Bloom Fall 2017

FALL 2017

Reclaiming Forgotten History Valley Woman Helps Local School Receive A Historic Marker

2017

Holiday Issue

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Inside

MetroCreative

FALL 2017

12

your HOME Local experts give tips on decorating for the season.

‘It’s More Than Just A School’

page 2 your STYLE Three local entrepreneurs talk about the importance of small business shopping.

Stephen Swofford

Esther Nizer was instrumental in raising a historic marker for the Newtown Rosenwald School in Elkton.

I

t’s hard to avoid history in the Valley. Throw a stone, and perhaps you’ll hit markers explaining a Civil War battle or the birthplace of a historic person. But with so much history, it’s hard to believe some hasn’t been lost. That’s where our fall cover girl, Esther Nizer, comes in. She was instrumental in getting signage for the Newtown Rosenwald School in Elkton, which was one of many in the segregation era that were designated for black students. Her passion for remembering what was once lost makes her perfect to spotlight in this community.

page 8 your FAMILY Two watercolor artists share their passion.

page 20

Staff

26

Worthwhile Wealth

With passion as a recurring theme, we also share the story of a mother and daughter who have a love for watercolor painting. Apart from just a hobby, the art serves as a bond for the two through hard times, leading them to success with or without a brush in hand.

Corey Tierney, editor Shelby Mertens, staff writer Justin McIlwee, staff writer Nikki Fox, photography Daniel Lin, photography Stephen Swofford, photography Sherrie Good, design Jennifer Dehoff, design

Christina Kunkle discusses finding fulfilling purpose.

As for our usual advice pieces, it’s all about the impending holiday season. Shopping – whether you love it or hate it – can always use a dose of local flair. If you want some variety, Harrisonburg is ripe with small businesses that can fulfill niche needs that the big chain stores don’t have room for.

MetroCreative

Contributors

Another potential holiday thorn in the side? Decorating. But, like most things, that can be made easier, too. Owners of boutiques and stores in the area have some words of wisdom.

And, of course, our columnist Christina Kunkle chimes in with advice for finding purpose in your work through what she calls “heart messages.”

Once the season comes to a close, let us know if you have ideas or comments (ctierney@dnronline.com). And, as always, keep blooming!

Christina Kunkle, columnist Robyn Smith, writer Michelle Henry, writer Bloom is a publication of Rockingham Publishing Co., Inc. Copyright © 2017 Rockingham Publishing Co., Inc. 231 S. Liberty St. Harrisonburg, VA 22801 For advertising information, call 540-574-6220.

Corey Tierney Editor

Fall 2017

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your HOME

Deck the Halls Holiday Decorating Is All About Intention And Expression

By Robyn Smith

I

MetroCreative

t’s the most wonderful time of the year: the holiday season. For several of us, that means it’s also time to haul out all the decorations from the attic and put up the tree.

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Fall 2017

Ribbons, greenery, lights and other Tinseltown art are a passion for some, and a hassle for others (We get it; trees are heavy.)

If you’re a new homeowner, live on your own or are trying to freshen up your look, there are a few decorating tenets to stick to as you navigate the aisles and aisles of cheer.

Be Intentional Whether you can’t stand a speck of glitter or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, have several neon-colored trees, being intentional in your choices means each item on display is there for a reason.

Aesthetically, you could pursue a theme or color palette. Dustin Kline, the owner of the local Christmas shop Snow & Ice, suggests blending complementary colors such as teal, gold and white. But be careful to limit yourself when it comes to “what’s supposedly hot” at the moment, because you might regret those choices later.

As for themes, Sara Christensen, owner of The Lady Jane in downtown Harrisonburg, prefers anything cozy that makes her feel at home. She’ll incorporate greenery, seeds and branches from her backyard into floral or silk arrangements.

But it’s important not to discount the sentimentality of decorations. If you have ornaments your children made when they were in school, those are special and belong in your design.

Balancing a classy table setting with a kitschy tree is always an option.

“I don’t think homes should be polished,” Christensen said. “I think it should look like people live there, no matter what time of year.”

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Pre-lit trees are convenient because they save decorators from having to untangle string after string of twinkle lights. But, depending on the tree manufacturer, once those lights go out, it can be quite a hassle to replace them.

“I don’t think homes should be polished.

I think it should look like people live there, no matter what time of year.”

