About two decades ago, I began writing a collection of personal essays reflecting on life experiences, relationships, and milestones, with the intention of publishing them someday. When my son, Ari, learned of this project, he enthusiastically offered to illustrate each essay. We both embraced the idea wholeheartedly—Ari was an extraordinary artist, overflowing with spontaneity and boundless creativity. However, life had other plans, and Ari passed away in 2020.
Today, I am bringing our envisioned project to life with my series "This is the Book We Never Wrote, a 'book' of artworks, each symbolizing one of my essays, with carefully selected excerpts subtly woven into the background. The 'chapters' of this book delve into themes of forgiveness, love, friendship, and healing. Throughout this creative journey, I have felt Ari's presence, cheering me on and guiding me.
While my goal is to present seven artworks that visually represent my essays, I also hope to convey a deeper narrative of resilience and growth in the face of unimaginable loss.
"Not Your Mother's Sisterhood" was inspired by my essay on forging friendships in my new life on St. Thomas, USVI. A group of women welcomed me the first time I attended worship services at the island’s temple and immediately invited me to join the congregation’s Sisterhood. I was skeptical, based on my perceptions of Sisterhood groups I recalled from my mother’s day. What I found was a thousand times more. Yes, this group did good deeds in the community, and I was happy to be part of that. But the real gift was the friendships I built during this pivotal time in my life. I will be forever grateful for finding and loving my ‘sister-friends.’
To learn more about this work and see the entire series, CLICK HERE
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