Autumn is in the air!!!

You can almost smell the change of seasons in the air. It's the 7th of September, schools are back in session, summer never really arrived in Dungannon or most parts of Northern Ireland and I can feel the routine of the year starting to poke its head up from the covers it had hid under through the summer months. During this summer I was in a season of running which was good for my body, mind and spirit. To see this intensive training come to a close I went to Dingle, Ireland last week to run my first marathon and I was privileged to be accompanied by my wonderful Husband, mother-in-law and many good friends. It was an experience that I will never forget and may repeat someday. But it was the last weekend of the summer so here we are, moving towards our annual events of this time of year and connecting people once again to our lovely wee coffee shop.

The first event will be Creative Expressions 3 Art Exhibition. The last two years we have organized an Art Exhibition for local artists and local schools to display their work in. This year is no different, we still love the arts, believe in the arts and want them to be free to experience to everyone in our small community here. So we are hosting again and I have a really good feeling about this year. I think it may end up being quite a bit bigger than the previous two. I think we may have a broader spectrum of art exhibited. I also think that it will be a blessing to our community to provide an event of inspiration for all ages, genders, nationalities and backgrounds. We hope that these kind of events will make our town a good place to grow up in and grow old in. 

A side note, art is not a luxury in my opinion, it is a vital necessity to growth, coping, change and learning to love the one life we have been given. Hopefully through this event someone who is struggling in life may see a painting that expresses that for them, someone who is in a great place and loving what life is offering to them will see a picture that captures their satisfaction with where they are. Art is a way of either escaping to a place of peace or of helping us navigate the dark, murky waters of life that most of us experience at some stage. Whatever art means to you, please come out and support our event. I don't think you will be sorry and that is a guarantee!