Yes, I have "fallen" in love seemingly without being able to do anything about it. I have also loved and today I know that someone loved me first. My mom and dad. My Aunt Nad. Arletha who helped around the house. And my great-grandmother, Grannie, who would rock me on her knee singing The Owl and the Pussycat before I could talk, sitting in a chair a lot like the one in the picture.
Have you ever thought that love was just a feeling that you either felt or didn't? Thinking back to how someone might have shown their love to you, who comes to mind first? Was it the people who hugged and kissed you, or was it someone like Grannie, who gave you time and attention when no one else was available and at a time that you can't even remember. Late in her own life, my mother told me about the time that I spent with Grannie as an infant. Grannie showed her love to me through her actions. I was asked to return that love to her years later by reading to her at her bedside when she was over 100, blind, and bedridden. I was only 8. She always wanted to hold my hand. I guess that was the most she was willing to ask of me.
Do You, or Did you, Love your job or Career?
For some, working is a love affair of the heart, mind, and body. My husband, Bruce, was a German teacher of high school students and he loved the job and his students. He showed them that love every day by paying attention to them and listening to them. He heard them. A box of thank-you notes collected over the years is a sweet reminder of how much he gave to his students. Our children, Molly and Andy (painted early in my art life), both have had careers in areas of passionate interest because they love what they do and have had the courage to follow their dreams.
Finding Love in Art
I haven't always been an artist. The road to painting was not easy for me. It was something that I pursued only after childhood, adolescence, adulthood, marriage and parenting. That's okay though. There is enough time no matter when I, or you, start. The hardest part was, and still is, starting. It's not just a feeling. To express this love of art takes actions and sometimes those actions seem like climbing high mountains. What else do I have to do now? I may as well spend my time loving what I do and doing what I love even if I hate what my hands are crafting at the moment! Yes, love means making a lot of mistakes, but going ahead anyway.
Until next time, I'll be fighting myself at the art table and loving it. Stay tuned!
Betsy
Comments