"Restless Spirit," 30x36 inches, July 2012
On the very first day I readied my parent’s home for sale, I had the urge to begin in their bedroom closet—a space no more than 3 feet square. A space where I had hunted countless times trying to find things my mom had misplaced.
My dad had died three years before, my mom had moved to assisted living. I knew their home like the back of my hand and I was tasked with getting it ready for sale.
The first thing I picked up was a shoebox, no different from the 10 others that surrounded it—until the letters spilled out. Hidden for more than 50 years in this cardboard sanctuary was a collection of love & memorabilia that floored me: an exchange of letters waxing on about their longing to wed, a copy of their wedding invitation, a hand scrawled menu of their modest reception. It was a beautiful find—especially since I experienced their relationship as fraught with bickering. What a gift to know that they shared passion & romance.
My dad had died three years before, my mom had moved to assisted living. I knew their home like the back of my hand and I was tasked with getting it ready for sale.
The first thing I picked up was a shoebox, no different from the 10 others that surrounded it—until the letters spilled out. Hidden for more than 50 years in this cardboard sanctuary was a collection of love & memorabilia that floored me: an exchange of letters waxing on about their longing to wed, a copy of their wedding invitation, a hand scrawled menu of their modest reception. It was a beautiful find—especially since I experienced their relationship as fraught with bickering. What a gift to know that they shared passion & romance.
That might have been enough--but this treasure was uncovered on my parent’s wedding anniversary. Here I sat, in their closet—where I had been thousands of times—reading love letters about their wedding that took place on the exact date some 60 years prior. I was filled with emotion and the belief that my father guided me to find these letters on this anniversary date. I felt his spirit.
Psychologist Carl Jung’s coined the word synchronicity to describe what might be considered a meaningful coincidence. Deepak Chopra has written an entire book on the subject: this interconnection we share in fleeting moments. Enter “Restless Spirit”—the artwork that I finished last night. My expression of my continued connection with my dad.
Lately, I have felt these connections after waking from a fitful sleep and having a strong sense of my father’s presence. I don’t know if it is wishful thinking, vivid dreams or my brain processing his presence in a way that I can’t when I am fully awake. I like to think it is the latter.
I do not know which of us is the restless spirit, me or my dad, but my art speaks to a belief that there is more in this wonderful life than I can possibly understand or even perceive—and that in being open to the possibilities, I bring wonder and magic into my life.
In sharing this art and this rather outside the box journey, I encourage you to be open to those things that may seem ordinary on the outside, but hold treasure beyond words. Listen in the quiet as there may be sounds that cannot be heard in the busy-ness of a day. And I share Rumi’s profound words in “Restless Spirit,” “There are other things to see and hear…a beautiful city inside your soul.”
As I head off to the yoga studio to find my quiet moment, I wish for you to find your shoebox and perhaps gentle spirits to serenade your day-- Namaste
Psychologist Carl Jung’s coined the word synchronicity to describe what might be considered a meaningful coincidence. Deepak Chopra has written an entire book on the subject: this interconnection we share in fleeting moments. Enter “Restless Spirit”—the artwork that I finished last night. My expression of my continued connection with my dad.
Lately, I have felt these connections after waking from a fitful sleep and having a strong sense of my father’s presence. I don’t know if it is wishful thinking, vivid dreams or my brain processing his presence in a way that I can’t when I am fully awake. I like to think it is the latter.
I do not know which of us is the restless spirit, me or my dad, but my art speaks to a belief that there is more in this wonderful life than I can possibly understand or even perceive—and that in being open to the possibilities, I bring wonder and magic into my life.
In sharing this art and this rather outside the box journey, I encourage you to be open to those things that may seem ordinary on the outside, but hold treasure beyond words. Listen in the quiet as there may be sounds that cannot be heard in the busy-ness of a day. And I share Rumi’s profound words in “Restless Spirit,” “There are other things to see and hear…a beautiful city inside your soul.”
As I head off to the yoga studio to find my quiet moment, I wish for you to find your shoebox and perhaps gentle spirits to serenade your day-- Namaste
