God Bless Graham

I have lost a friend.

Graham Harling died during the night between Monday and Tuesday of this week. Graham is the beloved husband of my dear friend Tereza. They live in South Africa. I have never met them, but I love each of them dearly.

I know Tereza from CCS. She tells of her life with Graham: celebrating their anniversary; enjoying visits from children and grandchildren; shopping in the nearby village; enjoying each other's company and having lunch at local restaurants.

Tereza is a wonderful portrait artist. You should do a Google search of Tereza Harling Art and see what comes up. She is famous. I've never met her, but I love her.

I've shared my joys and sorrows with her. She's shared her frustrations and expectations with me. And then Graham got very, very ill. He never bounced back from his surgery. One day, he had three months to live. Another day, it was down to one month. And then, two days ago, he died. I am very, very sad.


But I know that Graham is sitting at the banquet table in that far off place, sitting next to all the people I love and miss! He's a vegan, so I know the table is full of fresh fruit and roasted vegetables. He is smiling, and he feels good. He misses his Tereza. She misses him, but she know he is okay. I know he's okay. Dear Lord, please let his spirit live among those who will miss him on this earth!

Happy New Year...To Me!!

Tomorrow, August 21st, is my birthday. I thought I'd share some photos with you from the past year, just for the fun of it.

This was taken this aftenoon at Cournoier's Farm in Paxton, MA. They have the most wonderful, fresh vegetables in the world! I can't wait to try and paint this.

Let's not forget the horrid winter we experienced here in New England. UGH. It was a long one!

And how can I forget the wonderful trip we took to visit friends in Austin, TX in February? What fun, and such a great place to have good friends.

I had so much fun learning to draw and paint at the Worcester Art Museum! I'll be doing more of that, for sure.

I can't forget to mention how much Jonathan has grown during the last year, can I? Isn't he handsome and wonderful?

Oh, and when I was in Texas in February I got to meet my friend Malinda from CCS! We had a great time together - she's as crazy "live" as she is online!! Love you, Malinda!!

I'm trying to decide if I should take an "intense" acrylic painting class or learn about watercolors...I've really loved playing with watercolors the last few months, but love this acrylic landscape.

We're just a few days back to reality from our camping trip to Maine. It was so awesome. I miss the ocean so much! Wonderful times with incredible people, with so many great memories.

And so there's a "picture" of my year. This year is going to be a good one, I just feel it in my bones. Stay tuned for more information.

Thanks for looking!

XO