Showing posts with label Cathedral of the Incarnation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cathedral of the Incarnation. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Cathedral of the Incarnation- Altered Photography by Tracey Grumbach

Cathedral of the Incarnation- Baltimore, MD

Why do I speak out about something so personal and private to me as a chronic illness? Because of amazing people like the following, who reach out to me on an almost daily basis telling me to keep working, keep talking, keep reaching out because it makes a difference in people's lives.

Emails, messages, and posts from others, such as the following, keep me motivated to continue this work (Names are modified to initials for privacy)-

"The whole experience of the event for us was what K likes to call an "Agreement". The both of us have many parallels with your story - your journey. We are are inspired by your work and your insights. "Hauntingly Beautiful" is what K called your pieces, and so we see your experience inside each one. I heard someone once say when going through their most challenging times, they prayed their experiences could be used as a tool for others - that their story would be of service to others. It seems this is (at least) part of your path, so thank you for putting so much "out there" as it truly is of service!"
and

"Hello. I am very interested in your presentation about Lyme on May 5. How do I sign up for this? I have chronic Lyme in my family and find it difficult to find help in South Carolina. I would appreciate any help . I also see there is a run for lyme May 7 in Ashburn , VA. We would like to make these and support Lyme treatment. Thank you for all you do."
 and

"Thank you for your courage to come out on Lyme, we are becoming a 'screaming' voice as my husband's story is similar and we are in the fight for his life with a LLMD out of NJ.... it was refreshing to see someone speak out in the Whig."

These people and many more is why I continue on...


May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month...Would you be so kind as to make a small donation to the non-profit organization I am passionate about, NatCapLyme Association, who raises money for Lyme Disease education, legislation, research, and patient support? I would very much appreciate it! In order to keep tabs on how much money we raise, please follow these directions to make a donation.

1.  Go to NatCapLyme.org's donation page.
2.  Click on Fundraising Event in the tab section.
3.  In the Select Event for Fundraising dropdown menu choose the bottom one...Arts By the Bay Gallery Ticked Off Lyme Disease Awareness Event.
4.  Fill out the rest of the form and submit!

Thanks so much for any help you could give. This really is a great organization. I attend the support meetings of my local chapter and they are champions of getting the word out in Harford County and beyond.

Be sure to come out and see me Friday, May 5th from 6PM-9PM at Arts By the Bay Gallery in Havre de Grace for the Ticked Off event. I will be showing my art, speaking about my journey through this disease, and we will also have lots of fun activities!


Wednesday, April 5, 2017

The Bishop's Garden

Cathedral of the Incarnation, Baltimore, Maryland

Meet me in the courtyard of the Bishop's Garden.
Winter just birthed spring;
The leaves and fresh breezes are coming in.
Somehow the air smells different,
The birds sound different,
The stones look different,
The soil feels different
At this time of year.
New beginnings
That make anything possible fill my heart.
Upon each exhale,
The frozen stillness of winter melts away.
I think this is called hope.

Listen!
Hide with me in the laurel and close your eyes
To open your ears.
Can you hear the children's voices singing?
They are asking for hope...
"Give us hope and we'll show you the way."
Is echoing in the chambers of the sanctuary,
Echoing in the breezes of spring,
Echoing in the hearts of those
Who are brave enough to hear.

Meet me in the Bishop's Garden.
Perhaps hope is hiding there among the damp, fertile soil.
Wrap it up with beautiful ribbon and
Gift it to the children of the world.


*This artwork and poem was inspired by seeing my 9 year old daughter along with 150 other amazing children perform Saturday at this beautiful cathedral in Baltimore. Their song, Give Us Hope, is still echoing in my ears and it repeats in my head daily, haunting me in a most delicious way. An earworm of sorts, but more of a heart-worm. The lyrics of that beautiful song touched me and just can not remove them from my heart, soul, or ears. I hope you enjoyed the poem and the altered photograph. <3

Here is the choir my daughter sings with prior to their show Saturday...Deer Creek Youth Choir lead by the beautiful Julie Cullotta.





Have a wonderful Wednesday.
xo