"Hope in the Darkness" by Jason Kotecki. Original is SOLD. Prints available. It was a dark and stormy night...…that lasted for two months. 😳That’s the season we find ourselves in, when darkness has filled the entire world and months feel like centuries.As I think about darkness, I can't help but think of a strange quality we humans have. Whether it’s a handful of birthday candles in a darkened room, the glowing embers from a campfire in the woods, or the flickering stars in a night sky, we can’t help but be drawn to the light.Throughout this pandemic, a particular phrase has resurfaced …
Standing Up To Coronavirus (or at Least Trying To)
A few days before the President declared a national state of emergency over COVID-19, I was in Indiana with my family and speaking at a fundraiser for a children’s museum. During our visit, Kim and I took the kids ice skating at an indoor rink.There was a little seven-year-old girl on the ice with us. This superstar in a sparkly tutu was gracefully flitting around, skating backward and doing pirouettes. You know, generally making ice skating look as easy as walking down the street.We secured some of those ice walkers for the kids, and they ended up scooting around the rink, slowly (and safely) …
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Looking for Answers
“Looking For Orcas” by Jason Kotecki. 30 x 24. Oil on canvas.Original is SOLD. Prints and canvas reproductions available here. This is an adapted excerpt from A Chance of Awesome: How Changing the Way You See Changes Everything, which is currently available as a free download. I made a few tweaks here to address our current situation. I’ve heard that God always answers prayers. Sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes, he says yes in ways that seem like a no. During a family vacation in the Pacific Northwest a few years ago, one of the things I wanted to see was an orca. We heard …
Cool Things Everywhere
One of my favorite parts of being a parent is showing my kids cool things and watching their eyes light up: Let me show you how to make this drawing look even more realistic. Wait 'till you see this tiger up close. You are not going to believe this thing called the ocean. Watch what happens when we heat up these popcorn kernels...Just last week, we watched The Wizard of Oz. My oldest had seen it, but it was brand new to the two littles. What a delight it was to see it through their eyes, with each bend on the yellow brick road leading to something new to marvel at. When we’re young, it’s easy …
Lessons from a Wookie on Dealing with a Crisis
"Hipster Chewie" by Jason Kotecki. Oil on canvas.Original and Limited Edition prints available. I am a Star Wars nerd. Forgive me for my digression into Star Wars history, but I promise I have a point.When we first see Chewbacca, the Wookie, he is a helper. He is fighting in the Clone Wars and helping Jedi Master Yoda escape from the clone troopers trying to kill him.Somewhere along the way, he gets captured by the Empire and is locked away in a dark and muddy dungeon. His future looks bleak. This is where he meets Han Solo for the first time. He initially sees Han as an adversary, and …
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Coronavirus vs. Your Imagination
"The Night Light" by Jason Kotecki This is an adapted excerpt from A Chance of Awesome: How Changing the Way You See Changes Everything, which is currently available as a free download. I made a few tweaks here to fit our current situation, and it goes quite nicely with the recent Coffee with Kim & Jason episode on faith. When you were a child, were you ever afraid of the dark? I sure was. From horns and hair to scabs and skeletons, thinking about what lurked among the shadows was an all-you-can-eat buffet for my imagination.I might not have made it through childhood …
Enjoy the Woo?
"Enjoy the Woo" by Jason Kotecki. Made with Photoshop. This is an adapted excerpt from A Chance of Awesome: How Changing the Way You See Changes Everything, which is currently available as a free download. I made a few tweaks here, and although it can feel weird to think about enjoying much of anything right now, this is a reminder I know I need to hear more than ever. I hope it encourages you. I think it’s safe to say that most of us are regularly experiencing a roller coaster of emotions on a daily basis as we make our way through this crisis. It probably feels like there are more …
Shining Light into the Darkness
As we navigate this journey through dark days, my heart wavers between heaviness and feelings of gratitude for all of our blessings. The sadness and despair can be very heavy. But it's been neat to see the internet exploding with people sharing their gifts in small but powerful ways to bring light – like the musicians singing and playing instruments on balconies and in courtyards, living room concerts, and even beloved Disney characters reading bedtime stories to kids.Here are a few small rebellions the kids and I did this week to bring light into our little neighborhood here in …
From March Madness to Cornovirus Craziness
"Fred" by Jason Kotecki. Acrylic on 5x7 wood panel. Do you see them?I’m not talking about the side effects of the havoc wrought by COVID-19, aka the Coronavirus. Of course you’re seeing them; they're easy to spot: the cancellations, the economic upheaval, the scarcity of toilet paper. Adultitis is at an all-time high, spurred on by fear and uncertainty the likes of which I haven’t experienced since 9/11, almost two decades ago. I’m asking you to look a little more closely. Do you see the helpers? Fred Rogers is famous for saying, "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the …
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How to Bigify Your Life
We didn’t see them at first, because they were the same size and color as the stones. But then some of those stones started moving. First one, then seven, then hundreds.We were vacationing in the Pacific Northwest, renting a home on Discovery Bay, and the rocky shoreline was covered with a thousand small tiny crabs.The kids were fascinated, by the crabs, and by the fact that the shoreline itself seemed to grow and shrink throughout the day. And it was, because even though it looked like one of the lakes we are accustomed to here in Wisconsin, the bay was connected to the nearby ocean, and the …