I remember walking on this beach and feeling so content. It had been over a year of infertility, and for once I wasn\u2019t wondering about whether this would be the month I finally see a positive test. Being on the beach was a reminder that I can choose where to put my attention. And in that moment, I was finally present again. Presence in this now moment is so healing. That\u2019s what has brought me peace in this journey and the lessons I\u2019ve shared in these works. The woman I was before my second loss, and the woman i am now are dramatically different. I know that the mother I would have been is different then the way i will show up as a wife and a mom now. It isn\u2019t that I\u2019m happy for the loss. It\u2019s not that I believe it was \u201cmeant to be\u201d. I don\u2019t believe that pregnancy loss happens for some divine purpose. But I choose to let my grief be an opportunity for reflection and growth. I choose each day to pick myself back up. To find the joy, the love and the peace until that peace started to come back on it\u2019s own. Difficult things inevitably change us, but we get to decide what that change is. We choose where to put our energy, how we define ourselves, how we approach life, and what feelings we identify with. This piece is about the strength to soften into life.<\/p>\n
Symbolism: There is a distortion at the top of the piece where the beach is sideways. This painting starts with the life altering event. It shows how life looks unexpected at times, forces us off balance. The stark transition where the beach becomes the sky again is meant to show how quickly we become someone new as our lives unfold. Theres the you before and the you after any big life event. Sometimes the difference is subtle and sometimes more dramatic, but you choose what this new version looks like.<\/p>\n
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the Becoming
\n12\u201dx26\u201d
\nAcrylic on Hand-Carved Poplar wood<\/p>\n
Nature Diaries:<\/em> Painting 5\/100 In the Becoming<\/em> explores that there is a version of us before grief and an entirely new version of us after. Difficult things inevitably change us, but we get to decide what that change is. We choose where to put our energy, how we define ourselves, and what feelings we identify with. Who do you choose to be today? Full story and symbolism in the description below.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":2569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","content-type":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[47,46],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-2542","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-chapter-1","product_cat-nature-diaries","first","instock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nChapter 1: “I Carried You” Painting 5\/5<\/p>\n