Well… it’s finally here.
The season when, as an artist, I usually stand proudly before you with a collection of new work born from months of painting in the mountains.
Every year, I plan my art retreat around the spectacular turning of the leaves in the Piedra Mountain range — that magical window of time when the world glows gold and amber, and my soul feels fed in a way only those forests can offer.
Those mornings are my sanctuary…
Sunlight softly threading through the pines,
dew sparkling like tiny stars,
the quiet, the calm,
and a distant horse in a meadow reminding me to breathe.
This is the rhythm my creative heart waits for all year.
But this year — life had a different season in mind.
Instead of heading to Colorado where my heart always sings (and escaping that Texas heat!), life pulled me toward something unexpected:
more time with my family in South Carolina… and even up to Ohio.
And here’s what happened…
Instead of creating a large collection of new paintings,
I created deeper connections with my dad, my siblings, and my nieces.
I didn’t realize how much my nervous system needed that — the grounding, the laughter, the presence of people who love me.
And now, looking back, I see it clearly:
This season did feed my art — just in a quieter, more internal way.
It reset something in me.
And I know that will eventually blossom into new creative work.
So the moral of the story?
Even when life pivots you away from the thing you were so looking forward to…
Even when your heart aches for a season you couldn’t have…
Sometimes what you receive instead is exactly what you needed.
We couldn’t go to our Colorado campground this year because of Stephen’s heart.
So we went to the Blue Ridge Mountains instead —
and it turned out to be perfect.
A season of healing, grounding, and nervous system repair wrapped inside family time.
Meet Morganne my lovely niece, she is on team Lizzy now helping me with all sorts of things behind the the screen!.
Stepping into this next season, I feel more rooted and restored than I have in a long time — and I’m weaving that calm directly into my art. After everything with Stephen’s heart, I’ve made it a priority to pause and reset my nervous system, even when my brain tries to convince me I don’t have time. But those small 15–20 minute breaks always shift something inside me. A simple reminder for you too: protect your peace. Take your reset when you need it.
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P.S. I hope you give yourself a quiet moment today. Even 2 minutes of breathing can shift your whole nervous system — it does for me every time.
P.S. Morganne is helping me pack holiday orders — she’s already obsessed with the tote bags. 😊