Monday, April 27, 2009

More art

People have often jokingly (and not so jokingly) said that I favor Sarah far more than I do Grace. I admit that on the public face of it, it seems that I write negative things about how Grace and I had a fight on one hand and Sarah did something good on the other hand. But, I try to hold off judgment on myself. Grace is (by fact of birth) at a different place in her development than Sarah was--and had I been regularly blogging during some of Sarah's earlier years, I am sure I would have spent much more time than it appears expressing my frustrations with her inability to hear me or react when I am asking for assistance with something, etc., etc.

And so, I also remember that the great glory and the greatest challenge with raising more than one child is that . . . there is more than one child. And it is not the same child. And the two or three children react differently to every situation. It is the glorious differences that makes having children so insane and yet so rewarding. In fact, this is the major reason that we decided to pursue Hannah (before we knew that she would exist for us as she does today). It was that possibility of new, of different, or unexpected. The richness and the depth that Hannah would bring to our family of four proved to be an attractive Possibility. Lynda and I imagined what our family might become with the addition of Someone New.

I write all of that as a way of staring to say that while I say that Grace is different, I am aware of the possibility of unequal treatment. And so, I want to try and give a bit of equal time to Grace tonight by celebrating her own piece of artwork that I discovered in her book bag tonight and am happy to share with you.




Grace drew this picture of a tree after her recent trip to Inniswoods Metro Garden. During a nature walk they pass trees that have been decorated with wooden face masks and some of the trees have been carved in by previous park-goers.

So, Grace's tree replicates the initial carving in that classic style--and she chose Lynda's and my initials. I love it so much and I was so surprised to see it when I was reviewing old papers that had accumulated in her school bag over the last week.

It'll definitely be getting its own frame and place of honor in the house somewhere. I hope that years from now I can look at it and remember the love that it symbolizes between Lynda and myself and that it was created by one of my girls. That makes it extremely special.

3 comments:

Dean said...

You are one lucky dad. Hopefully I'm as lucky with young Jonah.

Anonymous said...

That is amazing. My oldest is incredibly bright and wonderful, but when it comes to art I get page after page of Star Wars stick-figure battles.

Lulu

Papa said...

Two talented artists in the family. Hannah has a strong tradition to follow.