and that in turn another until who knows where the trembling stops
or in what far place my touch will be felt!"
- Fredrick Buechner
And it's absorbing her so beautifully. She's at the hospital taking care of her baby girl Georgia twice a day, three to four hours per shift. The main activity of her time there is something they call "skin on skin" time. It is such a beautiful thing to see.
Because Georgia is a "preme" (She was 1 lb. 13 oz. at birth!) the nurses have suggested that the baby and mother must "connect" as this is a necessary healthy thing to do for Georgia to develop normally. She must connect with another human being, preferably for many great reasons her own mother. Do this, they explained, and she will be much better adjusted child, she will develop faster, she will be smarter, she will overcome health challenges and on and on they went with the benefits of this particular activity. Well, Odia, as a mother was and is ready to sacrifice everything her child and began by doing two hour stints twice a day. Now with Georgia just over 4 weeks it's grown to three or four hours twice a day!
Is it making a difference? You bet it is! Mother and daughter are just glowing and doing great. Georgia is growing and gaining weight. I just heard via text just now that she weighed in at 3 lbs. 1 oz. today! Awesome.
Why am I telling you this on an "Art Blog" anyways you ask? Well, I'm at a crossroads. I've come into another phase of life. I need another passion to express and I have learned that it must come from the heart. Otherwise it will not go anywhere. I did try the "suspicion" thing but it did not take off for me. I tried a few pieces but I'm not happy with the results. In other words it didn't become a passionate heart thing for me. Mind you, I will keep a piece or two but I'll have to abandon it at least at this time.
I am realizing that what I need is a project with spiritual and faith roots. I'm doing other studies also and together with this "skin to skin" thing just clinches it. She is now demonstrating what I'm referring to as "human connectedness." The idea that we are humanly connected and cannot ignore it for it's what gives us life and health. We are a human family. And especially in the world of faith, we have that added element of being a "spiritual family" also. This means we all belong somewhere. More we must belong somewhere. Unless we "connect" and "belong" as humans we will live a very lonely and unhealthy life. In fact it will kill us.
Next I will try to discuss where I might be going with this concept in my art.
or perceive a sense of his own worth
until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror
of another loving, caring human being.”
― John Joseph Powell