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AWESOME EXPERIENCE! This Week's Interview

Journal Entry: Mon Oct 8, 2007, 4:35 AM
  • Mood: dA Love
  • Listening to: thoughts and dreams
  • Reading: about calligraphy
  • Watching: Time passing me by too quickly
  • Playing: No time to play!
  • Eating: Sub-normally
  • Drinking: normally


Anna's Musings


Firstly, as seems to be an ongoing thing at the moment, I would yet again like to say a collective great big thank you for so many encouraging replies, messages and notes received recently whilst I've continued to grapple with more than the usual fatigue. I Will get through this, but it's taking time, and lately my sleep pattern has gone completely haywire - a typical symptom! Huge thanks also go to everyone who has added my own artworks to their :+fav:'s and/or left such lovely comments to them. I'm sorry not to always get around to thanking everyone individually, but you know the rest!!


:new: An Awesome Personal Experience


I just want to share with you all something that happened to me yesterday (Sunday 7th October). Many of you will know that I play flute in our worship group at church, when I have the strength needed in order to do so.

Well yesterday, I didn't have any such strength and doubted my ability to get through a service (ours last anything up to 2.5 hours in a morning), let alone to play. Yet I felt an enormous prompting within me that I really must go along and take my flute with me.

Very recently a wonderful keyboard player joined out group, and I have yet to get to know her. She arrived just after I did, and 20 minutes before the service was to begin, she began to play... The music was so ethereal and beautiful, and before I knew it, I joined in with my flute, playing intriguing harmonies in and around what she was playing, truly "feeling" the direction in which it would be going, yet it wasn't predictable in the normal sense of the word - and sometimes I even led her into the next section in some inexplicable way. There was a kind of interaction.. A giving and a taking that was beautifully balanced...

The experience was so wonderful and was of such a deep, spiritual one-ness between us and God... It's something I have desired for most of my life, to simply be able to play spontaneously along with someone else who is equally spontaneous and on the same wave-length as myself - literally in tune with one another in so many ways!

At 10.30am, the official worship leader started the service, at which point I was completely wiped out physically - shaking and breathless, incredibly uncomfortable, with having used up so much energy in the concentration and maintaining of what was being carried out. I was stunned to discover, as I looked around, that the church had been filled quietly during the previous 20 minutes, and that people had apparently stopped their chit chat in the foyer and felt compelled to come on in and meditate as we played. (At the end of the service, several people were astounded when they were told that the whole event had been totally spontaneous with no previous practice together!)

After a break during which I regained a certain amount of strength and composure, I carried on playing my harmonies during the extended worship time. When it was all over I felt really terribly ill and couldn't wait to get home for a badly needed rest!

I know and I acknowledge where this all came from - God Himself. He is the Gift Giver, and I believe with all my heart that I was "called" to be at that service for this very special time - a time that will never be repeated in the same way, as none of the music had ever been written or rehearsed, but was spontaneously created in a Spiritual realm!

So I was really weak and unwell? True...

'"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."'

(2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)









CURRENT & PAST INTERVIEWS



:new: THIS WEEK'S Interview is a little different, being in the form of a short biography about :iconleonalegria: and can be found HERE, so please go there and offer your support and appreciation of this artist by adding the article to your :+fav:'s and visiting his wonderful gallery! Thank you.



Links to Previous Interviews


JunkbyJen Iardacil Fraxa Amyhooton DWALKER Kiraya00 anubis SfinxMagnum Kchan27 moonmomma Kosciarz Rozrr purpledaizie KartK Janie-G louise-art Leon Alegria


`DWALKER1047 and *AnnaKirsten are inviting any one who has been interviewed by us both to add the following stamp to their journal/shoutboard in order to encourage viewers of people's home-pages to take a look at the articles that serve only to try to bring greater exposure to these artists...



If the interview was carried out only by me, then please feel free to make use of this stamp...



Thank you.


If you are troubled by losing links to your favourite articles, then why not make a new folder in your Bookmarks/Favourites in your browser and save them there, so that as you save new ones, you can still get access to the older ones. Adding News Articles about our artists here at dA to your :+fav:'s is a wonderful way of showing them support, so please don't miss out on this opportunity. (We are hoping that at some point dA will give us the facility to view all favourite articles just as we're able to view all friends, but this is a decision the dA Admin still have to make as far as I know.)

