An Abundant Life - Living Gracefully

I met the gorgeous Dena McCoy through Instagram first. She is a dear friend and colleague of some wonderful people I know and some who I have written about in these pages before, and so in the way connections through social media are made when wonderful people are connected through other wonderful people, we started following each other and I knew because of the people she was connected to that she would be as beautiful inside as she is on the outside.

Over time as I began to read her posts, I started seeing mentions of a book that she'd written titled Greed & Grace and when I looked up more information about the book I saw that it had some resonances with experiences I've been having in my own life. I kept feeling as if I wanted to reach out to her, but I am always aware of being very careful to respect people's privacy, and though she'd written about her life and published a book, I didn't want to presume that she'd want to talk to me about it. Then at one point she posted that the book was published by Trilogy Christian Publishing, and I have a very lovely memory and connection with Trinity Broadcast Network, or TBN, which is the parent company of Trilogy. When I was teaching community nutrition and health workshops I was introduced to TBN by an Episcopal Priest who was in one of my classes, and I was invited to be on their show Doctor To Doctor which at that time was filmed in their studio on 16th Street in New York City. Trilogy is a fairly new part of the wonderful work that TBN does, and seeing that Dena had published through this wonderful company made me even more interested to find out more about this woman who was doing so many wonderful and special things.

Not long after I saw the post about Trilogy, she began to post some truly beautiful performances and songs recorded by her daughter, Ava. I love to support Artists of all kinds through this blog, at YES Gallery, and in other ways as well, but because of my own background I am very careful about the people I write about and promote through my gallery and my work, making sure that it is only the best of the best, Artists, Writers, and Performers who are truly excellent in their work and who they are as people. Each performance and video Dena posted of Ava was so deeply meaningful, with songs and a delivery that were unique and memorable, and a voice that is completely her own. I felt again so strongly that I wanted to reach out to Dena, to offer to write about Ava and about her, but I hesitated again because it seemed that these beautiful and immensely talented powerhouses of women already had everything and everyone they needed. But as I prayed about it, I felt as if I should just go ahead and send a message to Dena and so I did, and when I heard back she was so gracious and grateful for my offer. We set up an appointment to meet and had a lovely brunch together that I wrote about at that time, at Cafe Henri in Long Island City on a beautiful afternoon that I will always treasure the memory of.

To say that meeting Dena was life changing is an understatement. That day she shared so much time with me, in a generosity of spirit and grace, and since that beautiful day we have shared messages and conversation that have helped me navigate some very challenging aspects of my own life. I began to read her book Greed & Grace right after our meeting, and not only is is very well written and enjoyable to read for the skillful writing of it, but it is powerfully empowering in its honesty, humility, and graceful telling of this beautiful woman's most vulnerable and difficult moments in her life's journey as she grows in faith and her walk with God.

In a featured Artist highlight on SohoMuse, she is described as the New York based writer and Author of Greed & Grace, a member of The Authors Guild, and a graduate of the University of California Berkeley with a degree in Humanities, an entrepreneur, commercial actor, occasional runway and print model as well as the proud fourth-generation Trustee and Vice President of her family's seventy-year old philanthropic foundation in her home state of Oregon; the principal owner of Grace West and Grace Meadow Properties, LLC, as well as an independent business owner with a direct sales company. She recently completed recording her memoir Greed & Grace for audiobooks with Blackstone Publishing under the direction of Emmy-Award winning sound engineer and producer, Roy Yokelson of Antland Productions.

On her Linktree she describes herself as an Author, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Creative and a Mom, and while she is all of those things she is so much more. Dena McCoy is a life force for good and grace and for uplifting and helping others to move through their experiences of darkness and feelings of weakness to find their power and joy.  She is an overcomer who helps others to overcome, and to walk in the light of who God has called them to be.

Dena McCoy

Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Mother

Multi Talented Creative

Author of Greed & Grace

https://linktr.ee/denamccoy

Blessings,

Jannie Susan 

An Abundant Life - A Very Beautiful And Special New Year!

On the morning of New Year's Day I woke up to see a very large bird outside of my window, perched on the top of the fire escape that goes up to the roof. It was such a very big bird that I said, "Oh, Wow!" out loud and took a picture of it. When I checked the time on the photograph it was 8:08 am. I had woken up much earlier but decided to go back to sleep for a bit, and this was what I would consider the time when I was really waking up. Later, when I looked up the bird to try to find out what kind it was, I saw that it was a falcon. I had seen it one day recently out of a different window, swooping out of a tree across the street, and I think it might have a nest there, but to have it appear at the moment I was waking up on New Year's Day felt like a very special and beautiful gift.

