A big part of this page, aside from the joy and exhilaration, is the necessity of waiting, or learning that sometimes we have to wait – one of the very important lessons of life!

Talking about the picture:

Which star child feels a little uneasy about the rainbow slide?

How do you think you would feel?

This illustration is the delight of my heart. It connects me to my paternal grandmother, who was a beautiful artist and poet. When I was little, she had sent a little painting of seven colts, frolicking and frisking down a rainbow. Imagine! Colts! They were so perfectly drawn – so very alive and absolutely embodied  playful ‘coltishness’ to perfection! I never forget that picture, and feel this childish but molten memory is a gift from my grandmother.

She had gone to art school in Oslo, but married a dairy farmer from a small village in central Norway – and thus was constantly constrained by the need for hard physical work. She scarcely had time for her creative output. Not only that, but money was scarce, and it was difficult to find the material support for paints and boards to paint on.

I remember her saying once (in Norwegian, of course,) ‘I feel I’ve been tied to the rear-end of a cow my whole life! When I milk the cows, I have a little notebook in my apron pocket, so I can write if inspiration should come.’ I saw her little notebook, grimy and dog-eared. But she found ways to give the expressions of her heart a path into the world.

Thank you, Farmor! Bless your lovely soul!!

(‘Farmor’ is Norwegian for grandma, meaning specifically father’s mother.)

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