These articles are not about me, or about Deb. The most important focus is the support given to the artists involved. Please don't miss out on an opportunity to discover new talent! :)











Please don't let this little girl be forgotten!
Keep her in your thoughts and prayers whilst the search to find her still goes on.

There have been many, sometimes strange, developments with regards this situation, some of which is from unreliable sources.

Here are a couple of links to view the latest news about her..
(Still awaiting DNA test results in a possible murder investigation.)
Bring Madeleine Home
Sky News (Madeleine)









As always, if there's anything in particular I need to see, please NOTE me! I don't always get time to look at any of the messages directly under my journal on my main page, although I eventually do go there! Thanks!









:iconfraxa: Wins Think Pink II Fractal Section!


Please congratulate Maggie for her wonderful achievement in this contest by visiting this special edition News Article HERE!

Here's a small sampling from her wonderful fractal Gallery




















PRECIOUS GIFTS


It makes me feel so special when people give me pressies, so I will always display them in this section of my journal.






(31st August 2007) I feel moved to tears at the generosity and thoughtfulness of my friend Kadri :iconiardacil: for having created such a beautiful, highly symbollic image, dedicated to me! Words fail me... Thank you So, So much! :hug: You could never have known just how much this would mean to me in so many ways!




What a lovely surprise this afternoon (29th August) to find this lovely image dedicated to me by :iconxract:! Thank you so much for your wonderfully kind thoughts and consideration! I feel very blessed! :)

A Journal Dedicated to Me

by :iconleonalegria: 24th August 2007.

What an amazing and happy surprise this was! Thank you so much Leon! :hug:



A wonderful gift given today (10th August) by :iconanubis: to myself and several other people! How very beautiful and skillfully created this is! Thank you so much Tassos! :hug:



This beautiful picture created by :icontolkienmaster: was dedicated to all cat-lovers, and I am most definitely one of those! I told her, and she has said that I am therefore included in her dedication. Such a lovely, touching picture!! Thank you so much for sharing it! :)




What an honor to find this beautiful fractal made by :iconshaun-rules-4eva: gifted to myself, :iconphoenix75:, :iconlisarenee60046: and :icongenesis1979: today (15th June)! It's so beautiful, and my grateful thanks to you, my friend for thinking of me in this way! :hug:



WOW! I really do feel special today, having been gifted this absolutely beautiful Apo-flower by someone who has become a really lovely friend :iconphoenix75:! Thank you so much dear Kim! I'm smiling, and I've had a lovely day today too! This is like the cream on the cake! :)




This beautiful picture, although it was not a gift directly to me, was made by :iconmiss-angelicfairy: for all her watchers and friends - I am one of her watchers, and so I feel I want to do her justice by displaying it. Thank you very much for being so thoughtful and producing such a worthwile piece of artwork (one of many) for us!




How thrilling to be gifted this excellent fractal-artwork by my friend :iconxantipa2: today, (6th June)! Thank you so much - I so appreciate it! And it's always a huge pleasure to feature your works too, so here's at least one that's here permanently now! :)




Ohh what a wonderfully heart-warming surprise this was when I logged in this morning (22nd May) to find this beautiful picture gifted to myself and to =nellis-eketorp by :iconlilyas: Thank you so much Lily, my dear friend! This will always serve to pretty up my journal, and you are indeed one of my "bestest" friends here at dA!! :blowkiss:


girl

This lovely gift was made specially for me by my dear friend Silky :icon1footonthedawn: a little while back, but she was never able to upload it, so she sent it to me by email. Here it is - it will probably take a minute or two to get into full flow, so be patient. I love it and cherish the fact that she so kindly thought enough of me when I had so admired one of her other gif images to make this one for me!




Such an uplifting surprise awaited me just now (17th May) when I was gifted this beautiful fractal flower by my sweet friend :iconvulcania:! Thank you so much for such a lovely and reciprocal friendship! :hug: :heart:




What another wonderful surprise to discover this beauty gifted to me by :iconanjaleck: today (10th May)!! Thank you sooo much, you made my day!! :hug:




This stunning piece of artwork, produced in Ultra Fractal by :iconvelvet--glove:, was gifted to people who had given encouragement and positive input here at dA (8th May). Chris has since told me to feel free to consider myself as one of these people, and so here it is in my journal for keeps! I'm so proud to be able to display it here, and thanks to Chris for such a thoughtful and lovely gift to myself and others here! :)




I found this really beautiful poem today (8th May) written by :iconmea2005: and dedicated to myself and three other special people! What a beautiful piece of writing - thank you so much - I'm enjoying getting to know you so much more lately through your writings and our correspondence!




