2020 is obviously one of those unprecedented years that will be remembered for years to come as its twists and turns leave us gasping for breath and control. There has been much talk of the negative, but in its unprecedented-ness, I also see positive. I suppose seeing the positive in life is not my strong suit, but I’m learning that if you look hard enough, it is always there.
Even though 2020 is marked by a pandemic and a divided United States, 2020 also marks the birth of my 2nd niece, my brother getting married, special news with dear friends, and most exciting of all, God’s fulfillment of a promise He placed in our hearts over 8 years ago. As we packed up our little lives in Mulberry, Ashley and I wanted to host a farewell. In typical Ashley and Louis fashion, we did not want a run-of-the-mill good-bye party; we wanted to make something special. We wanted to give a gift.
If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you can probably assess that Mulberry has represented a wilderness in our lives. It was a training ground filled with triumphs and hardships and stories and friends and depression and hope. It was home, but not a forever home. It was always going to be temporary. I challenged myself at the start of 2020 to paint 10 original paintings. I did not realize they would be the last paintings I would do while living in Mulberry. I did not know we would leave in the 10th month of the year. In talks with Ashley, we decided we would show the paintings exhibit-style. Ashley also had a project she wanted to complete: the people of Mulberry. She would take images of those who had made a mark on us, those who came to say farewell. Put the two together, and you have “The Trees that Made Us.” As the paintings were framed by the trees, we are also framed by the beautiful people who made us who we are today.
Trees are only as strong as their roots; I am grateful for the roots God gave us in Mulberry. We are stronger because of them.
Below are some images of “The Trees that Made Us.”