Courage -- Guest Designing for PoP

I'm super excited about guest designing today for the Path of Positivity blog.  I discovered this blog about 6 months ago, and I've been enthralled with it ever since!  The blog has a theme each month, and the participants must make a project that centers around that theme.  This month's theme is 'Courage'.

Our sponsor this month, Sparkle N Sprinkle had some wonderful images to choose from.  I chose a beautiful chickadee stamp to work with to create this:

Have you ever spent a winter somewhere cold?  I live in Wisconsin.  Chickadees somehow survive the coldest, most bitter temperatures. Talk about courage!  It takes courage to stay in these bitter, sometimes 25 below zero temperatures when that chickadee could choose to migrate like other birds do.  I've always admired the courage and tenacity of the tiny chickadee.  Their happy song on a cold winter day brings me great joy!

Here's the beautiful Sparkle N Sprinkle digi I was given the opportunity to use.

I colored the image with Copic markers.  Papers are from Lawn Fawn. 

Courage -- I've had many experiences in life where I've needed to dig deep.  I've run marathons, and they've taken courage.  I've kayaked Lake Superior in 4 foot swells and that took courage. Helping my mother through her 1.5 year ordeal with brain cancer before she died took the most courage of anything I've experienced yet in life.  And, I learned from her, that death, and the preparation for it, can be done with love, courage, and dignity.  She taught me a  lot about living while traveling her last days toward her death with her.  Yes, dying takes incredible courage.  Thanks, Mom, for the many, many life lessons you taught me.

Check out the Path of Positivity Challenge blog and the wonderful projects from the design team.  You won't be disappointed!