— Sara Christensen Customers will come into the shop asking Kline for repairs if just half the lights stop working, but the tree’s not easy to fix — especially if the manufacturer has made specially sized and shaped bulbs that are unique to that brand.

And that’s just lights.

With artificial trees, there are flocked options, which have the appearance of snow, and those can become discolored in storage. According to Kline, 4

Fall 2017

a flocked tree can last about four to six years, but only a high quality tree that you’ve stored properly and taken care of. Green trees can last five to 10 years under similar conditions.

“You’ll definitely get a return on your investment with a quality tree,” Kline said.

Needles on the branches should look realistic and have a natural shape. The fullness of the tree is also a good indicator.

“If you can see the trunk easily, it’s not a quality tree,” Kline said.

Christensen recently invested in a tree skirt that she’ll reuse year after year, but for the shop, she likes to buy really nice silk florals. Seasonal, trendy items always get more expensive the closer you get to Christmas, so keep that in mind if you’re doing some last minute decor shopping.

“Be prepared,” she said.

“Don’t invest in one-time use things or things not well made.”

Express Yourself Rabbi Mordy Leimdorfer with James Madison

University’s JMJews Chabad keeps a tall menorah outside his home all year to practice the Jewish tenet of sharing the light.

“A little bit of light can dispel a lot of darkness,” Leimdorfer said.

The first time he put it up, he received a note from his neighbors that said, “Thank

MetroCreative

Photo by Stephen Swofford

Dustin Kline, owner of Snow & Ice, holds his nephew, Jensen Thomas, to see a Santa figure.

you so much for your gift of lights.”

For Leimdorfer, decorating for the holidays isn’t so much about what looks good, but about what helps people remember the true meaning behind the celebration.

Regardless of which holiday you’re celebrating, how you decorate your home should help set the tone of the festivities. Even if you live alone, Kline advises just to do something small like an end table or mantle. Getting spirited and bringing joy to your loved ones (and self) is what matters.

“It’s your tree; it’s your house — you reserve the right to have fun with it,” Kline, who decorates a couple trees in his home each year, said. “Doing something where you’re going to sit down in the evenings and enjoy and ... put you in the [holiday] spirit is probably the biggest decorating tip I can give.”

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MetroCreative

your STYLE

Small Business sell-ebration Shoppers Should Look Local When Preparing For The Holidays

By Justin McIlwee

T

almost 8 million jobs in the United States since 1990.

Locally, small businesses are popping up all around the area, especially after the expansion of downtown Harrisonburg with the help of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. In preparation for the holidays, some local businesses may offer something you can’t find at chain stores.

Green Hummingbird Fair Trade Clothing If someone in your life is in search of clothing, look no further than Green Hummingbird Fair Trade

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Owner Eleanor Held opened the Hummingbird in August 2014 because she wanted a place to be able to sell fair trade clothing without having to make people buy it online. She focuses on fair trade goods because she wants to make sure the people she buys from are able to make a living from their goods, just like she wants to with her business.

“I just want to get away from the culture of doing business just to earn money,” Held said. “I want to try to do business that does good. [I

Photo by Nikki Fox

he 2017 holiday season is upon us. Pretty soon, consumers will be flocking to stores in search of this year’s trendiest gift or best deal. Many times, that includes a trip to the mall or Walmart. And while there’s nothing wrong with shopping at big chain stores, the benefits to shopping local, especially around the holidays, greatly outweigh the offers from bigger stores.

According to 2015 statistics put out by the Small Business Administration, small businesses have increased by 49 percent since 1982 and have created

Items are displayed for sale at Green Hummingbird, a fair trade store in downtown Harrisonburg.

Fall 2017

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Zola’s Nestled in the quaint Dayton Market off John Wayland Highway, the next shop specializes in “lovely textures, colors and fragrances that will help you create a home that reflects your personality and creativity.”

Zola’s opened in the Dayton Market in 2003, selling silk flower arrangements, in-home decor, bath and body fragrances, scarves and jewelry. Owner

This tulip lamp is an example of products sold at Zola’s.

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Fall 2017

Photo by Stephen Swofford

want to] make enough money to sustain and support myself, but I don’t want to go to the extent of hurting others.”

