Last week we lost a member of our extended family to COVID-19. While I wasn’t very close to this person, I’m still feeling the loss.
The closest I’ve come to death was nearly ten years ago, when I held my daughter as she took her last breaths. (I’m okay, there’s been lots of therapy and healing since then.)
But I wanted to pair this post with a “happy” painting on purpose, because I’ve learned a couple of things through the journey of grief.
One of them is that I believe our loved ones who have gone before us would want us to continue living.
Not just surviving (although there are seasons of grief that are just about surviving), but ultimately actually thriving.
I believe my daughter wants me to find joy and laughter, and that she wants me to make art that is so frivolously happy it almost seems excessive.
Because when we step into that joy and delight, we embrace what makes life worth living. And there’s no better way to honor someone that we have lost, than to live our time here on earth to the fullest.
This painting is becoming a favorite. It’s hanging in my home studio above my workspace, and I love staring at it, drinking in the colors and the light.
The title is “Mirth,” and it’s a reminder to me that joy and laughter will return.