I just found this (7th May) fashioned for me specially by my dear friend :iconfractalinda:! What an amazing surprise and how uplifting, just at a time when I need a boost! Thank you so much dear Linda! :hug:


Where Fairies Live

A BIG Thank you goes to Neesa :icongraphixdezine: for gifting these wonderful backgrounds to me! I am looking forward to using them - they are beautifully created and of very high resolution!




What a very touching surprise it was to log on this morning (29th April) and find this beautiful gift made for me by Cerenity :iconfractaleyes:!! Look deep within it in its enlarged view, and there is so much subtlety and beauty within it - things that for me, are very deeply spiritual and meaningful! Thank you my dear friend, so much, for thinking of me as you created it! :hug:

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This picture below has become a permanent fixture in my journal, I like it so much!



It is the face detail of "My Prayer For You" created by :iconjunkbyjen:
Her radiance is like that of an angel, but also depicts for me how I'd like to see myself in a perfected state! The glory is wonderful and God-inspired, created by a beautiful, loving soul! (See next picture below!)




This beautiful picture was given by :iconjunkbyjen:, saying "For all my friends out there who need an extra bit of love, thought and prayer in there tough times. Much love to you all." (27th April)
I felt very much in need of just that, and so have included it here. :hug:sss Jen, you're a lovely, gentle and thoughtful person!




What a sweet and generous gift to me from :icon1footonthedawn: (19th April) with her words to me that I need to hang on to so much too, "Be Strong"! Thank you so much my dear Silky - and you know how much I just love kitties too! :) :hug:




I wonder how many journals have this lovely picture by :icon1footonthedawn: included in them!
Silky created it for all those in pain.
As you know, there's physical pain and emotional pain.
The pain for me has mainly been emotional - even mental where certain individuals have thrown mental cruelty my way, but I have also known a lot of physical pain, and on a daily basis suffer from migraines through which I toil and push to get anything done!
Thank you so much Silky - once again! :hug:




OMGosh! I found this one today (16th April), dedicated to me by :iconxantipa2: because she wanted to thank me for being so encouraging to her - but then I just so enjoy her wonderful fractal and abstract artworks! :hug:sss to you my friend!




Ohh how lovely! I just received this new one today (15th April) from :iconnorwegianangel: It's so precious, and so are you dear Hanne!



This was made by my special friend, :iconfractalinda: for my birthday earlier this year. Linda is a longstanding friend from long before I became active here at dA, and also a Sister in the Lord in whom we mutually believe and have faith. Her gentleness of spirit, and her constant encouragement, both through her own art and things that she says, as well as the Scriptures she so often shares have been pricesless to me, and often broken a certain hardness of my own heart...




This was dedicated to me by a dear friend, :iconrozrr:. We've known one another from other sites and have lots in common too. She is a precious soul!




This was made for a few of us, myself included, by :icon1footonthedawn: in celebration of the fact that we do not have breast cancer, 'though we each once faced this scare and went through the trauma of treatment of various kinds.




This was dedicated to me by :iconmayahs: because of the emotional response the image wrought from deep within me. So much of me reaches out to the girl in the boat as she represent so much of the pain and rejection I have felt, particularly in the early stages of my life and right through my childhood and teenage years. Every time I see it, I want to cry... And although I have problems of a different sort now, I'm so grateful that I now live in a peaceful place with a wonderful, loving family - and all my friends here who cheer me on and give me comfort when I need it!




This one was made for me by :iconsophquest: because of a newly formed friendship, and I just love her warm, loving heart! We also share a love of Sarah Brightman's simply breathtaking singing voice!

:bulletred: Have I missed anyone? Please let me know if I have, because I just have this niggling feeling... All because I didn't get things organised properly before now!







