Staatenlos

In my darkest of days, my pastor would remind me to “seek out the roses in the desert.” There were days I thought I’d faint and shrivel up looking for them and was convince I’d settle for the scent of the rose. I’ve become more adept at finding them over the years but there have been occasions when the sandstorms were pretty high and I couldn’t see at all for the stinging stones that filled my eyes.

Recently, I reported to him that at that particular moment, there were so many roses that  there was almost no visible sand. Full of joy, and riding high, I was blindsided again by Murphy’s Law and an apparent force relentlessly stirring up storms and raising sand. I was in the midst of a spiraling downward, confidence somewhat broken when I popped in the video that came yesterday.

My sister was asking her grandchildren (whom I also had never met) what they’d like to say to Aunt Rose when one of them broke into a chorus chanting “I love Aunt Rose.” Next she asked them what it was that they loved about Aunt Rose. They wrestled to come up with answers that would describe their feelings and   some of the responses were, “she’s nice”, “she sings to us on the telephone”, “she makes grandma smile.” The one that moved me most was the wee one that said “because she loves God.”

As I looked into the children’s cake smudged faces,  I recognized I’d been blessed with the most beautiful bouquet!

It’s often thought that people  pass on talents or affinities through DNA . Then there are aberrants who become masters of their craft seemingly out of the blue. Alas, here the nature versus nature theorists come into play. As a frustrated artist, then, any of these explanations could account for my childrens affinity for visual, technical and performing  arts. Both have chosen to pursue creative careers.

It was fascinating to me when during my brief encounter with my biological mother, she sent me a photo of a picture she painted and told me of her love for the arts. My sister has sent me several gifts that she handcrafted  including a sculpture that she made representing the bond we are building between the two of us. Nothing could have prepared me for what I experienced yesterday I viewed her latest video. There on the screen was a framed leaf she referred to as an “elephant leaf” on which she had vividly painted a parrot. I was awed.

Today my package from my sister arrived. There was a video and hand made flannel pajama pants inside. The PJs have multicolored hearts. They look like mini versions of the pastel candy hearts with little sayings on them that are ever popular for Valentine’s Day. The videos included recent celebrations and a walk through the state park at Roaring River.  I haven’t met her yet in person. For a little over a year now, we’ve been communicating via phone and exchanging gifts in an effort to become better acquainted.

Her son is geting married and I was  asked to put put the wedding music together. I won’t be attending the ceremony since its the day before I plan to leave for Germany. On the surface, an observer would consider us to be polar opposites. We are always amazed at the subtle and blaring similaties we’ve uncovered. We have grown to have a deep respect and appreciation for one other.