She believes that one of the benefits of shopping local, especially at her store, is that people know where their goods are coming from, and she can guarantee that the clothes-making process didn’t harm any of the workers from which she buys.

“I make sure that whoever has made my clothing has been paid a fair wage, is antisweatshop and there’s no forcing children to work. And a lot of the items are good for the environment,” Held said.

“It’s supporting our capitalistic economy, while at the same time, knowing that your supporting people and their livelihoods all over the world.”

Wreaths and other seasonal items hang for sale at Snow & Ice.

Zola Showalter prides herself on being a local business because, as she explained, her customers have developed a level of trust with her and her products.

“Each store here [in the Dayton Market] is individually owned, so you can get to know the owner, and it’s small business supporting local people,” Showalter said.

“I think local ownership puts more into their business, and there’s more of a trust factor. There’s more of a relationship, that you know who you’re buying from and what they’re all about.”

She also added that while shoppers may be able to get slightly better prices at chain stores or online, when they shop those outlets, they miss out on certain aspects of the local experience.

“It’s hard to compete with buying things from Amazon or the big box stores, because you may be able to get things at a better price, but then you don’t have some of that customer-friendly service, loyalty and extra things that come along with shopping locally.”

Snow & Ice Christmas Store Dustin Kline and his family love decorating for Christmas. But, like many people, he grew tired of searching for unique decorations outside of what was being sold in the big chain stores. He wanted a local place he could go and find something a little different.

That’s when Kline got the idea to open Snow & Ice Christmas and Gift Store.

It’s located off Evelyn Byrd Avenue in Harrisonburg and, as their website states, is “the Shenandoah Valley’s premier one-stop shop for gifts and decor for all seasons, as well as all things Christmas, and we specialize in hard-to-find and highquality items perfect for use in your home or business.”

For Kline, the big thing that makes his business the place to shop rather than the chain stores is that he said he can provide unique things that other bigger stores don’t offer.

“The selection that we have is very unique and different from what the big box stores carry,” Kline

said. “Literally almost every day we have customers coming in and expressing excitement over the items that they found that they had no idea was even available to get. They had been looking through the big box stores and weren’t having any luck finding that item that fit their desire or their need.”

Many people choose to do their shopping on Black Friday, where they can find the best deals at different chain stores. But if shoppers wait a day, they can support local businesses by participating in Small Business Saturday, which is held every year the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The day encourages shoppers to shop small and local. For people interested in being part of SBS, Snow & Ice plans to have different deals set up throughout the days to encourage customers to stop and keep their business local.

“We do usually do some things for that,” Kline said.

“We will run some specials throughout the store on various product categories and different product lines.”

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Fall 2017

‘It Was More Than

Just A School’

By Shelby Mertens

I

Decades Later, A Rosenwald Student Helps Her School Receive Recognition With A Historic Marker

t’s a different feeling now when Esther Nizer drives past the old and empty white tattered building. There it sits at 1205 Diamond Lane on her morning commute to James Madison University.

She has driven past her former schoolhouse every day for years.

She’s never forgotten the childhood memories inside that red door.

But Nizer now feels an extra sense of pride when she momentarily takes her eyes off the road to glance at the new historic highway marker, which was approved by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

“Everyday, I look at it, and I’ve always driven by that school, but I see it now and it says to everyone else that … it was more than just a school,” Nizer said.

Esther Nizer, who attended the Newtown Rosenwald School, was instrumental in getting the historic marker placed at the school in August.

Photo by Nikki Fox

Built With Rosenwald Funds The Newtown School served African-American students in east Elkton during the segregation era. The school was built from 1921-1922 by The Rosenwald Fund. Julius Rosenwald, the president of Sears, Roebuck and Co. and a philanthropist, established the fund in 1917 to build schools for black children. He had the help of civil rights activist and Tuskegee Institute founder Booker T. Washington, who designed the floor plans. More than 5,000 Rosenwald schools were built across the South by 1932, with 364 built in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

Nizer attended the Newtown School, also known as East Elkton School, from first grade in 1959 until sixth grade. She had many relatives attend the school before her.

“We were kind of contained in the Newtown area, so all of my cousins and neighbors [attended] because that was the only school we had,” she said.

Nizer grew up in the Newtown area of east Elkton, which was predominately black. According to historical records, Newtown was originally called “The Colored Settlement” in 1885.

