i’m about to get on the road for wisconsin for a two week visit. it’s an 8 hour drive that i’ve done countless times from st. louis to be with my family. this time it’s during a pandemic. this time it’s by myself. this time i’m more anxious than normal. this time it’s needed more than ever.

last trip was for my birthday and i revealed [realized?] what a milestone turning 36 was for me. i snuck a personal twist into the stone house story because … well honestly … it unexpectedly came pouring out of me once i pieced together facts surrounding harvey’s passing. i did not expect the impact of acknowledging something so deeply vulnerable out loud.

i’m blossoming in unexpected ways and want to share a blooming idea that sent my heart and head into a full bird tailspin.

my journey has included many steps [oh sooooo, sooo many] that i often lose sight of where i’m going. my brain is programed to see the big picture – the whole vase of flowers verses a single stem. the absolute most surprising growth has come from drawing with my mom. it’s been a source of pure joy while surrounded by uncertainty and pain.

when this pandemic started, casey shared a random thought about how in hostage situations they encourage the victim to find moments of consistency to rely on. i hate to imply that social distancing is the same category as being held captive but there is truth to needing something to look forward to when you are surrounded by unknowns.

this was after we had decided to draw daily. we didn’t even realize we were giving all of us (my mom, me, my dad AND casey) something to look forward to.

i stumbled on this article and sent it to my dad: How Rituals and Focus Can Turn Isolation Into a Time for Growth. my parents are facing a lot during this time and in retirement. when i sat back, i realized that i’m enjoying the consistent routine of drawing – for the first in my life.

These harrowing times are taking an emotional toll … But there are ways to make this period of self-quarantine now only endurable but rewarding.

By Arthur Kleinman, Wall Street Journal

so i want to capture one of the most meaningful drawings that my mom and i created which inspired an amazing idea that i also need to say out loud.

april 29th was my mom’s 72nd birthday. my sister, q, had arrived earlier in the day with a bouquet of flowers.

daffodils.

one of the happiest flowers in my humble opinion. [also makes me think of the talking flowers in alice and wonderland … anyone else?]

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it was obvious that we would need to draw them. [we ended up drawing them twice. hence the picture at the top.]

for the first session, my dad found a vase and set up a still life for us on the stove … which had to be moved to the table because he’s dealing with two picky ladies. thanks dad.

this would be our 15th drawing together. [if i stop and smell the roses, i’m pretty sure that’s the age i first told my parents that nothing good happens in life after the age of 35.]

my mom and i learned right away that even though we are often looking at the same thing: we see it differently, we start in different places, we capture different moments.

often the result is wonderful
and for these specific daffodils…
it was magical.

she zoomed in on the petals and stuck with outlines.
i captured the whole vase, petite and isolated on the page.

both were beautiful in their own right.
and they worked together.

my mom’s reaction when she saw my drawing – as we sat there wearing the same color blue: “oh! these need to be framed next to one another!”

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i could not agree more, mom.

that’s the plan.

[ahem, this is a storytelling technique called foreshadowing]

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there’s one more petal to toss …

maybe the best part is that q had picked the daffodils from harvey’s gardens which she now tends to with immense pride.

she even quizzed our family on a text thread about how many varieties they counted on the property… can you guess?

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pure joy.

great enthusiasm.

and bird therapy.