Hello! I’m Rebecca, the creator of this page. Born in Pennsylvania and raised in the beautiful state of Utah, I consider myself an average, garden-variety woman just trying to make it through this wonder called Life. Thank goodness I have people around me who think I’m something special and cheer me on to do great things and be a strong person. I’m a wife, mother and grandmother (can you believe it?!?) who wants to be remembered for, when I leave this Earth, deeply loving my family, being a very grateful, but willful, person who never gave up on anything, and for having had an impact on the life of someone else. In the meantime, I share a mostly empty nest with my husband, delight in the moments when our fledglings come back to the nest to visit, and look forward to going on more adventures near and far with those I love.
One of my mother’s last instructions to her children before she passed away over 25 years ago was to “enjoy life”. To some that may be a simple phrase with a simple meaning. To me, it has been a personal journey over the years to fully understand what that means. Through life’s twists and turns and through all the ups and downs, we’ve been incredibly blessed and we’ve raised a beautiful family, but the question was always there in the background, “Are we enjoying life?” My husband and I gravitated toward community service as a priority on our path to happiness and meaningful contribution to society; for many years, we stayed extremely active in various capacities of service in the community, politically and educationally. Although there was certainly fulfillment that came from that service, I can’t say that we were “enjoying life”. I finally retired from that service in 2013, and my husband followed suit shortly thereafter. We are both happier for it, now enjoying some well-deserved freedom from all the nonsense that came with that territory. I have come to understand that “enjoying life”, for ME, means balance, and that while I should and can be of service, it should not be at the expense of everything else, and certainly not at the expense of my health, family and happiness.
Unfortunately, achieving balance is not an easy task. Just when you think you’re there, there’s a danger that the pendulum may swing too far in another direction…
Finding balance…
I began to research to find out what I needed to do to lead a more balanced life, and the first thing I discovered is that, there isn’t a set prescription that works for everyone, you have to come up with your own balance that works for YOU. This website reflects my balance, what works for ME, and is my way of keeping myself accountable.
Enjoying life…
They say one never really gets over their first real love. It’s my belief this extends beyond people. My passion for books can be traced back to my youth and is definitely my first love that I can recall. Rarely was I found without a book in hand, and often I was caught with a flashlight under the covers finishing up that last chapter. Having acquired a generous library through my family, my passion has been rekindled for not only reading books, but collecting them as well. I love books. I can’t resist them. I love the way they smell, the way they feel in my hands, and the way they transport me to places only my imagination can go.
Two of my other great passions in life are genealogy and the arts. Through genealogy I put some of my greatest strengths (attention to detail, analyzation, and never-give-up attitude) to work in researching and documenting the lives of those who came before me. My research has also given me the amazing opportunity to travel to far away places and to connect with my forefathers in unique and meaningful ways.
I define the arts broadly, because I have a deep appreciation for most art forms and artists. Music, both instrumental and vocal, has been a major part of my life since an early age. But for the purpose of this website, art will be more narrowly defined as singular to my painting studio. I’ve always been fascinated by how ideas and feelings are represented through the images and works of artists. I appreciate art that has meaning, a story, a narrative, and that is what I hope my own art communicates. Oil or watercolor are my medium of choice for my creative expression.
Of course, this isn’t an all-inclusive list and this isn’t a perfect plan; I’m not a perfect person. I’ve slipped along the way, just like anyone does while trying to establish new habits and I’ve been making small adjustments to make it work for me, but having a kind of structure has been a solid start. And I must be ever-vigilant about keeping the balance I’ve managed to achieve and still trying to maintain.
And so, Corner Keep was established. I call it “a place to gather artistry, insights, and stories”. Thanks for visiting!