Fall 2017

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Photo by Stephen Swofford

Esther Nizer greets churchgoers as they come into the Mount Paran Baptist Church in Elkton.

Her parents were also raised in Newtown. She grew up with two sisters and a brother. Her father worked at Merck & Co. while her mother, mostly working as a stay at home mom, also did some work in the manufacturing industry.

There were two churches in the community — Mount Paran Baptist Church and St. Paul United Methodist Church — which Nizer said were “the focal point of the community.”

A predecessor of the Newtown School was located on the property of Mount Paran, which she and her family attended. The all-black school was then turned into the church’s fellowship hall.

“It eventually was just too old, and they added onto the church itself, so it was torn down,” Nizer said.

The text on the historical marker says the Rosenwald Fund gave $1,000 for the construction of the Newtown School. Rockingham County gave $2,628 and locals contributed $872. While Rosenwald schools became the bastion of black excellence in academia, they were underfunded compared to white schools.

Nizer has fond memories of her time at the Newtown School.

The total student population was around 25. The school was a four-room building based on Booker T. Washington’s floor plans.

According to Nizer, two of the rooms were used as classrooms, while another functioned as an assembly hall and the other was used as an industrial room for workshop, but that room later transformed into the cafeteria.

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Fall 2017

“Even though it was a four-room building, there was two classrooms with two teachers,” she said.

The Newtown Rosenwald School was still much smaller than the white schools, but “larger than what we had,” Nizer said. The previous school in the church had only one room.

“It was a nice building. It still looks good,” Nizer said of the Newtown School. “I mean, it’s got some wear, but it looks to be stable.”

One would assume a school with only two teachers responsible for several grade levels might become hectic at times, but Nizer said that wasn’t the case. The children were split first through third grade and fourth through sixth grade.

“All the kids would help younger kids, so the third-graders would help the first-graders read and write while the teacher worked with the second grade,” she recalled.

Their textbooks were used, but Nizer said it was never made an issue.

“That’s all we had,” she said. “We didn’t focus on the wear and tear and the marks on the book; we focused on the words on the page.”

Transition To Integration In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court made its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which ruled that segregation in schools was unconstitutional. However, schools in the South, and in Virginia specifically, were slow to integrate as localities attempted to block integration with the “massive resistance” movement. Following the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Supreme Court’s ruling in Green v. County School Board of New Kent County, schools in Virginia began to integrate in the ’60s and ’70s.

Integration meant the Rosenwald schools became obsolete.

Many of them were abandoned or demolished. A Rosenwald school where Hank’s Grille & Bar now sits in McGaheysville was destroyed when U.S. 33 was widened. Another Rosenwald school existed in Greenwood, which is no longer standing. “[The Rosenwald school] was a wonderful place to be because it was where they could be together,” said Robin Lyttle, president of the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project. “Obviously, integration was great, but for African-Americans, it meant becoming a minority in the schools.”

The Newtown School closed in 1965. After it shuttered, the building was turned into a store, and then an auction house. It is now privately owned and sits empty. It is the only Rosenwald school in Rockingham County that is still standing.

Nizer transferred to the intermediary school for seventh grade in 1965, which was joined with Elkton High. Some of her cousins had transferred to the formerly all-white school a year earlier, so the transition process was easier for her.

“It was really kind of a non-event,” she said. “When I got there, it wasn’t a new thing.”

Nizer already knew several of her new classmates and remembers the teachers being supportive.

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“When we integrated, some of the kids that I was in class with, I had been playing with already in my neighborhood, so it wasn’t a new thing for us to interact,” she said.

However, Nizer said transitioning to an integrated school did take some adjusting with suddenly becoming the minority in the classroom, as Lyttle noted.

“It was a different environment. For the most part, I was the only African-American in the classroom, and it kind of stayed that way all through high school,” Nizer said. “We all got along. I mean, we had name calling, but sometimes you just get used to it. But we didn’t have any disruptions.

“We had been sheltered, I think, from the rest of the world, so I don’t know that we were acutely aware of all the problems that were happening outside because it wasn’t happening with us,” she added.

“When we integrated, some of the kids that I was in class with, I had been playing with already in my neighborhood, so it wasn’t a new thing for us to interact.”

