My Daughter the Artist.

If you open my Bible to page 25 and look toward the bottom right quadrant of the page, you'll see blue ballpoint pen scribbles across Genesis chapter 22. It's one of the reasons I've resisted getting a new Bible even though the pages are falling out and I have to be careful to tuck a section of Matthew back in as I close it. Somewhere around twenty years ago, one of my children drew on those pages. I'm thinking it was Catherine. She usually had a pen or marker in her hand. Now these days it's a paintbrush filled with oil colors gliding across a canvas.

This same scribble-maker just had her first solo show and this Mama couldn't be more proud. She has done nineteen paintings of the history of Judson College for their 175th anniversary celebration. You can see them at http://jclegacyproject.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/fine-art-prints/
and her website at http://catpope.com/


Sending her to school in Alabama was one of the hardest things we've had to do as parents. Somewhere deep inside I knew she'd be gone from my nest. My all-grown-up daughter now lives with her wonderful husband of two years in Alabama, but even with her being so far away, she and I have connected on a level we never had while she was living at home.

Painting had always been "Mom's thing" and, though I encouraged her, she really didn't find art more than a hobby. Something must have happened at college to turn her focus to the art that was inside her just waiting to burst out. I'm so glad it did. Now we talk about art, critique each others work, commiserate over failed attempts, and rejoice in each others triumphs. It's a strong, thick thread that runs through our whole family on both sides, and now we all can see it will continue on.

Thank you, Catherine, for digging deep and letting God express the creativity He's designed there. And thanks for being a great encouragement to me to keep going forward in art no matter what.
Love,
Mom