I wonder what Van Gogh did to channel his inspiration for Starry Night. I’ve loved this painting since I was a kid. Weird but true. Every time I’ve seen it I’ve been able to identify it as Starry Night. I think I know it well enough that I could spot a fake if I saw it.
He embellished it. He reinterpreted it and reimagined it. That’s the only way he could make the most beautiful picture in existence, the picture of the night sky… art.
It’s impossible to capture/describe/express something that God has already made perfect.
Think about it. You can’t truly describe a beautiful sunset. You can try. You could take a picture. But how many times do we say, “a picture doesn’t do it justice.” With the best camera and the perfect camera settings, you’ll never be able to see the full scene. You can’t see the full story. You could only see a snapshot.
That’s how I feel like it is, for me, every Mother’s Day. It’s overwhelming to even contemplate describing what God has perfectly made for Joel, Jamii, Justice and Jonathon. To celebrate her one day a year wouldn’t even make sense. That’s why we celebrate her year round… and again on Mother’s Day. Lol.
Lorena Ann Talone-Barnes, God made you a masterpiece. Your canvas and foundation of the piece is the the written word of God. Thats’s why many great works have been inspired by you. You made the decision to allow God to craft you with quality materials and a firm foundation.
The frame around God’s artwork is a boundary of protection that we have seen you fight for repeatedly. Things that were unhealthy for our family or hurt our family got set outside of those protective walls. You taught us that we don’t have to let anyone hurt us. More importantly it taught us that no one is allowed to ruin the art that God is doing to our own “peace”.
In you we see the sharp lines of fierceness for your your children. We see God’s soft brush strokes of compassion and empathy. All of God’s best mediums show up in your composition.
You are the perfect mom for the four J’s. The perfect grandma for your grand babies. A masterpiece. God’s masterpiece.
I could never accurately express what you have meant to me in this season. Even if I tried to embellish it, I wouldn’t do it justice. What I do know is that I couldn’t have made it without you. You, like the artist who made you, know what it is to have a son (children) suffer… soon you’ll also know what it is to have the story end in triumph.
Unlike the Starry Night, you are not finished… you are still a work in progress. I’ve watched you stay fluid and improve within the past few years. We’re all still, both, learning from you, studying you and in awe of you.
We love you ma. I hope we let you know that continuously and not just on Mother’s Day. Hopefully today is more of the day we share about you with the world vs. share what you mean to us. We want you to know it everyday and not just on one day.
We love you so much. Happy Mother’s Day Mommy!!
Maternal Masterpiece