— Esther Nizer

After high school, Nizer attended Morgan State University in Baltimore, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in K-12 physical education. She then returned to JMU to receive certification for teaching in the classroom. She taught fourth grade in McGaheysville and then moved to Atlanta for five years. She moved back to Virginia again for several years and then moved away again, this time to Dallas, where she lived for 10 years, working for Greater Dallas Association of Realtors.

In 1995, she moved back to the Shenandoah Valley, where she has stayed ever since. Nizer has served as the IT Training and Development Manager at JMU for the last 18 years.

She served as president of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham NAACP from 2012-2014. She was a member of the Elkton Cemetery Commission and is active in her church in Elkton.

The historic marker project for the Newtown School was started

by Rosemarie Palmer of Bridgewater, who one day discovered that the old schoolhouse off Newtown Road was built with Rosenwald funds. Lyttle of the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project then jumped in to help.

“That school has been there; everyone has known about it in the community, but they didn’t realize it was a Rosenwald school because that history had gotten lost,” Lyttle said. “It was an example of how a couple of people can come together and uncover awesome history.”

Nizer discovered the project earlier this year after reading an article about it in the Daily News-Record. She got in contact with Lyttle and others to get involved. Nizer always knew the school was built with Rosenwald funds, but she said the school was never referred to as a “Rosenwald school” growing up.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation put Rosenwald schools on its list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2002. The trust says only 10 to 12 percent of Rosenwald-funded buildings are still standing today.

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Fall 2017

Photo by Nikki Fox

‘People Can Come Together And Uncover Awesome History’

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The Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project submitted the paperwork and financed the marker. The paperwork for the historic highway marker was filed in February or March, Nizer said, and approved in June.

There are more than 2,500 historic highway markers in Virginia.

The square signs are white with black lettering. According to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, highway markers are designated for “a person, place, event or institution that has statewide or national significance.”

Once the application was approved, Nizer spearheaded efforts to get the community involved. They were able to raise more than enough money for the marker due to the community’s overwhelming support.

“I put it on Facebook and sent the link out that you can go here [to donate] and people just did,” Nizer said. “I finally had to say we have enough money.”

“It is very rewarding to work with everyone in the community as we uncover this history and help share and illuminate it.”

— Robin Lyttle

Photo by Daniel Lin

Historic Marker Unveiled In August

A highway marker commemorating the Newtown School in Elkton is unveiled during a ceremony on Aug. 19.

the genealogy of her family as far back as 1835. She found that her father’s family came to Elkton from Stanardsville in Greene County, and her mother’s side came from Whitestone in Lancaster County.

“This all just ties together,” she said.

She also sent off a DNA sample to Ancestry.com. She suspects her family’s African roots are in Ghana, and that her mother’s side may have been Irish.

“I’m anxious to hear if some of that comes to truth,” Nizer said.

The Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Projects helps local African-Americans discover their own family histories with private research sessions and DNA testing. Lyttle said she’s administered 16 DNA kits and has helped 30 to 40 families with genealogical research.

“That’s one of the ways we learn a lot about the churches, the schools and the family experiences,” she said.

Two More Markers In The Works The historic highway marker was unveiled during a ceremony on Aug. 19. Nizer organized the event by reaching out to the community.

“I made a Facebook page, I sent out invitations, I went to school boards, I went to the county [board of supervisors], some of the political officers in the area, to make sure we included everybody,” she said.

She also contacted her old classmates from as far away as Florida, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Well over 100 people attended the ceremony, the crowd filled with classmates, community members, school representatives, county officials and regional politicians.

“It was really a lot of people coming together,” Nizer said.

Lyttle added, “It is very rewarding to work with everyone in the community as we uncover this history and help share and illuminate it.”

Nizer played an instrumental role in making the historic marker project a success, Lyttle said. These kinds of projects are why Lyttle started Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage.

“Without having the community involved, there’d be no marker,” she said. “Her foundation is here in the Valley, and that’s what’s so important about these projects. It’s the families. They live these histories that we still have today.”

Growing Interest In Local, Family Histories The project initiated Nizer’s growing interest in researching more about Elkton’s history, as well as her own. She has begun tracing

Nizer and Lyttle are working on making two additional markers for the predecessor schools that were located at Mount Paran Baptist Church and in the Greenwood area of Elkton. They were not built with Rosenwald funds, but they were early all-black learning institutions. The signs will not be state-sanctioned historic markers.

