcase Friday morning and
moved into the guestroom for the
duration of the three-day exhibition.
Reese and Nadine’s husband,
Embree, managed the refreshments
on Friday night, a dazzling array
of organic snacks and nuts from
Reese’s store. While Reese kept
the table stocked and food circulating
among guests, Embree served
refreshments from a luscious punch
bowl swirling with organic juices,
sparkling water, and ice cubes
filled with fresh strawberries and
blueberries. Many guests arrived
early, and soon Nadine’s customers
formed an eager crowd in the
studio. Several of my private
commission clients trickled in
throughout the evening, a few
returning on Saturday and Sunday.
The exhibition passed quickly in
a whirlwind of sales, many buying
gifts for Christmas, others treating
themselves to a special purchase.
Exhausted, we tallied our receipts
Sunday night, while Reese and
Embree relaxed with a golf match
on television. I’m still dazed by
the total amount of sales, much
higher than I projected for the
doomed solo show in Santa Fe.
Since the success of the studio
exhibition far surpassed our
expectations, Nadine insists it
must become an annual affair for
us. And she’s right. The timing
couldn’t have been better. Even
the array of local high school
football games failed to thin our
attendance. An aura of blessing
seemed to suffuse the studio, as
if it were teeming not only with
our customers but also heavenly
souls. I think Nadine would agree.

Despite falling with the cat, my body
fights fatigue today, drained from
the excitement and adrenaline surge
of such a weekend. Yet I must
spend the afternoon in the studio,
reorganizing my workspace and
coordinating a painting schedule
for the next few months. Two of
the three national art magazines
featuring my ads produced
commissions and sales from my
web site to private collectors and
corporate art consultants. I’ll need
a miracle to find the time for those
commissions while completing
the last two paintings for the group
exhibition at the Soho gallery in
October. Who could’ve imagined
a river of commissions would make
juggling my painting schedule a
necessity? The concepts of tithing
and seeing the end from the
beginning certainly revolutionized
my art business. As well as the
spiritual law of vocation, a concept
my Spirit suggested recently, and
one I find quite agreeable. I like
the idea of operating my business
as if it were a spiritual entity.

When the heavenlies bless
you with a spiritual vocation,
the angels hasten to prosper it.

My Spirit whispered this at mid-
morning, and it echoes throughout
the hours of the day, trembling
my heart like the paper wings of
a swallowtail butterfly. It embodies
the answers I seek, a focus that
pulls all spiritual activities together,
moving my art career in a concen-
trated direction. Nadine often
encourages me to create the image
of a successful art business in
my mind, while turning over the
financial details to the angels.
The heavenlies graced me with a
talent to paint, which blesses my
customers with beauty, my spiritual
vocation. Because of this, the
responsibility to prosper that gift,
to make a way for it in the world,
falls on the glistening shoulders
of the angels. And the heavenlies
bless me whenever I place my
faith in that holy promise to prosper
my artistic gift. Living a faithful
life feels like stepping into a
river of light, where I swim slowly,
one miraculous stroke at a time.

©Laura Stamps, 2006