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The
Story of Mike
This portrait
was done in soft pastels for the parents of Mike after he died suddenly
of pancreatic cancer. I spent several nights toiling over this portrait,
making sure I captured his spirit essence and likeness. His best
friend, and a very good friend of mine as well, did most of the critiquing.
It was hard for both of us, especially because we had to look into his
eyes and study his every feature either from the photos I was working with
or the portrait itself as it progressed. Mike had the most stunning
blue eyes and mild manner. He was liked by so many people,
visitation at the funeral went on and on. After the portrait was
completed, it was displayed in the news paper and at his Memorial Dinner
the following year. ..Before
Mike died, his parents asked that he send them a sign after he passed to
let them know he was OK. The sign they chose was an owl. It
was only a matter of days after his death that an owl appeared in the most
unusual place--on the golf course where they were golfing, in a nearby
tree! When his parents saw the owl, they were amazed and to this
day they know that Mike is safe and that there is surely a God and a Heaven!
After the story was told to me about the owl, I said to myself, if ever
I have a loved one who I know is about to die, I will ask that they send
me a sign once they pass, to let me know they are OK and in Heaven with
God.
The
Story of Annie
Then, a couple of years later, one of my lifelong best friends, Annie,
passed away with lung cancer on the morning of Good Friday, April 14, 2006.
I had asked her to show me a sign when she passed, like a hummingbird in
my yard, to let me know that she was OK, but when she died on Good Friday,
the day Jesus died on the Cross, it was the most precious and perfect
of all signs, and the only one I will ever need to let me know that she
is at peace with God in Heaven. Even so, I believe I had another
sign because that night, I looked out my glass sliding door and walked
out onto my deck to see the most beautiful clear sky, with stars and a
full moon glowing through the bare mighty branches of the majestic oak
trees. The night air was calm and of a perfect temperature and the
moon, which has always held special meaning to me, was radiant with light.
Ann left behind a young child, and the song she picked for her funeral
was one that was to make her son not cry and know she was in a better place.
The song she picked, "When I get to Where I'm Going," is written below:
Annie's Moon, April 14, 2006, Good Friday
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