For Love's Sake

     My daughter and I did this painting a couple of weeks ago at a Painting with a Twist.  We’ve done paintings before together, and I know I’ve done at least 10 or more paintings, it is always great fun.  There was only one time I didn’t have fun because I really loved the painting and wanted mine to be perfect like the teacher’s, the teacher even mentioned how uptight I was and it took me awhile to actually love that particular painting, but I have come to appreciate what it means to me.  As you can see, my daughter’s painting is beautiful, her heart perfect, her letter perfectly centered, and mine, well it is mine.  I have never been a perfectionist, oh, I’ve tried, but it’s not for me.  I am sure that is why I have had jobs where perfection is not the top quality, let’s say like brain surgery or rocket science. There are many others who are much more suited for those types of jobs, and enjoy them, whereas, me, not so much.  On this painting, I did ask the teacher if I could have colors to make my letter purple, because it originally was black, and after grumbling a little, he did give me red and blue and advised how to get the color I wanted.  I had a specific place in mind for this painting in our bedroom as our bedspread is a dusty purple with some cream and our walls are a cream color so I knew it would be fabulous in there. 

     Last weekend I met up with some friends and we saw an Andy Warhol type painting of an English Bulldog.  My friends have an English Bulldog and they were discussing where they might be able to buy a painting like it.  I mentioned they could paint their own at a Painting with Twist class, they often have classes where you can paint your pet.  You send them a picture of your pet and they outline it and then give you the colors and instruction to do it.  I did one of my yellow lab Annie, who was one of my favorite pets of all time.  While we were discussing this, the gentleman blurted out, “So Shannon, what happened to your heart?”, making a comment about the recent painting I did.  We are Facebook friends, so they both saw it.  I laughed and said, “I love my heart, it reminds me of when I tried to make one out of a grapevine”.  I knew he was trying to make fun of me, but I didn’t take the bait.  Or I thought I didn’t.  I woke up this morning, still thinking of his comment, so obviously I was bothered by it in some way, although this person’s opinion really has nothing to do with my life.  So, I pondered, why is my heart shaped the way it is?  These thoughts came to me, my daughter is going to be 26 this year, and has been married a little under a year.  Of course, her heart is perfect.  I, on the other hand, am 55, been married for almost 34 years, and have had 2 children, too many pets to count, several houses, jobs, moves etc, all the fun things life has to bring.  So, my heart has been broken, repaired, stretched to its limit (but I doubt that), and has grown so much bigger to encompass all this it is.  I would like to think that the experiences I have been through (good or bad, my choice of perception) have allowed my heart to grow so big that it can receive and send love in any situation.  I am currently not working at a job, so am home most of the day.  My husband will come home and ask me, “What did you do today?”, and I sometimes cheekily answer, “Saved the world from mass destruction.”, but I think I will now answer, “I loved. I sent so much love out today, that someone, somewhere, felt it, acknowledged it, and maybe, just maybe it helped them take that one more step, whatever that step may be for them.  That they understood that something, someone out there sent them love for no other reason than for Love’s sake."