"Jona a "fragmented" prophet"!
Ceramic Sculpture by Cliff Derksen

What I have learned is that every "curve ball " of life has an immediate affect! It's called "fragmentation" of all the kinds unique to the curve ball and our personalities. Here are some examples.

This week on Thursday night the "big man" of the Winnipeg Jets Dustin Byfuglien literally ran into a bigger man Jamie Oleksiak of the Chicago Black Hawks and something unusual and strange happened, Something we are not used to seeing, and that is Dustin went down like a sack of broken hammers. Normally it's everyone he runs into that goes down in a heap. 

This time it was Dustin who was disoriented. What happened  was his chin hit the man's helmet and this time he had the rubber legs thing happening. It was of course very disconcerting and concerning to all of us his fans, to see this unusual result, our muscle bound hero so disoriented, needing help to get off the ice is something we've seldom, if ever seen before. When he got to the boards he tried to swing his leg over and it would not cooperate.

This herky-jerky disoriented scene is the result of jolt we've often called a curve ball that in his case disconnected his brain signals from his body. The two could not understand each other! There communication was totally fragmented, hence the jerky rubbery aspect of his movements. 

When  Wilma picked me up from work (on this anniversary date of Candace's disappearance (Nov. 30th) thirty-four years ago today) and discovered that Candace had not come home from school, the fragmentation began to set in. I became disconnected  and experienced this fragmentation in many ways. The first was after I'd run her normal walking route from our home to her school. Once I got to the school and had to turn back I did not want to go looking in any other places. Since I had not found her or  any evidence of her on her normal route, where should I now go? I was torn. Do I go different streets or worse, do I go down back alleys? Why would I do that? I could not bear the idea of looking into a dumpster! I did not want to accept the very idea of the unspoken horror... I was dancing around. It would mean I was admitting the very worst of the worst and I could not yet go there.

As I was creating the sculpture of Jonah pictured above I learned that he also experienced fragmentation. He was being asked by his God to speak to the Ninivites about the true God who created all things. But Jonah loved his job as a prophet in Israel. He was successful and loved by his people for his work. This request was out of the box. First, no prophet had ever been sent out as a "missionary" prophet to other countries. They had always been prophets of Israel alone. Why should he be the first? Secondly, these were very vicious enemies of Israel. As far as he was concerned he could not see how he could survive it. He would be hanging from the point of a  spear in no time. It was a suicide mission.

What did he do? He ran. No meetings with other prophets about the problem, no message to his family recorded, just running. He got on a ship and went the opposite direction as quickly as he could!  Throughout the book there is miscommunication and fragmentation. It was only after being up-chucked by a very large fish that he responded, sort of. Interestingly he had the most amazing and immediate positive results imagined, even when finally he did gave his message albeit grudgingly and briefly! It turned out to have a national affect of repentance and change for the whole city including their rulers. This of course angered jonah even more!

When the uniformed police arrived at our house they used the word "runaway," we used the word "abducted' and the two concepts were never resolved. They refused to search early on because they said she'd come out of hiding from a friends place and appear at school on Monday morning as if nothing had happened! I spoke about searching now as evidence was getting cold. They refused. Another amazing fragmentation were communication was broken. It wasn't until the homicide department took over the case that we began to actually work together, for which we are forever grateful.!

By the time I was doing my something like fourth of fifth search outside our house, my mind was screaming. I remember going under the Nairn overpass and coming out of the shade on the south side and upon entered the glistening moonlit snow I stopped. Looking ahead I could see the jumble of sheds and materials in a brick-yard in front of me. I looked up in anguish asking God "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" Then through tear stained eyes looking at the bright moon shining in a pitch black sky. The beauty of it all clashed with the searing agony of my mind, soul and spirit...I let out long agonizing primal searing scream! I was broken and fragmented, unable to function, falling apart. 

What I did not know was that about seven days later her body would be found frozen inside a shed in that brickyard. I've often wondered if she heard me. 