When I went to YES Gallery that afternoon, it was very quiet, and because I had arrived fairly early, I decided that I'd leave earlier so I could get home before the weather grew colder. There was a wonderful neighbor who had stopped by two days before and he had said that he might be stopping by with his wife to look at some art together and possibly get some ornaments and maybe have her try to find a pair of earrings she liked. I kept checking my messages to see if he was going to stop by and when I didn't see anything as it began to grow darker, I decided that they must have been planning to visit another day.

Just as I was walking out of the gallery and locking up, I took a little extra time to look in the windows and enjoy the lovely views, as as I paused on the sidewalk, the lovely couple arrived. They are so kind and pleasant and they said they could come back another day, but I didn't mind opening up again and so I did. They looked at art and chose some ornaments and a pair of earrings and we talked a bit and then they went on their way. Such a lovely way to end the day after such a lovely way it had started! Here's to more days like this and a very happy New Year!

A Wonderful Morning Visitor

Outside My Window

A Falcon Bringing Good Cheer

Lovely Visitors In The Evening

Who Brightened The Day

As They Admired Art

And Gave Their Support

To The Artists And YES Gallery

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Love In The Air

A few weeks ago the beautiful Sarah Walko sent me a message to ask about the possibility of having her wedding celebration with the wonderful Gregory Thornbury at YES Gallery. When I heard from her I was just starting to decorate the gallery for Christmas and had been trying to think about whether or not I had time to have a holiday party at the gallery, and had been feeling as if, though I love the holidays and love to have celebrations, and though I love to have people visit YES Gallery and enjoy the coziness and sweet lights and decorations that make the holidays so lovely there, my schedule has been so busy that I wasn't sure if or when I could schedule something. Reading Sarah's message I immediately said Yes! and knew that this would be the loveliest way to bring in the holiday cheer and ring in the New Year.

There are times when the right people are in the right place at the right time and everything flows smoothly and easily and joyfully, and this wedding celebration was one of those times. The space was filled with love and light and the happiest of emotions, even though with all of the beautiful things that were said by the couple and their guests many of us found tears in our eyes for the beauty of it all. Happy tears can be wonderfully healing, as we look at and experience the love between people and the love of family and friends envelops us.

There were performances by Gregory and his daughter Kate, and beautiful readings and messages shared by so many. It's times like this that words take on new meaning as they become entwined with the music and art of our lives.

The Beautiful Marriage Celebration

Of Sarah Walko and Gregory Thornbury

With A Beautiful Group

Of Family and Friends

At YES Gallery

408 6th Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

Gregory Thornbury

Performs A Christmas Song

Kate Thornbury

Performs An Original Piece

The Very Happy Couple

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Christmas Blessings

Christmas gifts have been arriving, and YES Gallery is decorated to overflowing. It's Christmas time and as the song goes it's the most wonderful time of the year! I've always loved Christmas, even before I was born again and began to understand the true meaning of the holiday. There was always something so beautiful about this season, the coziness of being inside when there's snow and cold outside, the special holiday parties and foods and fun and cheer and decorations everywhere you go. I grew up in a house that was built in 1720 and had fireplaces or a wood stove in almost every room. The experience of sitting by the fire is something that I have always loved and that brings me right back to Christmas times with my beautiful Mother, as we'd sit and have our Christmas Even dinner as we looked at the beautiful, glowing tree and felt the warmth of the hearth next to us.

This year an unexpected visitor arrived at YES Gallery with a lovely hand crocheted gift for me one afternoon, and as we sat and talked I told her about another gift that had been given that was an experience I'd be having a few days after her visit. A little over a week ago the lovely Alicia, a woman I met several years ago who works at Saks Fifth Avenue in the Chanel Beauty department, invited me for an appointment to meet with the National Beauty Makeup Artist. I had met with her before, and when this invitation arrived it felt like such a gift and blessing. It is people like this who make seasons brighter and remind us of the things that are beautiful in life that we have to be grateful for.  