COPYRIGHT NOTICE


My gallery and all the images contained therein are Copyright ©2006-2007 AnnaKirsten. All rights reserved. None of the materials contained in my deviantART gallery may be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted, borrowed, duplicated, printed, downloaded, or uploaded in any way without my express written permission.

My images do not belong to the public domain.








Graphics © *AnnaKirsten
Layout arranged by *AnnaKirsten
Acknowledgement for learning CSS `Lilyas ¢mynti *kuschelirmel-stock


Devious Comments

love 0 0 joy 0 0 wow 1 1 mad 0 0 sad 0 0 fear 0 0 neutral 0 0
:iconfraxa:
That sounds a truly wonderful experience Anna and I hope you draw strength and comfort from it on days when you are feeling bad.

--
Gallery

Member of:
*FractalDreams *MarbliciousFractals *darktactics
=AllAboutTheChocolate


:flaguk:
:iconvelvet--glove:
How wonderful to find someone you were, literally, so in tune with, Anna. It sounds like it was a very uplifting experience, I'm so happy you found such joy in your music like this. :dance:

--
:flaguk: Chris

I support NNTR - no need to reply or thank me for every comment, reply or fave... use the time to create more beautiful art instead!
:iconlaurengary:
I'm so glad the experience brought you such peace & joy ! I hope it happens again, it's rare to find it. :hug:

--
Click To Save Lives !

That was Zen, but this is Tao.

Right now I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before !
:icontrinitymaster3:
God truly is amaizing, I have had the same expireance sept I wasn't playing an instrament, I was acting and felt compleatly exaghsted from the priviouse night, but as soon as I got on stage it was like I had taken 10 cups of triple expreso! And I knew it was God helping me.
May God continue to bless you.
--
Jesus is my power.
:iconannakirsten:
Thank you so much - it's amazing when these things happen, and we know that this is when He is really at work...

--
Anna

My Photography Account *Annaphotix

Member of
*FractalDreams
:iconannakirsten:
Thank you! It was something I needed, but also the strange thing is that our church is normally very noisy before the service because everyone meets up and chats until it all begins. Yesterday, this completely changed, which is what the leadership have been wanting for a lonnnnnng time! Nothing planned, just purely an Act of God!

--
Anna

My Photography Account *Annaphotix

Member of
*FractalDreams
:iconannakirsten:
I have one regret! I have had to wait all these years until I'm now nearly 63 with ME/CFS draining away all my resources, for this to happen!!!

On a positive note, it DID happen, and it touched many people besides myself and Julie (who was playing the keyboard)! It was just meant to be! :)

--
Anna

My Photography Account *Annaphotix

Member of
*FractalDreams
:iconannakirsten:
Thank you so much Mags, it has had a real effect on me, even today, just thinking about it... Awesomeness! :hug:

--
Anna

My Photography Account *Annaphotix

Member of
*FractalDreams
:icontrinitymaster3:
:nod: :)
--
Jesus is my power.
:iconfractalinda:
Your experience sounds like a beautiful, uplifting one and a gift from Lord, Anna. Thank you for sharing it. :hug:

--
"But trailing clouds of glory do we come..from God, who is our home." ~William Wordsworth

:sun:

Shoutboard




My art speciality has gradually evolved into the creation of Fractal Fantasy Scenes entirely created in Ultra Fractal. These are multi-layered with masking and mapping often applied to get the desired result. I find Ultra Fractal an extremely rewarding fractal program with many facilities offering enormous versatility. The downside for would be fractal artists is that it does not come free, but I have never regretted the purchase I made several years ago, which I then continued to upgrade.

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MY PORTFOLIO

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YOU CAN HEAR TRACKS FROM ONE OF MY OWN CDs on the MUSIC page of my personal website. These were all composed, played and recorded by me between 1999-2002 © Nicky Keates - my first and last names - so now you know!!! All the CD's are available for sale directly from me - details given on the site.

Anna Kirsten Art and Photography

MY SPECIAL FAMILY

mollymouse
MOLLY
My Constant Desktop Companion!


Upside-down might be better!

caught
Caught!!

buddies
My husband and Murry, who loves to be carried about on his shoulders!

two
My daughter, Kaz, and myself at a happy moment!

