[stylist] Spotlight _Fear Not!

[llambert at zoominternet.net]

Good Morning NFB Writer friends,

I was invited to be a guest at Amy's Adventures, a blog by award-winning
author, Amy Bovaird. I am sharing the link to the blog and will post the
article below for those who cannot access the blog.

Amy is blind and has Usher's Syndrom as well.  Her physical losses do not
hold her back from doing what she loves to do! What an inspiration for us
all. 

Link:  https://amybovaird.com/friday-friends-spotlight-lynda-lambert/

  

Lynda Lambert


Spotlight on 


Lynda Lambert


 
<https://i0.wp.com/amybovaird.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Lynda-Lambert.j
pg?ssl=1> Visual artist Lynda Lambert gifted with a bouquet of flowers from
her VisionAware team 


 "I Believe in Angels"


 
<https://i2.wp.com/amybovaird.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/angel-with-fram
e.jpg?ssl=1> 


When I suddenly lost most of my sight in 2007, tremendous fear sometimes
overwhelmed me. I pondered the meaning of my sudden plunge into a strange
world I knew nothing about.  Blindness! Because I have Ischemic Optic
Neuropathy, it was nearly instant. There was no warning; there was no
treatment for it; it is permanent and happens quickly. Most of all, it is
frightening.

"Lord help me not to walk in fear. I am confused and I don't understand what
is happening to me and I feel so afraid. How will I spend my life?

How will I live out my purpose?

How will I manifest my talents? 

I cannot see to do any of the things I normally do!

How can I make art?

How can I write books and stories again?

Oh, God! This is not how I want to live my life."

  _____  


Visual Artist Lynda Lambert Shares Her story 


As a person with profound sight loss my daily experiences and new situations
felt too heavy to bear. But, I've learned not to stay in those dark moments,
but to begin to praise God for where I am right now and trust him to bring
me to where I need to be.

Those who have sight loss encounter a steep climb uphill as we struggle to
gain new skills and face the challenges of change. We face these fears every
day because our normal activities become our challenges. From the beginning,
we have to live our life in new ways through adapting to ordinary
activities.  This is where rehabilitation comes into the picture. Though we
appear to be like we were before the sight loss, we are not. We need help.
For me, that help came when I went into a residency rehabilitation program
in Pittsburgh. After 3 intense months of training in just about every aspect
of living, I came out of the program with the feeling that I could do
anything I wanted to do. I just had to figure out how I must do it in new
ways.

My faith in God's good purposes for my life has helped me meet the
challenges.

Because we are moving closer to the Christmas celebrations, I invite you to
read a story from my latest book, Walking by Inner Vision: Stories & Poems.
The essay below appears in the December chapter of my book. I take my
readers on a year-long journey from January through December. Each chapter
begins with a poem and there are several non-fiction stories included. 

  _____  


A Meditation on the Angel Candle


by Lynda McKinney Lambert


"Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will
be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born
for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you
will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace
among men with whom He is pleased.'" - Luke 2:8
<http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Luke%202.8%E2%80%9314> -14

When a celestial messenger appeared in the Biblical story of the birth of
Jesus, we immediately knew that something miraculous was happening. Angels
bring miracles!

An Angel visited some shepherds who were out in the fields at night so that
they could watch over their sheep to protect the flock from predators. The
visitation from an angel was completely out of the ordinary and the
shepherds were frightened. But, the angel quickly told them, "Fear Not!"
This angel was sent to make an announcement that would change the lives of
humans forever. 

In modern times, many Christians make an Advent wreath to display on a
table. The wreath is a central part of the Christmas celebration of the
birth of Jesus. The wreath holds 4 purple candles around the outside of a
circle of pine. The circle is symbolic for the eternity of God. Christians
light one candle a week prior to Christmas day.

The first candle stands for hope.

The second candle signifies peace.

Candle 3 is for Joy.

