Tuesday, May 06, 2008

this, i gave to her


My best friend's baby shower was this weekend, as you well know. It is with great joy that I finally reveal the "big" present I gave her, the one that happily brought her to tears, the one that comes from my heart, and from the heart of someone an ocean away, an artist I found via Full Instrumental: Flossy-p.


Here, bits to honor: the family, the river, the bluffs, the long haul truck. The sounds that come from within, the ways in which we hold each other captive, captivate. The details of our lives: tattoo, nose ring, wedding flowers. The way we can list our lives like this and notice how much each moment means, what is symbolic. The paper boats remind us of a thousand paper cranes, a wedding wish. The color turquoise. The figures in shadow. The slope of a dog's muzzle. The way art can take your breath away, no matter what the circumstance.

Stand back. Drink it all in. This is a moment in our lives we want to hold close to our hearts. In a month and a half, Kelly will be a mother. I will be an aunt. We will witness the shifting of lives, the way birth is a miracle, know why people say it over and over. We will be forever changed.

4 comments:

EWH said...

Oh. It's breath-taking. What an extraordinary gift.

KeLL said...

Your post made me cry all over again (tears of happiness, of memories, of futures). I absolutely love this painting. Richard loves it to and wanted to hang it first thing Monday morning, but didn't dare without my approval. =)
I cannot thank you enough for this beautiful gift. And I'll probably cry everytime I look at it. I can't wait to show Baby FermaNels the painting and explain every intricate detail to him. Show him what family is and how much he is loved and wanted.

Molly said...

Oh, I am so glad Richard likes it too! I was a bit nervous about it since boys tend to not get excited about this sort of thing. :)

I love what you say about family. Show him what family is... aw. I know that we are family to each other, without the bond of genetics, but I hadn't heard it put that way, hadn't truly thought that there is a new member of my very own family on the way. I had been thinking that staying with you would be something for YOU, but I'm realizing it's for him too. For my nephew that I will love for all of my life and his.

michelle said...

i teared up at the shower. i teared up reading the post and now again reading both of your comments.

i've never encountered a friendship like the two of you have - it's amazing :)