I painted this piece in the middle of 2021 – things felt…. well, tenuous.

Actually, the last few years have been rife with some form of upheaval. The previous presidential administration, January 6 insurrection, racial tension, climate change, spyware, COVID (and all the Karens that came out of the woodwork)…. Seriously, there’s been A LOT. 

Voice of Reason

Somewhere along the line, my cousin introduced me to the writings of Heather Cox Richardson. 

Ms. Richardson is an American History professor that launched a website https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/  that offers an email sign up (you can skip past it and read the content if you prefer). 

However, I signed up for her “Letters from an American”  messages – and in my inbox each morning I receive an email that pulls the previous day’s jumble of sound bites into a cohesive, comprehensive story.  Frequently, they include salient historical facts that provide a framework for truly understanding what has led us to this moment in time.

As stated on her About page, “Historians are fond of saying that the past doesn’t repeat itself; it rhymes. To understand the present, we have to understand how we got here.”

In reading her emails each morning, not only do I find myself feeling somewhat smarter but, I also am left feeling somewhat soothed.  There is a relief knowing there are people in this world that see the actions around us clearly and can shine a light of truth into the morass of conflicting messages.

Painting as Therapy

Along with reading Heather’s emails I sooth myself with painting.

When the feelings get to be too much, I research images to help me convey what I need to express.

Sometimes they are rather personal and cryptic. Other times they are straight forward -like “I Wanna Punch Something” and well, like this one. 

What this piece reminds me: that although there may be huge, scary changes ahead – my sparrow has wings. She has the skills necessary to take care of herself. 

Being reminded of this is a great help.