The Good and The Bad

I apologize for not writing in awhile. I’ve been dealing with a lot of things, some bad some good.

I am going to be going in for surgery on Apr. 26th to remove a lump under my right arm. While the doctor seems pretty confident that it’s nothing to worry about, this is my first surgery and I’m naturally pretty nervous about it. I’ve also recently had my air conditioner pronounced dead and with the summer months become closer and closer in sweltering Florida, it’s a pretty dismal situation. My friend Frank, see Flowers for Frank, has recently discovered that his cancer has come back. He has been enduring all manner of tests to try to discover exactly WHERE the offending cells are. Overall, all of these things have placed me in a pretty big funk. I’ve been working hard to try to change my outlook because I realize that in comparison to many in the world, my life is still pretty amazing, but it’s hard. It’s so easy to let these things get to us isn’t it?

I have managed to keep myself feeling pretty content by reminding myself that I am blessed to have ice cold water anytime I want as well as cold water to wash my face and body with if the heat becomes too unbearable. Think of all of the poor people in third world countries who suffer so terribly without these things! It’s good to keep things in perspective sometimes.

On a good note, I have joined a new and up-and-coming co-op in Los Angeles. I recently sent in my contract and am pretty excited to be a part of this venture. To see Marci as she creates this fun and whimsical shop, check out her facebook fan page.

I am finishing up some pieces and hope to share them with you very soon. Also, for the rest of this week you can save 15% off of everything in my etsy shop by entering the coupon code SPRING upon checkout.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

My finished piece for Frank.

This whole project has inspired me to begin an etsy store called Flowers4Frank. A percentage of the sales will go towards either Hugs and Kisses or the Chronic Disease Fund. Originally I wanted to use my art to help people with cancer pay for their treatment. Hugs and Kisses does just that. However, the Chronic Disease Fund is also good because it helps people with any chronic or life-altering disease. I'm still trying to determine which organization is better for what I am trying to do. I'm open to anyone's input or advice. My goal is to get other artists involved and dedicate a section in the store to each artist. In this way each artist would only need to produce 8-10 pieces max. Less burden on each artist and more items available to purchase which means more money for this cause. Still trying to work out the kinks and get others involved so that it really gets started with a bang.

Flowers for Frank

Every now and then you meet truly kind, amazing people. Sometimes in the most unlikely of places. My job usually consists of me catering to the whims of extremely entitled, narcissistic and wealthy people. Occasionally I'll meet truly kind and humble people and I see these encounters as blessings from God. These are the people that help me to maintain my faith in humanity. One of these blessings is Frank. He and his partner come in every other Saturday and put a smile on my face each and every time. It started years ago when they discovered through a colleague that I enjoyed Andrew Wyeth's work. They were fortunate enough to be able to see an exhibition in Atlanta and surprised me with a beautiful book of his work. Over the years I have learned more and more about them. Frank is an educator who spends his spare time performing as a clown and ventriloquist at kid's parties. He is also an avid gardener and has often surprised me with gorgeous blooms that he's clipped from his garden. Recently it was discovered that he has cancer. He has endured months of radiation and is now suffering terribly from the aftermath of this treatment. Only time will tell whether this treatment has worked or not. During these months I hadn't seen or heard anything from them and feared the worse. However, after the treatment was completed and Frank was well enough to go out, they came to visit again bearing yet another bloom from their garden. They've always been so kind to me that I have often wondered how I can repay them for their many thoughtful kindnesses. Recently it was brought to my attention that Frank is going to be celebrating his birthday at the end of this upcoming week. It's the perfect excuse for me to give them something and I've finally realized what I can give them. One time Frank had given me a gorgeous day lily and I had taken a million pictures of it as it opened. I've decided to do a painting of it for him. Hopefully it will be a lovely reminder of our friendship as well as a nice way for him to have his garden with him when he's not feeling well enough to go outside.