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RIVERS OF GRATITUDE
An artist faces his financial fears and gains a new view of what money really represents.
WHEN I WAS IN MY EARLY 20s, I realized that I wanted to be an artist. I was well aware of the prevalent notion that it's difficult, if not impossible, to make it financially in this profession, but that didn't bother me. I learned to live very frugally, and for a few years, that was fine. Money was spent on rent, food, essential art supplies—just the basics. I could earn enough to make ends meet, and I had all kinds of time to dedicate to my work.
As the years went by, my ideas about art and spirituality were progressing. But my income wasn't. For years I hadn't even entertained the idea of making large purchases, or of spending money in a "frivolous" way (frivolous, to me, meant things as simple as going out to dinner or a movie). Gradually, I began to see that I was really limiting myself because of this fear of spending money. As I prayed, listening for inspiration to guide me, I began to see that I needed to have a bigger and better idea about what money represents spiritually. I realized that my thrifty lifestyle had, to a certain degree, become a prison. This was something I knew needed to be addressed through prayer.
During this time, ideas for paintings came to me constantly, like water from a faucet. It was clear to me that this was a spiritual phenomenon. I wanted to see that the rest of my life, also abundantly supplied by the Almighty God, could flow and develop in the same way.
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About the author
Alex Cook is an artist living in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.
May 26, 2008 issue
View Issue-
LETTERS
with contributions from JACKIE ANDERSON, MICHAEL FLETCHER, NANCY M. STREET, NANCY MOOSLIN
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Look to a spiritual forecast
INGRID PESCHKE, MANAGING EDITOR
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ITEMS OF INTEREST
with contributions from David Ward, Neil Munshi
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HOW WILL I MAKE IT FINANCIALLY?
BY JOHN ADAMS
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FREEDOM FROM FORECLOSURE
BY GLORIA WILLIS
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RIVERS OF GRATITUDE
BY ALEX COOK
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Space exploration—an infinite frontier
BY MARY ALICE ROSE
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LOVE SPEAKS BETWEEN THE LINES
BY CARYL EMRA FARKAS
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RUNNING AND TRUSTING GOD
Olivia
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'I'D BEEN PRACTICING ALL ALONG...'
DOLORES WEST
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BEST FRIENDS
ORAH MOORE,
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ONE ADVERSARY WITH MANY TACTICS, ALL DEFEATED
BENJAMIN F. GLADDEN
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NO MAN IN THE MIDDLE
JOE BENEDICT
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'HABITS OF A VIGOROUS MIND'
RUTH WALKER
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'GOD IS MY PHYSICIAN'
DEBRA HABERSTROH
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HEALING OF ALLERGIES, A BACK PROBLEM, AND MORE
ANA MARIA BARTEL
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HEALING ON A SKI TRIP
GLENN JOHNSON