By Jayme H. Mansfield @JaymeMansfield

If you had the chance to read my last blog , I shared the benefits of having an empty nest after many years of my husband and I raising three sons. Creativity soared. Canvases were painted. Manuscripts lengthened (well, sort of!). James and I reconnected over bowls of cereal, glasses of wine, and nobody cared. If not for our hairy, mud-pawed Goldens, the house would have been spotless (well, almost!). Empty-nest life was good, and admittedly, even great at times when peace, calm, and a slower pace were needed after an extremely busy, blessed, and trying year.

A change is coming.

But now, in only three days time, our youngest returns home, and the day after Thanksgiving will be filled with a new sense of gratitude with having him home. For those of you who didn’t know, Graham made an awesome decision to venture on a mission trip sponsored by Youth with a Mission, or internationally known as YWAM. His travel took him to Lausanne, Switzerland, then on to Croatia and Bosnia, and circled back to where he began for a final celebration and to say goodbye (at least for now) to friends who have become brothers.

It’s been five months with spotty communication and a substantial time difference between us. But, when jet-lag wears off and his head isn’t swirling with the dichotomies of cultural differences, we want to hear the stories — the spectacular and not-so-spectacular places, welcoming and not-so welcoming people, experiences of light and grace, and moments of darkness and despair. We want to see as many glimpses as possible of his time away — peek into the window of his heart, mind, and soul to understand the obvious and not-so obvious seeds of growth, change, dreams, and hopes that come with journeying into the world.

And passions surface.

Getting away from the known and into the unknown has a way of pushing away the familiar and exposing new passions and talents. Graham took photographs — deeply moving and thoughtful images — places and people that will forever be etched in his mind. He sent the one below. I can’t get it out of my mind. There is much more to it than a surreal and lovely scene in the Bosnian countryside. I’ll have to ask Graham about it — why he was led to capture the moment. For me, the photograph resonates with the love of the Lord — no mistake that Graham stumbled upon such a scene. Instead, it was gifted.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

Psalm 23:1-3

My wish list.

Apart from all the things an active nineteen-year-old prefers to do, I’ll be sure to steal a mama’s portion of deserved time with my youngest son. Painting, exercising, and skiing together, wearing out and walking the wild pups, cooking favorite and sorely missed meals, talking, praying, laughing, and loving each other as we are blessed to do.

Welcome home, Graham!

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Loosening the reins and leaning into a creative life—that’s Jayme’s sweet spot as an author, artist, and educator.  Speaking at book clubs and interest groups, teaching the writing craft, and guiding others in their artistic pursuits at her long-time art studio, Piggy Toes, is the icing on the cake. The transformative power of art and faith are common threads in her award-winning historical novels, Chasing the Butterfly and RUSH. Her upcoming contemporary love story, Seasoned, promises to deliver the same when it releases November 2020. Recently, RUSH won several awards, including the Gold Medal Illumination Award winner for Enduring Christian Fiction, Selah Finalist, Excellence in Editing, two prestigious Colorado Book of the Year Awards, and is a finalist for the Chanticleer Laramie Award for Excellence in Western Fiction. The book was named the 2019 Village Read in Colorado. Her bold floral abstractions and imaginative landscapes blend luscious color and playful texture—a testimony to what she refers to as “playing in the paint!”.

Jayme lives at the base of the Colorado Rocky Mountains where she and her husband have survived raising three hungry, hockey-playing sons.
Currently, two very needy Golden Retrievers run the roost. 

Visit www.jaymehmansfield.com for books, art, and creative inspiration.