Candle 4 is for Love. This one is also known as the "Angel Candle."

After the lighting of the Angel Candle, there is one final white candle that
is inside the center of the Advent wreath. It is the Jesus Candle, and it is
lit on Christmas day.

Just like that first announcement in the fields near Bethlehem, music and
celebration of the Holy Birth are an integral part of our Christmas
traditions as we consider the miracle of Christ's coming into human hearts.
We, like the shepherds in the dark fields, can turn around one day, and
answer God's call to "Fear not" as we hear God's quiet invitation to change
our life.

There is comfort in knowing that angels are still with us during challenging
periods of our life journey.

In the angelic Christmas message, we can continue to live our lives in
expectation of the miraculous. The weekly candle lighting during the 4 weeks
of Advent reminds us that God is still in control of our world. Because of
the gift of His son to the world we can receive His eternal gifts of hope,
peace, joy and love through the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Fear not.
That is the message I  leave you with today. 


About Lynda McKinney Lambert


 
<https://i1.wp.com/amybovaird.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Lynda-Lambert-3
.jpg?ssl=1> 

I live in the rural Village of Wurtemburg, in western Pennsylvania. My
ancestors settled here in the mid-1700s and I love knowing I am walking on
the pathways of my ancestors every day. I've been doing family research and
work at developing the Family Trees regularly.

My daily routine varies somewhat each week but typically, I spend 3 mornings
a week at the gym in our local Challenges senior center. My husband, Bob,
and I are retired so we work out and then join others for lunch.

Besides exercise, my weekly activities include a knitting group and multiple
walks with our two dogs in the woods by our house. We also have two cats who
like to hang out with me in my writing office or my fiber studio. I am a
visual artist and I create award-winning encrusted bead worked talismans for
exhibition in museum and gallery shows. In October I received recognition
and First Place Award for Crafts in the American Printing House for the
Blind international exhibition, InSights17. I attended the opening reception
and Awards Banquet for this show in Louisville, KY. Throughout my art
career, my work has been viewed in over 400 exhibitions, world-wide.

I write daily. I like to get an early start and I am usually working well
before dawn. I have published 2 books of poetry & creative non-fiction
stories. I love working across disciplines and creating a collection of work
that is a hybrid.

My published books are:

Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage, Kota Press, 2002.

Walking by Inner Vision: Stories & Poems, DLD Books, 2017.

Currently in development: a full-length book of poems:

Star Signs: New and Collected Poems.

My books and articles reflect a Judeo-Christian World View. 

Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage is a collection of historical notes,
reflections, poems, and short non-fiction essays which I wrote over a period
of years during my annual summers in Austria. I kept detailed diaries and
made sketches in my journals. Later, I collected them and created this book.


Walking by Inner Vision: Stories & Poems is about my own life after I lost
most of my sight. in 2007.  I wrote the stories & poems in this book over a
7-year period as I experienced life in new ways. I organized this book as a
travelogue through a year from January through December.

My professional life began at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania where
I earned a BFA degree in painting and an MA in English.  Between these two
degrees, I was in residency in Morgantown, WV where I earned the MFA in
painting from West Virginia University. I feel deeply rooted in this area of
Appalachia and I love studying Appalachian Culture in music, literature and
art.

My writings reflect a deeply personal spiritual journey. I explore what it
means to follow Jesus as an author, visual artist, wife, mother, grandmother
and great-grandmother from my vantage point in this century.

You may ask, "What are your themes?"
Dreaming prayers
Living a joy-filled life
Creating paintings with words
Discovering God  in the smallest things
The power of thankfulness
Appreciation of the Created World


To Learn More about Lynda Lambert, check out the links below: 
Visit me:  www.lyndalambert.com <http://www.lyndalambert.com> 
Visit my Author's Page:  http://www.dldbooks.com/lyndalambert/
Contact me llambert at zoominternet.net <mailto:llambert at zoominternet.net> 


 

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