He didn’t paint it for me; my son painted it for my mother-in-law, Carol. From Colin’s earliest days, Carol would sit with him at her breakfast table and watch the birds flying in and out of the back yard. It meant enough to Colin that he asked her for a backyard bird guide when he was seven. Because Carol noticed the beauty of birds, Colin did, too. For Christmas a few years before Carol died, Colin painted this tile for her.

When Carol died, the painting came back – a reminder of love and time spent together appreciating the beauty and grace just outside the window. Such a simple, powerful, life-changing act, this giving. How immeasurably richer life is because of such things.
We just spent a weekend with our grandchildren–and this morning there was a blue jay at the window feeder–the kind that attaches to the window with suction cups, so the birds are literally looking into your window.
I can imagine how powerful that connection was between Colin and his grandmother…because we are very aware that we are creating those deep connections with these kids. I love that the painting was done by the grandson for the the grandmother–the return of the gift. Colin had internalized it, and it had become his own, something he could now give away. That’s a great legacy for Carol.
I think so, too – and your grandchildren’s lives will be richer for the time spent with you and Pam. Peace, Johnna