It's fall again. A time of year I love very much. The cool air feels so good in my lungs. Much better than the stifling hot dust of summer. And I adore Halloween. Seeing the kiddies in the neighborhood dressed up for the big night fills my soul with sunshine. But as much as I love the fall, this is also a difficult time of year for me. Twenty-four years ago today my mother ended her struggle with mental illness. She was 42 years old. I'll be 42 next year. Something that causes me to pause and think a lot. I think many daughters who have lost mothers find it odd to come upon the age their mothers were when they died. I have heard these stories. I understand them now. It feels so young - 41. Fourty-two isn't going to feel much older. She had so much to live for. And yet...she also lived in great shame about her illness (paranoid schizophrenia). The unbalance became too much. I understand...and I don't. But that was her journey and she chose her way. We all do the best we can do with what we have, I believe.
Whoooosh. That was heavy. I guess it's a heavy sort of day. :) But the brightness within this day (besides the nice cool, sunny weather) is that I have an amazing array of "art friends" to lighten up my mind. If you want to see some pure art love, check out some of the folks on my list to the right. These are amazing women full of imagination, color and light. And I am thankful daily for their presence - no matter how small - in my life!
So I shall leave this post with some recent art I created for one of those amazing women - Jennifer R.D. I was lucky enough to meet Jenn in person TWICE and spend some time with her. What a joyous soul, indeed! Her theme was WINDOWS and I chose RED AND PINK as my main colors. It is simple, but meaningful. It is about opening your soul to sunlight, to sisters, to nature, to life. I hope you enjoy your pages, sweet girl!
