There is a funny thing about artists – they don’t always see the beauty in what they create.  Can you believe that my mother thinks her work is average?  Oh, how I beg to differ.

The colors, the media, the words – she has drawn from so many places.  A deep, inner peace and love to take her feelings and capture them graphically.  I was amazed, here I was thinking that she only made cards!  These are much, much more involved and intimate.

I sometimes wonder why I feel so at peace behind the camera.  Where did the creative need stem from?  Why do I feel the need to share my work with others?  I received my answer that very day.  I realized that it’s in my blood.  It’s in all of us – our job is simply to find the creative outlet that shows our true spirit.

As I looked at my mother’s art journals, one piece stood out to me the most, which I will leave you with.  When my mother showed me this, I fell in love.  Maybe it’s her eyes or the curve of her lips.  I simply *love* her.

I have to admit that I was blown away, simply because I had no idea my mother was such an artist.  I hope that seeing these photographs of her work will convince her that she does, indeed, have a gift.

“What did you think I would be when I grew up?” I asked her.

Pause.

“You were very artistic.  You drew and painted very well.”

Pause.

Not the answer I expected.  Had she told me this years ago, what a difference it would have made in my life.  I always thought I had to go the practical, science and math route – which I did.  I was always praised for the paper I wrote, the A on my science test, the extra point I received in Math class.

If I had heard those words earlier, how different would my life be now?  What if I had not waited for permission to be who I am, to do the things my heart tells me to do?

The older I get, the more I realize it’s never too late.  It’s not too late to follow your dreams, to follow your passion, to do what you enjoy.  This is what I am finding out as I am on my own journey.  I’m not fighting “it” anymore – life doesn’t have to hard and full of struggle.  When you are doing what you love, there is peace and joy, and a calming love that nothing else can bring.

So don’t wait.  Don’t wait for someone to give you permission to be who you are.  Your heart will thank you.  I will thank you.  The world will  thank you and it will be a better place.  You’ll see.