My son and I have been hanging out quite a bit. Honestly, while there’s not a lot of talking, I am getting so that I just enjoy being still with him. We sit across from one another at the feast table for our first coffee each day. Not much gets said but “Good morning.”
Recently, a friend from my teaching world and my church family, lost her eight year old son, very suddenly. He will be laid to rest this week. Caleb gave the gift of his organs so that others might have life. Everything about the situation seems impossible. I hold Caleb’s family…his two brothers, sister and Mom and Dad very close to my heart. But, as a mother, I most deeply imagine (because one can not truly know) Caleb’s Mommy’s pain. It is such a feeling of helplessness, no matter what way you look at it. I am so sorry. In thinking about it, I’ve decided that the best I can do in my life is to honour the lives of those I love, most especially, my family.
I haven’t been much for hanging out in crowds the last long while. I like the quiet that my son and I share. I like walking with my daughters and my grandson at the river. I like hanging with Max on the red couch. I enjoy my daily conversation with my father via Skype.
Today, I nudged my son to drive out to the Leighton Center with me to see, on its final day, an exhibit by beautiful lady and watercolourist, Brittney Tough. I met Brittney, gratefully, through my experiences painting down at the Rumble House. She is one amazing artist! This exhibit demonstrates her patience and her skill.
The drive to the Leighton Center is so calming; the countryside, so beautiful. Presently, canola fields are ripened. Hawks call out from above the landscape. Mountains to the west are veiled in smoke.
The exhibits Threaded Through Paint and Bison, Bison, Bison were both stunning. I really felt at ease and peaceful sharing this time with my boy. Congratulations, Brittney! (Say ‘hi’ to Harley and Alistair) Your notebooks and explorations in colour are spectacular…your compositions, pure genius!