“We know where they were and we have extra money from the [Newtown] marker, so we’re going to have marker[s] made,” Nizer said.

She hopes to have them completed by the end of the year.

“We hope to see Esther take projects like that on the run,” Lyttle said. “Esther’s focus is her community, which is great.”

Still More ‘Rich History’ To Discover Lyttle hopes the Newtown project will have a domino effect in other nearby communities with Rosenwald schools.

“That’s our role: to be a catalyst,” she said. “We hope to see other communities get the ball rolling.”

She noted that a Rosenwald school in Page County has been restored, along with one in Waynesboro.

For Nizer, she’s just getting started. She plans to first start digging into the history of her church, Mount Paran Baptist, which is 137 years old.

“There’s a lot of history there,” she said. “[It’s] rich history that’s just sitting and somehow now seems to be the time to do that.”

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your FAMILY

Connected By Water Mother And Daughter Build Bridges With A Passion For Painting Story and photos by Michelle Henry

Kelli Hertzler (left) and Beulah Hartman, a mother/daughter pair, are both watercolor artists.

K

elli Hertzler sets down her backpack, sitting cross-legged on a flat, gray boulder solidly placed in a stream near Port Republic.

A container of water and a postcard-sized palette of watercolors appear from the backpack. She places the small leather case beside her, removes its contents and lays them on the surrounding rocks.

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Her hand reaches inside and pulls out a pad of bright, white paper and a thin paintbrush.

Then, the paper suddenly changes, coming alive with rich greens and browns.

Miles away, another artist, Beulah Hartman, also raises a brush and tells a different story.

Hartman, 70, and Hertzler, 44, are two artists whose

visions vary widely. As Hertzler pushes herself to use less restraint in recent works, Hartman relishes bold explosions of color that happen in the moment.

However different, their level of talent clearly shows the connections they share: one as mother and daughter, and another as passionate watercolorists.

Over the years, they’ve shared the language of art, which has allowed them to build understanding between them, even during the difficult years mothers and daughters often face.

“It’s nice that we’ve shared that language. Mom was always encouraging.

Even when I was a teenager and we didn’t get along, we

could always talk about art,” Hertzler said.

Beulah Hartman, who’s also known by the nickname “Snuffy” after the John Rose comic strip, recalled that her first memory of a burgeoning art career was at age 4 or 5.

Her grandmother asked what she was going to give her for Christmas. Hartman replied that she couldn’t tell her what the gift would be, but could draw her a picture of it. She then sat down and sketched a white slip with lace for her grandmother to wear underneath her dress.

“My mother kept that picture with her and carried it in her purse for years,” Hartman said.

Falling very close to the family tree, Hertzler felt a definite calling to drawing and painting as a young girl. Hartman encouraged Hertzler’s budding interest, as did a high school art teacher who later helped her build a portfolio.

When Hertzler chose to attend James Madison University, her mother wasn’t surprised by the choice to pursue a degree as a fine arts major, although she may not have expected her to choose a minor in biology.

Those choices are reflected in Hertzler’s watercolors, combining a sense of the

Kelli Hertzler’s biology minor is seen through her watercolor work that depicts nature scenes.

Kelli Hertzler paints near a stream in Port Republic.

aesthetic with a dedication to capturing the realistic beauty of nature, a subject she passionately continues to explore.

One of Hertzler’s favorite artists, John Ruskin, wrote, “I would rather teach drawing that my pupils may learn to love nature, than teach the looking at nature that they may learn to draw.”

She feels a kinship with this philosophy, using her

knowledge of biology to lean toward a more realistic view in some of her art.

Hertzler moved to the Harrisonburg area in 1991 to attend JMU, and has made Virginia her home with her husband, Tim, and two teenage children.

She has spent many hours painting the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley and Shenandoah National Park.

While Hertzler took

her natural abilities and pursued a college degree in the arts, Hartman initially taught herself to paint with practice and persistence.

While growing up, her family did not encourage a career in art, rather pushing for a more traditional choice. She married after high school graduation.

“I think I was hardheaded and just loved painting, so I kept going with or without Fall 2017

21

Beulah Hartman (top) and Kelli Hertzler (above) paint together.

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encouragement,” Hartman said. “Being self-taught works if you keep pushing yourself and learning. I didn’t stop at playing on my kitchen table. If I could read it, see it or do it, I did it,” she said.

