So, who am I... and why have I made these pages.:-)

My name is Elisabeth Grøtte, and I live on a beautiful island outside of Stavanger in Norway. I love the ocean and nature around me. The calm of living in a green oasis is balm to the soul.

I've been proud to work as a registered nurse for about 15 years. An occupation that is close to my heart! I am married with two wonderful children (who are children no longer). I'm above average fond of animals, and probably should be living on a farm.

I am fascinated by life and all those who are part of it. What it means to be alive... From life into death, joy and sadness, hope and despair. Life is beautiful but can also be brutal and ugly. Sometimes this life feels like a journey on a large ocean in a small boat. We get to see a beautiful sunrise that take our breath away. Then a storm will come from nowhere and threaten to sink our small boat. How does one live in this space between joys and sorrows?

I have found that it is best to be honest about things. Call a spade a spade :-) Maybe it's an age thing? I'm done with keeping up appearances, and with acting.

My security in life is encapsulated in that children's song which goes: "My boat is so little, the ocean's so wide, and sometimes the waves loudly roar. But God and His Angels are close by my side, They'll steer my boat safely to shore... "

During the worst storms of my life He has been so close to me. I have experienced that He is as real as anything else in this life, and that His arms are around us in a loving embrace.

Most people have thoughts about eternity and life after death. It is a hard truth that if you want to live, one day you also have to die.

I have experienced the Lords goodness and love! I have experienced a Father that stays close and that wants what is best for me. One who is always there with open arms. He is not just some children's tale from Sunday school, but an all powerful God passionately involved in all that goes on in our lives - small and large. He loves the people on this Earth with a Love it is beyond us to even comprehend. He is Love!

Around 3 years ago a desperate longing started to form in my heart. I prayed earnestly that God would grant me the ability to paint. It was a rather desperate and intense feeling. Quite strange. I have never before been particularly interested in any form of art, nor in painting. It was as if this longing had been placed there. More specifically, I wanted to convey through painting what God wanted to say to people. I wanted people to meet the Heart of God through my art.

When I, in the beginning of January 2019, got out an old paint kit my daughter had laying around, unopened, in a cupboard, I was taken aback by what took shape before my eyes. I had created a small boy holding a sailboat. And he seemed so alive. I started to cry as I realized, there and then, that God had answered my prayer.

I have been painting a lot since then. It has been a magical journey. Often I am shown very specifically what to paint in images and in words.

I am not sure where this journey will eventually lead, but I am happy because I feel that I am part of some larger plan that God has.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my story :-)