Lean on Me: a work of love

I finished the work for the Pink Ribbon Ladies fund raiser. It has been varnished and I am waiting for it to "cure" before I release it into the world. Strange, I feel like the work is a child of mine. There was some tension as I was working through the composition and the first stages of the painting/collage. But then the work started taking on a life of its own and happily I was able to bring it to its finished stage. I think I have been able to translate my feelings into the work so in my mind, I am happy with it. You see, I have two friends, who are the best of friends, that were an inspiration for the work. The broader emotions and sentiments are geared toward women's friendships (as I described below) but as I continued to work on this piece, I realized that these two women are Michelle and Jean. Funny how things like that happen, how your subconscious is always working overtime. Michelle is Jean's best friend. As long as I have known them, they have always been there for one another. Each leads a busy life...a typical American family life, each with children, each with a home, each with a strong faith...always there for one another as their children grow, always there for one another as each struggles with their own demons, always there. And then something happens that makes that friendship stronger, that makes that friendship precious and now not taken for granted, something that brings each closer to God...Breast cancer strikes. It does not discriminate...especially if it runs in your family. Although this cancer had the potential to rip their friendship apart, it did not win. Jean has recovered from this cancer but her journey was long and still continues. Her bright eyes tell a story of strength and weakness, of triumphs and failures, of lost faith and hope, of hate and love...and Michelle was there for her, holding her hand, crying, cleaning, cooking, listening, and loving. I guess their story affected me in more ways than I understand. How could I not be influenced by such a strong friendship. I am grateful to Michelle for this opportunity to search my soul for inspiration and for translating that to the "canvas." What a powerful exercise. I feel that in my own, small insignificant way, that I have contributed to a worthy endeavor. I hope and pray that we find a cure....

God bless you both, your courage, love, and friendship have shown me what is truly important. I hope I can slow down and be a friend once again....

k