The kids and I were invited to attend the Art Supply’s annual holiday party.  We spend so much time browsing the shop that I suppose we may as well be a part of the staff, but since we aren’t, it was so nice to be included.

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As I’ve mentioned here before, Pattie and Richard are like family to me. I worked at their shop for a couple of years before I met Vernon and moved away. Richard still chuckles as he remembers my saying:” This is the longest job I’ve ever had!”  Sad, but true.  I recall the first time I went to one of the staff dinner parties in the Herdell’s home. I saw their magical back yard and promptly asked if I could get married there one day. I didn’t even have a boyfriend at the time. A few years later, I was getting married in their back yard.

But Pattie has done more for us than including us in the holiday festivities and hosting a wedding in her backyard. She’s allowed us to use their space for our fundraiser, which is generous enough. On top of that, she has been footing the bill for all the art supplies we buy at the shop. No wonder we are there all the time, right? No wonder I’m always making stuff, right? I understand that most people in my position would do well to stay creative, but without access to supplies, that can feel like a luxury.  I don’t look at at-making as a luxury, but a necessity…and the longer we are on this recovery-path, the stronger I feel about it. Pattie has made it so that we can get all the tools we need, without feeling guilty or having to re-prioritize our spending. (I say WE because I’m taking the kids down this path with me too.)

It’s a big deal. This is soul-saving stuff. Not just for me..but the kids.  I’m grateful…to have people like this in my life! I’m grateful that we have the freedom to make art. These are the things I love about my life. I am truly, truly blessed.

I realized tonight, as I walked around the Herdell’s home, how many pictures I have around their house. Little gifts I’ve given Pattie over the years: paintings of teapots, shoes, birds….mostly birds. Tonight, I gave her another that hopefully shares a little of my current heart.

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If you can’t see, this is what it says:

“I am grateful for what I am and what I have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” Henry David Thoreau

 

 

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