As I took photographs at YES Gallery of the hand crocheted gift and of the gifts that were part of the appreciation given at the Chanel experience, I looked around at all the beauty in the space and had to give thanks for everything that has been brought into my life that brings so much joy. As I thought back to other Christmases, one came to mind from my first year in New York, when I was an intern right out of college and felt I had so little. Even then, I was able to find a sweet Christmas tree for I think the nutty price of $11, and I found ornaments I still have at the local Woolworths near where I was living. I loved that tree and every one every year afterward, and when I began to decorate YES Gallery I've found even more beautiful ornaments and lights and decorations over the time since I've been there.  With people stopping by and everything all aglow, this Christmas is a beautiful one that brings so many memories of past joy and beauty into a very beautiful present.

Christmas Blessings

At YES Gallery

408 6th Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Holiday Cheer

This past week on December 12 was the anniversary of the day that I was born again in 2005.  It's been nineteen years and while I can say that the time has gone by quickly, there has also been so much that has happened in these many years that's it's hard to grasp and think back to who I was before and all the many changes and adventures, joys, heartaches, moments filled with wonder and times when I have wondered. On the day of the anniversary I posted a video walk through of YES Gallery with the Christmas decorations that I had just been putting up, and when I posted it Instagram tagged my post and said it looked like a sponsored partnership post. It made me laugh because it was just me doing my thing at YES Gallery and I have no sponsored partnerships there. But then when I thought about it as I began to write this blog post, I realized that Jesus is the best sponsored partnership there is, so in a way I could have tagged Him and thinking about that made me laugh again.

There is so much joy and beauty in life when we follow God's path. There are hard times too, and sometimes bewildering ones, and there is pain and there are challenges, but then when we ask for help in the storm, when we cry out and say I don't know what to do or ask for guidance and peace, the calm arrives, our spirit is renewed and we are able to look around us and breathe and take in the fact that although we may be going through something difficult, we are not going through it alone and this difficult time will pass as we are brought through it with grace.

As I walked around YES Gallery listening to a Beethoven Violin Concerto and looking at the Christmas ornaments and lights, it was with so much gratitude for all that I have been blessed with there. So many beautiful people have walked through the doors, bringing art and gifts and sharing their beauty and blessings with me. I have found so many lovely things to bring there, and have had so many beautiful events with beautiful Artists and Performers, Chefs and Artisans and community friends and neighbors. Nineteen years ago I went through a dark night of the soul, the darkest time I had known. As God brought me into the light I had no idea where my life would be heading. Finding myself at YES Gallery is a dream come true that I didn't even know was possible, and I say thank you to God for the many beautiful gifts I have received as I look forward to more beautiful days to come.

Admiring Christmas Decorations

While Listening To Beethoven

And Feeling So Grateful

At YES Gallery

408 6th Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Family Heritage

A few years ago when I was looking up something I found information about an uncle of mine, one of my Father's brothers. His name was Garwood Rowan Wolff, and he had been my Father's favorite brother. I may have met him once, and I think it's possible that I did when I was very young because there is a vague memory that I have of him visiting the house where we lived and where I grew up. He lived in New York City and when I was a young teenager I remember coming home from after school one day to hear that my Father needed to go to New York because Garwood had died. Over the years I heard little bits of information about him, but there was nothing really outstanding that I was told. At one point when I was working in the McGraw Hill building my Mother said that he had worked in the publishing business at McGraw Hill, at another time when I lived in the West Village she told me that he'd had an apartment there with a rent of $7 that he'd stopped paying and that he'd lost the apartment. It always seemed when people spoke about Garwood that his life had not been extraordinary in any way and that he had in some ways not done anything of merit at all. But my Father had loved him dearly, and it made me wonder more about him and who this uncle of mine really was.

When I found the information about him a few yeas ago, it was in reference to a text book that he'd written on sustainability and conservation of natural resources during a time when no one was really talking about those things. To me because of the things that I am passionate about, that seemed like something of note and of merit that I was surprised that no one had ever mentioned to me. I started to think about this uncle more, and about my own life, and I began to think that maybe he and I had more in common than might be seen at first glance, and that if he were still alive we would have gotten along and enjoyed each other's company and inspiration.