Hartman later gained more painting expertise with the help of a few experienced teachers while living in the Hagerstown, Md., area, where she was born and raised. She later moved to the Valley to be closer to Hertzler’s family.

“It wasn’t until Kelli was born that I was given an acrylic paint set for Christmas. Later, Kelli was about a year old when I took my first painting class,” Hartman explained.

“I was the only student, so the teacher allowed me to bring Kelli to class. Thank goodness Kelli behaved herself.”

Hertzler recalled, “One of my earliest art memories is of sitting under the table at one of mom’s classes.”

Hartman continued to paint and create while raising her three children, with Kelli being her youngest.

Art was a joy in the good times and a solace during tough times. In the beginning, art gave her something to call her own while raising a young family in a rural community.

During challenging years in married life, it was a boon to her self-esteem. Years later, when she married her current husband, John, she gained not only a partner, Hartman said, “but someone who completely supports my art.”

“I hope when people look at my work, they think, ‘I haven’t looked at the mountains that way before.’ We think drawing or painting is the skill, but learning to see is the skill.”

— Kelli Hertzler After practicing and studying with a few different teachers, Hartman picked up the torch and embraced the world of teaching 15 years ago, leading classes in painting and watercolor. In addition to teaching various workshops, she has a regular class of students who have been with her for the past two years.

Art built her confidence, and later, that of her students, she explained.

“My favorite thing to do is teach a class with absolute

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beginners and see the light click on,” she said. “It’s a confidence boost for them.

They’ve learned something they’ll use for the rest of their lives.”

The pair share their current projects with each other, gaining constructive critique, support and a unique camaraderie.

Both mother and daughter are signature members of the Shenandoah Valley Watercolor Society and have had their art shown at the Hardesty-Higgins House and OASIS Fine Art & Craft in Harrisonburg.

The society’s members range from amateur to experienced artists.

“No matter what level the different members are at in their art ... you learn from everybody when they’re critiqued. It reinforces what you know, and teaches you,” 24

Fall 2017

Hartman said.

Hertzler added, “Sometimes, the people who haven’t been taught so much — because they’re experimenting and don’t know ‘the rules’ — sometimes, you learn from them, too.”

Hertzler’s art was recently shown at the Rockfish Valley Community Center in Afton, Va., and will be shown at the Wilson Downtown Gallery in Harrisonburg in December and January, with an artist’s reception the first Friday of each month.

“I’ve lived here for more than 20 years, and I still see the mountains and say, ‘Wow.’ I hope when people look at my work, they think, ‘I haven’t looked at the mountains that way before.’

We think drawing or painting is the skill, but learning to see is the skill.”

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Heart-Centered Tips To A Path Of Purpose Success Without Fulfillment Is Toxic Over Time

By Christina Kunkle, CTA Certified Life and Wellness Coach, R.N.

MetroCreative

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Fall 2017

A

re Mondays coming too often and Fridays not often enough?

Maybe you’re restless or bored. Or, maybe you’re not as good a fit for your current job as you once were, but not sure what else you would do.

Stuck spinning your wheels but getting nowhere, you wonder if others know something you don’t. Perhaps you’ve dreamed of starting a business, but are too busy just getting through each day to see how you could turn your passion into possibility.

If you’ve had too many days in a row of feeling like your job is too much like work, I invite you to stop going through the motions and answer some tough questions. For instance, are you doing what you want to do, or what you think you should do? Do you like and respect who you are being in your work?

This powerful quote by the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks to the urgency of listening to our inner wisdom: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.

And most importantly, have the courage to follow your own heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

There’s nothing in your past that you can’t use to move forward.

Many of us chose our career at a very young age based on family expectations, strong opinions of teachers about what we’d be good at or areas of study that came easily.

In “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” author Steven Covey writes, “Most people spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to realize, when they get to the top, the ladder has been leaning against the wrong wall.”

Sadly, we can be very successful at something but never really satisfied by it. Who we are is much more than what we’re good at, and success without fulfillment is toxic over time. The happiness we desire and deserve only comes when we live in alignment with our core values.

Luckily, it doesn’t require a radical career change for you to live with more purpose. These tips can help you get to the heart of what really matters; find a deeper connection to the work you already do, and add a fresh twist to what you think is possible.