If you have in the past or recently had a "curve ball" experience in life this might be just what you are going through...like the crack of that opening que-ball spreading the balls all over the pool table, your mind is going off in all directions.

Take your time, find your friends to tell your story so you can work out finding the words, also write a journal, work on a personal relationship with God who will assist you in the process of forgiveness, anger and your spirituality. This is a time you don't want to be disconnected from your creator God. 

Below is the web site with photo and story of Byfuglien's experience: ​
​https://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/byfuglien-morrow-out-niku-and-schilling-in-for-jets-vs-blackhawks

It's time to take some time for yourself! Relax and be creative with no pressure. This is therapeutic! When don't we need that?

Call Barb at "Hidden Treasures" 204-691-9957 to register for the next set of 8 classes beginning Wed. Jan. 16, 6:30 - 8:30 pm. Located at 1-150 Goulet St.

We will be doing trays, mugs/cups and maybe even something like an all purpose pitcher for your kitchen. 

See you all soon, Clayman Cliff!

Today I am recovering from last nights amazing art show. It was our "Christmas Concert and Art Show" at St. Aidan's featuring all the art classes and their art since Sept. This included our "Portal Studio" art family of Grades 9 - 12 students you see above. You notice I said "family", well one of the students mentioned this in an Instagram following our art show and I agree, we have become a family of artists in every sense of the word. 

Today I wish to honor this amazing group. above. Most of them have been in this glass for up to three years now. Our yearly themes have included subjects like the human figure, animals, and this year, landscapes. 

Every one in this group is an amazing and uniquely gifted artist. They are no longer simply showing "things" in their work, but are using metaphors speaking of a huge verity of very important issues of life. These have to do with courage and solutions in the face of trouble, anxiety, loneliness, suffering, and fear. They speak of moving out into the world. Of history and what we do with it, and more. They reflect stories they read or are in the process of creating themselves. 

They are gaining a voice in their expression, speaking loudly with visual art via canvas and sculpture. 

I am so looking forward to the "Graduation Art Show" to be held at the end of the school year in June of 2018.

Here are some images of their work for you to enjoy.

​

 So, what do you do for the last art class of the year? It's spring, the weather is fantastic, and school's practically out...no one feels like being inside anymore! No problem, let's do bubbles! After all, everyone loves bobbles!

We have a gentleman doing just that at a park near our house. He's often out there using the gentle breese to make bubbles, and I mean bubbles, big ones floating along, undulating and moving as they float along in the air. It's amazing to watch.

So that's what I did. Black paper, oil pastels and a few items to make circles and away we go. Oh, sorry I missed one part. I also brought in a bubble toy so I could blow bubbles right in the classroom so the students could see the reflections and colors in the transparent bubble floating along. 

Of course, it was hard for them not to burst them with their hands...

Once they are into it I give the bubble toy to a student, and away they go. One found a fan in the classroom, turned it on and held the bubble maker in front of the whirling fan...wow, streams of bubbles burst into the room! 

​Mission accomplished! 

What do you do for the last art class of the year? It's spring and the weather is so fine, no one want's to stay inside. Everyone is wound up and thinking of anything but art. What to do? 

Now that the weather is warming up a gentleman in our neighborhood has reapeared along the roadside waving his magic wand, creating huge often life sized bubbles that drift slowly undulating in the gentle spring breeze. 

It gave me an idea! Drawing bubbles on black paper. But, I would purchase a container of bubble soap with a wand and actually demonstrate in the classroom. A visual aid that should really work.

Well, it worked! Everyone wanted to blow bubbles. Ah ha, I had them. I made the rule, I would illustrate by blowing bubbles first, asking them to look at the bubbles to see what they actually looked like. Are there colors, shiny spots, what form to they take? etc. Then I would demonstrate how to do the drawing, so after they filled their sheet with bubbles, then and only then could they blow some bubbles. 

A favorite teachers trick. 

Wow did they work....everyone wanted to be finished first....

A very successful class. It's a keeper for next spring!