Apr 5, 2011

a gift given ... giving again


last weekend at a local music production
i was delighted to see my dear friend becky chinn

becky and i met years ago while taking a watercolour painting class together.

this gentle soul, with equally gentle brush strokes
fills my heart at every meeting ...
in herself she is a gift to me

as a classical violinist and teacher
she shares her gifts of music
and art with many

after we embraced, she excitedly asked if i had seen her painting in the foyer ...
go see, she said ... go see!

{the foyer held a gallery of local art work}

i slipped back out to look, but her work wasn't hanging ...
her little watercolour painting was sitting on a table
with a note beside it

the story on the note goes something like this ...

when becky was 10 years old, she had a little japanese friend
who gave her a set of japanese stacking, or nesting dolls
as a gift

time passed and the two young girls, now women, lost touch ...

when tragedy struck japan march 11th
becky felt a strong urge to reconnect to her friend,
to find her gift of long ago ...

she wasn't sure when she went searching
if these dolls had survived
her two daughters playtimes

but ... she did find them ...
in tact ~ paint still as vibrant
as she remembered.

and then she did what becky does ...
she picked up her paint brush
and painted lovely little studies

she made prints
and was offering them that evening for ten dollars each
in efforts to raise funds to help
the people of japan ...

her little friends gift 
given to her
is giving again.

the seal is becky's chinese signature stamp


every day
there are gifts
about us that reach
further than we can imagine

xo

.


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10 comments:

kelly@thebluemuse said...

what a beautiful story, you brought tears to my eyes. that was truly a gift.

Artful Gathering said...

What an amazing woman.....you are lucky/blessed to know her. Thanks for sharing.

Anna said...

A lovely story and reminder to us all to give as well as receive! Giving has such wonderful power.

Maude Lynn said...

That is so lovely!

denise balyoz said...

aeleen, what beautiful artwork, and what a touching story. thank you for sharing. xxo

ELK said...

i am not surprised .. what a generous spirit..and a beautiful watercolor

Jamie said...

What a beautiful and inspiring story.

Marcie said...

Love this! Such a beautiful story. A true testament to what comes around goes around..and how a gift can keep on giving!

Anonymous said...

Hello Prairie Girl,
Becky is my sister. She told me about her nesting dolls painting and the fund raising, but I hadn't seen the image until now. Thank you! It's beautiful. Your words are beautiful and kind.
--Laura

Indianapolis Drapery said...

Hii thanks for posting this