Recently when I was at YES Gallery, thinking about a project for an art, design and sustainability educational center that is near and dear to my heart that I am in the process of developing, I felt as if there was a presence in the gallery. It was just a moment of a shadow in the glass of a framed piece, but I had the unmistakable feeling that someone from my family was there and wanted me to know something. I've had experiences like that before, and usually I know right away who it is, but this time I was unsure and at first I thought it might be my Grandfather, my Father's Father. But then it came into my consciousness that it was Garwood and I couldn't understand what he would want to share with me, so when I went home I started to research him more again.

This time I found out that he had lived in Sutton Place, somewhere that I have alway had a deep feeling of connection to, and I found the building where he had lived. It is one that I often used to walk by on lunch breaks when I was working midtown and wanted to explore the neighborhood. I found a mention that he had indeed worked at McGraw Hill for many years, but he had also started his own publishing company, and that he had been one of the publishers of an architecture and design magazine that was one of the forerunners of the art and design magazines that are preeminent today. 

As I read about my Uncle Garwood, I realized that everything that I do and everything that I am passionate about stems directly from work that he did and loved. I realized that the project that I am developing that is so deeply rooted in my being is one that is part of my own family heritage. As I continue to plan this project and envision the future of it, it is Garwood and his legacy that will be part of what I am celebrating there. Far from being forgotten and unmerited, his extraordinary life and vision will live on through me and mine. What I create in the community will honor his heritage and the dreams he began when my own were just beginning to awaken.

Garwood Rowan Wolff

A Cherished Uncle

With A Vision

For Creating A More Beautiful And Sustainable World

jannie_wolff Art And Life - I’ve Been Thinking About My Uncle Garwood Quite A Bit This Past Week. I Think About Him Often, But He Felt Very Near To Me Somehow And I Remembered This Photograph. He Was Awarded Bronze And Silver Stars, Admirable In The Navy, But What I Remember Most Is That He Was My Father’s Favorite Brother, And He And I, Though Many Years And Lifetimes Apart, Share So Many Echoes. He Had His Own Publishing Company And Wrote Books About Sustainability, And He Was A Co-Publisher Of A Design And Architecture Magazine. I Realized In Thinking About Him That So Many Of My Influences Are In A Direct Line To Him. There Are Other Veterans In My Family, But Today I Wanted To Honor Him Especially, As Give Gratitude To All Who Serve

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

     

An Abundant Life - The Eyes Of Gratitude

It was Thanksgiving last week and I found myself feeling so grateful for the time of this very long holiday weekend. There has been so much going on for so many months now and some of the holidays have been so busy sometimes that in a way they haven't felt like times of relaxation.  I'm used to going every day for long hours and working over the weekends too, but sometimes we need time to just be and just enjoy peace and quiet, long walks, doing something different or doing something just for fun. Sometimes we need time for ourselves without feeling like we have to do something else right now.

This past week when the holiday arrived, a few things happened that gave me a chance to just enjoy the days and to feel gratitude for the time that I had. As I began to look with the eyes of gratitude and to remember that Thanksgiving is a time for being grateful for the provision of God, I could feel myself relaxing into the enjoyment of life in a way that I wish I could do every day. It's something that is available to us, but so often the world crowds out that feeling, with people and things calling for our attention and telling us that their schedule is more important than anything else. Over this past Thanksgiving weekend I've been so grateful to feel the presence of God in my life and to know that God's timing is always best and that though I may not understand how or when or what is going on from moment to moment, when I can surrender and allow God to be God everything works out in a way that I could not have understood how to arrange myself, because God knows the end from the beginning and has orchestrated everything perfectly.

A number of years ago I wrote a blog post about how God brings everything around to be more than fine and over these past few days I've allowed God to speak that to my heart and keep me calm as I walk through this time. It was time for a holiday makeover for YES Gallery, and just before I began to put up the ornaments and rearrange things to create some glowing vignettes, I took a walk through the gallery to create a video while I was playing Chuck Mangione's "Chase The Clouds Away" on my vintage stereo. It had been a while since I'd recorded the experience of the gallery in this way and it seemed so beautifully perfect as a way to usher in the new season and give gratitude to God for the beautiful place and space and peace surrounding me. There was a feeling of joy as there always is in the gallery, and along with some very special visitors and conversations about future projects this time of relaxation and reflection filled me with renewed hope for the beautiful days to come.

A Walk Through The Gallery

With Thanksgiving And Gratitude

Listening To Chuck Mangione's

"Chase The Clouds Away"

YES Gallery

408 6th Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

Blessings,

Jannie Susan