I really thought she threw it away.

Since we had to be up at the crack of dawn for our race, Kim and I stayed night at my BFF's house in KC last night. I took the couch and had the pleasure of overhearing Mallory's ice-cream-man style lullabies. I could not sleep so I snuck down into the basement and surfed the 'net for awhile. On my way back to the couch I passed something I thought was long gone: My first oil painting EVER!

Painted in 1995, this one was sheer blood, sweat and tears. I clipped an AP photo out of my professor's paper, she taped it upside down to my easel and told me to paint it. I painted the whole thing upside down. What a pleasant shock it was when I finally turned it right side up! I still remember the empowerment that came from that first assignment. (Some time I'll blog about the genius thought behind my professor's assignment.)

I have taken photographs of all of my paintings now for several years, but I missed photographing the early ones. I have been after Jen for YEARS to get me a digital photo of this piece. Awhile back it occurred to me that maybe Jen had decided to pitch the painting or to donate it to a thrift shop. I got a little sad when I reasoned it was likely why Jen hadn't sent me a photo of it. But then I decided that it was a gift and it probably wasn't as good as I remembered it...and I was okay with it's fate.

SO, you can imagine my absolute shock when at 2:00am this morning, I looked up and saw this against the wall. How could I have thought she would have thrown it away?

I think the whole scenario sadly runs parallel to our friendship over the years. Jen has been a good friend. There have been times when I have tried to scare her off because I knew I wasn't capable of being a good friend. She just sticks around. I keep trying to get it together and I usually miss the mark. I keep giving her reasons to drop our friendship, but she just keeps loving me and accepting me. There have been so many times when she has cared more for me than I have even cared for myself.

I am so glad Jen has my first oil painting ever. *sobbing*




Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them:
"Sing to the LORD,
for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
he has hurled into the sea."