I want to share something. Maybe it should be a secret, but I am quite open about it.

About 20 years ago I was misdiagnosed. It was at the beginning of Lyme's disease. I had it. By the time new doctors figured this out, it had passed my spinal cord barrier. I was one sick gal for over 10 years. I was on antibiotic straight - every day-- for six years. That includes 3 rounds of intravenous therapy. I was on antibiotic before and then after since my body as forgotten how to fight any infection. A paper cut became a huge problem!

Lyme's symptoms include chronic fatigue and also arthritis. I did not have either, but Lyme's pretends to be these, so it felt like I had them. There were days I had to use a wheelchair from either pain or fatigue or both. I had about two good hours a day and I had to use them carefully. Plus, I was a mom, I had my son to rise and I was in an abusive marriage (including physically) but I was stuck due to the disease.

Looking back, it was one of the best things that ever could have happened to me, thanks to all the lessons I learned.

To be honest, given the choice today of getting through it all again or not, I fear I would not take the best path. The hard one.

Anyway, I was kind of grounded by Father God. Stuck. I love the quote from Woody Allen that goes, "Life is what happens while we were making other plans." I had other plans in mind.

I am a night owl. Always have been. I can be painting at 2 AM . That's just my biological clock. I am not an early riser given half a chance. I have a lot more sunsets than sunrises in the Genesis:Sunset-Sunrise series of paintings.

There were many, many nights, after the family was asleep, when I was way too tired to manage to budge, but remained sitting in a chair with my feet propped up, praying. I am begging, pleading with God to get me out of my situation. To make me well and deal with my marriage To solve it all for me. I wanted intervention. Healing on all sorts of levels. I was scared, worried, in pain, sick and without anyone to turn to but God as my parents were gone and I'm an only child.

So, I would beg God to tell me what to do now . PLEASE!

And on many, many occasions, I got and answer:

Really. I was learning to hear that still small voice. So, after pouring out my heart, finally I would be “inspired” by that still small voice, which indicated: Go brush your teeth .

Go to bed.

Moses was given the 10 Commandments. I got to brush my teeth.

Night after night, day by day, as I learned to turn for guidance

I learned how to walk with God, or in my case, stumble along. My situation was so problematical, I needed guidance, even the simplest sort, just to get through each day – or really hour.

One of the symptoms of Lyme's disease is chronic fatigue. I only had a few good hours of activity most days. I needed guidance as to how to use those precious hours wisely.

I learned that God is in the moment.

That a walk is all about the steps. One small step at a time. That I could learn to rely on the Lord, moment to moment.

I still ask – it's become a habit that's part of my daily walk through life -- "What do I do now?"

Now I am not surprised at the answer. It's in the small steps.

There are still nights, or early mornings, when I am busy working on a painting and the Flow stops. Then I am inspired to go brush your teeth.

The largest Plan for each of us is all about our individual walk with God. That's in both testaments.

It starts with Enoch who walked with God and then was no more and moves through Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David until Jesus who says, "I do nothing but what the Father does through me."

UnGraven Image presents a way of seeing that we are walking in the Words of God. Seeing that God's words are everywhere and that we each, individually can “hear” (or “see”) guidance from the Lord what as to what to do, right now.

UnGraven Image presents a new way of seeing the world, so that we can focus more on becoming closer to God – becoming more of who we are individually meant to be.

As an artist, I paint tiny Hebrew letter by tiny Hebrew letter, from the words of Bible texts. Small letters, small steps, which eventually add up to create a whole picture.

[Note: This blog was inspired by an email from Monica who is a precious member of the Collector Family. Much of it comes from an email I wrote to her recently.]