
I cried when I purchased my
First grey dress. All the way home.
The clerk at the store said
'You look so lovely in grey
With your hair color, my dear.' And she smiled a trying smile.
Grey was my mother's choice,
When I knew her last.
First was blue, in her youth,
Which I never wore,
Then grey.
My colors used to be
Dramatic red, chilling black
And dazzling white.
That was then, when
I thought it was important
To be intrepid.
Now my closet is filled with shades
Of winter clouds. Even some of the walls
Where I live are a light vapor of sorts.
I've learned to appreciate the
Softness. The neither here nor there.
No sharpness or glare.
Restraint, possibly even elegance.
Unpolished silver.
Grey, the color of cooing doves
And of elderly women.
Is it conceivable, even probable that
I now understand my Mother
Just a shade more?
Susan Patterson
Audio for Seeing the World
Through Smoke Colored Glasses
Discussion:
But that is not what this poem is about. It is about shifting to thinking with a different paradigm or perspective. I now see things and think about things, differently from what I used to. It is not better. It is not worse. It is different. I know things now that I am older that my mother knew as she grew older. Seeing things as she did brings a whole new world of appreciation to me.
Sometimes it takes a while to gain the type of knowledge or appreciation that can be transforming. God knows that I still don't know all that much, really. But I am pretty sure that I know, that I don't know. It is better than not knowing and thinking that I do know. 😊
Best chocolate candy?
Let Me Introduce an Artist
The first artist that I will introduce you to is Reneé Healy, www.reneehealy.com
Renee lives in Washington State and offers fine art watercolors and mixed media originals and prints. I first met her in West Linn, Oregon a few years ago. When I saw her artistry, I walked into her booth and knew right then and there that she was all about healing. Don't know why, but that is what I felt. Her work is very engaging and beautifully colorful. It is playful at times and other times dramatic. Reneé paints outside the lines of tradition and inside the standard of elegance. I have several of her smaller originals. Take a look at her website and see what you think. skp