A Woman Of Substance!

I am not sure why, but this holiday season she keeps coming to my mind. She was like the wind; not the harsh wind that blew things away. But the gentle one that knew how to slide under the wings and give everyone it touched a gentle lift, just enough to get them going again.  She was and is Jayne!

Always smiling, in the six odd years that I knew her, not once did I NOT see her smile. She smiled through it all; her chemotherapies, the x-rays, the lab tests, the doctor appointments, the last days when she knew she was fading away and yet her attitude of looking at the abundance of good never left her.  

I met her for the first time at the kindergarden introductory meetings. Her enthusiasm was infectious. It was almost viral. She taught me how to volunteer, how to look at the positive and not freak out at my son when he came with a B- or a C+ grade. I remember even today, we were sitting outside the first grade classroom, and she was picking on sweet peppers like they were candy and it was just two moms yakking away when I mentioned, wish my kid could read as fast as his friends. She looked at me straight in the eye and said, "do you know your kid is the only one who raises his hand and says, he did not understand?"  I am thinking that's bad, right..she says, why, he is only 6 he has his whole life to learn to read so fast that no one can understand what he is saying, but he has only a few years to ask questions, soon he'll be a man and expected to know it all.  I was zapped, what she told me was so true and yes, I did back off and surprisingly, the more I calmed down, the faster my kid learnt.  Even today, she keeps me in check. 

She moved on to the heavens four months ago to stupid cancer. I hate cancer. The void continues to be there. She touched every life with her amazing love of life. She was a fighter, a believer and above all a friend. I feel blessed to have known her.  

She was a daughter, a wife, a mother, a friend and above all, she IS a woman of substance! 

Sunset evolves into a peacock. 

When I started this painting, I was wanting to make a sunset, I don't know when and why the brushes started moving towards blues and greens. And before I knew it a peacock was taking shape. After the first coat, as I was putting it away to dry a little, I got an FB update from Jayne's page, stating she loved peacocks and wanted to be remembered by them. At that point, I knew this painting was for her.  She loved the vibrant colors and pride of the bird. Jayne personified peacocks.

Jayne's peacock

I feel blessed that I was able to make this for her and give it to her too.

I know you're smiling down on us this holiday season. The heaven's are never going to be the same. They are going to party like never before.  We all love you and miss you!