PICTURES FROM EXHIBITION IN JUN '07

lineup
Line 'em up and Shooooot!!!

initial
Initial Walk-round with the Curator, the Mayor of Poole and his lady wife talking to Yours Truly.

buy
The Lady Mayor enquiring the price of one of my pictures.

kasnme
My daughter and myself discussing one of my greetings cards.

I apparently made the most sales in that exhibition and sold Ocean Scene with Ship (featured below) within the first 48 hours.

Unfortunately I have not been well enough to take part in any further exhibitions.


dA AWARDS


"Interplanetary Confrontation"


"Calvary"


"Ocean Scene With Ship"



Awarded on 5th October 08, 23rd March 2008 and 17th July 2007 respectively.


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"Alien Encounter"



Awarded on 23rd March 2007

It's unfortunate that I deleted the whole of my gallery towards end of July 2007, so all previous comments and favorites of my images were also lost. A hasty move!

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A very special stampie made for me (and anyone who'd like to support me) by `Lauraest - She makes beautiful stamps!



Two beautiful stampies made for me by ~luffsfromafriend



I would love my supporters and friends to use them!

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Slay the Dragon is in support of research into sarcoma, specifically Leiomyosarcoma. You can read more about this condition HERE


MY STUFF




:iconblackandwhiteclub: :iconfractaldreams: :icontreeswithcharacter: :iconaceo-addict: :iconultra-fractal:




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Uh Ohh!!



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Answers in Genesis



ABOUT ME/CFS

For those who don't know, I have the misfortune of suffering from myalgic encephalopathy and chronic fatigue, and there are a couple of links below which give a little insight into this very misunderstood chronic illness which never seems to leave its victim once it has struck.

I retired early at the age of 58 (I think) because I realised to my horror back then that I couldn't any longer work as a self-employed locum medical secretary with the high levels of integrity I had always aspired to. Since that time I have become weaker physically too (not that I ever regained my strength and stamina to the levels they had been before I was struck down in 1997), and for the last few years I have been disabled and relegated to the brigade of the "Greys on Scooters" for getting around outside or in shopping precincts!

But you see me on my scooter on my profile page, and you see that I'm happy on it! Yes indeedie! If I could, I'd have a racer!!! I love those times out in the country on my larger vehicle, Richard on his bicycle, just meandering along in the fresh air and beautiful scenery around us. Memories like those in the middle of winter are like glimpses of heaven, and give me fresh hope for a repeat of those times again during this coming year.


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Not enough is known about this horrible illness. Many people are bed-ridden with it, even having to live in darkness because the light triggers sensory overload. Carers are sent out to do their every-day chores, and there are widely reported cases of abuse from the ones who treat this particular clientèle with contempt, telling them they are lazy and good for nothing, and that they should "pull their socks up" and darn well get on with life! How galling to be told this when that's the one thing such a person wishes more than anything else that they could do! (Thankfully my husband is my carer, and he loves me to death and knows only too well what's involved from both sides of the coin!)

The cause of the illness has sparked off many a heated debate, both in medical research, and amongst the actual victims of the illness. It is now proving to be of viral origin, whereby a previously contracted virus for any number of illnesses (no particular one) then remains dormant in the body's system until it is triggered at a later stage by some event in life, usually involving high stress and emotional turmoil, when it comes to life again in a mutated form, destroying certain functions of some of the genes of the body. It chiefly seems to affect the hypothalamus, which although the smallest gland in the brain, happens to be the most important one, and is responsible for interpreting signals from the body, mind and environment. In ME, these signals become misinterpreted, and in turn the wrong chemical responses are sent out via the pituitary gland, causing a long-since drained fight and flight system to go into perpetual overload. This is what leaves the patient exhausted.

Unfortunately patients with this illness are subjected to a lot of misunderstanding, as for a long time it was "assumed" to be a psychosomatic illness that didn't really exist. It was only through the unending efforts of ME sufferers themselves, together with a handful of doctors that further research was instigated to investigate physical causes.

Here are a couple of links for anyone who would like to know more about ME/CFS (from which I suffer)...

The ME Association and ME Research

These sites should help to clear up any preconceived misconceptions about this very debilitating illness, and I'm thankful that I'm not as badly affected as many others are, although wouldn't it be just wonderful if a breakthrough could be made as to its aetiology leading to an actual cure for us all!!


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