Ballou High School ​Visual Arts Department
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Lilies

4/5/2015

 
I love, love love seeing all the lilies in the store this time of year. Lilies are my favorite flower. I reposted this older blog because of all the Easter lilies that I saw this weekend. Ms. B.
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My Watercolor of a bright Lily in the dark shadows
If any of you took the time to see some of my watercolor paintings on the ‘Teacher Work’ page of this site you will notice that I paint a lot of lilies.  My favorite flower is a lily, let me tell you why.

Lilies are beautiful, elegant and appear to blossom in an ever so effortlessly and gentle manner. The lily has its deepest color in the center... the heart of the flower. But, the real reason that I love lilies is because they grow best in the valley where it is darker. They do not grow well on the top of the mountain where the bright sun is too harsh...just like me, let me explain.

My life mirrors that of a lily. I grow best in the ‘valley’ times of my life, not in the mountain top experiences.  Don't get me wrong, I love when things are going well for me, but I grow more as a person when I am faced with challenges. 


I consider the ‘valley’ times, those hard times in life when I face trials and obstacles that seem too big for me to overcome. Times of heartache, brokenness, loneliness and failures. The valley is darker than the mountain top because the mountains block the sunlight and cast shadows down into the valley.  Just like when the ‘valley’ times of our life appear to be darker than the more joyful times.

Yet, it is in tough times of life when I change the most.  I find my inner strength and discover my self-worth when I feel cornered and go into survival mode.  I grow in character, emotionally and spiritually when times are hard. It is in these times that I search for my faith and put my trust in what I believe to be true and meaningful in life. 

Have you heard it said, “Your true colors come out when you are in a crisis”? How true this is! Tough times separates the weak from the strong...the survivors from the quitters!  I have learned to embrace all seasons of my life. The good years and the bad years.

Just like the ‘Lily of the Valley’ flower, I blossom and grow best in the valley. So, if life is casting shadows on your sunny day…slow down, breathe and try to discover how you can best use this experience to make needed changes in your life so that you can come out a better, stronger and healthier person. Learn to grow in the valley. Be a lilly and don't let an overcast day keep you from moving forward in life. 


Life can be tough and you can hit rock bottom at times. But remember, when you hit bottom, the only way to go from there is up! I love you guys, Ms. B


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    Donna Bonavia

    I am an art educator and  a professional artist. I write this blog to guide my students in  (SEL) social, emotional, and academic development. S.E.L. is the District of Columbia Public School's priority because we believe that we must educate the whole child.


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    Yale National Initiative
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    2017-DCPS Standing Ovation recognition Highly Effective Teaching

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    2015 Teacher of The Year Blanche Ely High School

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    This work by Donna Bonavia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
    Based on a work at www.msbonavia.com.
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