Take Empowered Ownership You are in charge on this one. It’s in your control. You get to define for yourself what will truly make you happy; not your friends, not your family or the latest trends — you.

Write or say, “I take 100 percent responsibility for my own happiness and fulfillment” when you are tempted to blame others or complain about the circumstances you’re in.

Be Honest It’s still the best policy to be truthful, and in the highest service to all. So, come clean with yourself and others regarding what you feel passionate about and what you really don’t.

Does something you’re involved with now feel more like an obligation? Let go of any attachment to what you think your ideal life should look like, and release unnecessary roles and responsibilities that are draining you dry.

Get Fresh Perspective Wake up. What are you waiting for? If you think you have forever to get around to that “thing” you want to do, think again. Take nothing for granted and live now because this moment is the only one you can do anything about.

If today was your last day, what would you wish you had done with your life? Write it all out in a bucket list, then share it with someone close to you. Ask them to hold you accountable for crossing something off your list on a regular basis, and celebrate like crazy each time you make it happen.

Reframe Perfection Unrealistic expectations will sabotage us every time, along with guilt over past mistakes, regret about missed opportunities and comparing your worst to everyone else’s best.

When you catch yourself thinking things like, “If I can’t do it perfect, why try at all,” or, “I missed my chance to develop my talent,” or, “Other people are better or more skilled than me so I have nothing special to offer,” stop. Breathe. Then, “flip” the thought to one more empowering. Examples are: “It’s never too late to learn new things,” or, “No one can fulfill my mission better than I can.”

Use Your Struggles There’s nothing in your past that you can’t use to move forward.

Every experience you’ve had, especially the challenges and struggles, can help you get clear about why you’re here and how you’re meant to serve. With this resilient mindset, we don’t just survive in spite of setbacks, but we intentionally thrive because of them.

If there was a higher purpose for the tough times you’ve been through, what would it be? We teach best what we need to learn ourselves. Are you being called to offer wisdom and guidance to those going through similar challenges? What’s one step you could take to begin doing that? Sharing your story could have a powerful impact on others.

Hear Your “Heart Messages” Learn to say yes to what your heart really wants. Is there anything in your life right now where you have that “gut instinct” about what to do next? Moments of intuition are blessings about the directions we need to take in our lives, but we can miss the quiet whispers of spirit unless we make an intentional effort to be mindful and listen.

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Set your timer for 5 minutes. Go to a quiet place. Close your eyes and place your left hand over your heart. Take a few deep breaths and whisper, “What do you really, really, really want me to know?” Give yourself space to just listen. Repeat the question if you get distracted.

You’ll begin to receive answers, so pay attention to flashes of insight, creative ideas and inspirations, as well as things that you hear and see.

Trust that these answers are authentic to you and a reflection of your true calling.

Our soul is always calling us to grow and expand into a better version of ourselves. Be patient, knowing it’s OK to not have it all figured out yet. Have faith that the path to your purpose will become clear.

Worship with Us We look forward to welcoming you!

The world can be happier and healthier because of the contribution you are here to make. The possibilities are endless as to how your gifts could bless others. Whether it’s taking up a creative hobby, volunteering for a cause you’re committed to, writing a book or mastering a soul-centered project, my greatest wish is that you follow your heart and claim your true calling with no excuses or apologies.

Christina Kunkle, R.N. and CTA certified life and wellness coach, is founder of “Synergy Life and Wellness Coaching LLC” and creator of the “Synergy Success Circle.”

She helps busy women prevent burnout by promoting bounce-back resilience to stay focused, positive and excited about the challenges of work and life. For more information, visit synergylifeandwellnesscoaching.com or call 540-746-5206.

Beth El Congregation The purpose of this reform congregation shall be to worship God in accordance with the faith of Judaism; to cultivate a love and understanding of the Jewish heritage; to strengthen the ties within the Jewish community; to strengthen the bonds of loyalty with the Jewish people everywhere.

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Bridgewater Baptist Church 119 S. Main Street, Bridgewater, VA 22812 540-828-2456 www.bridgewaterbaptistchurch-va.org

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MT. OLIVET CHRISTIAN CHURCH 38 Mt. Olivet Church Road, Elkton, VA 22827 Pastor Wayne Wright 540-574-0670 Worship Service is Sunday at 11:00 AM Everyone Welcome

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