Journey into My Imagination
It was killing me to do this, but I had to hurt him so that he would go on with his life. “I don’t love you, Ryan, not that way. I won’t be responsible for driving a wedge between you and your parents. Go home to them Ryan and live your own life.”
In August I made a portrait of my parents. I had pushed them to the back of my mind until then. I hadn’t heard from momma in over a year. I didn’t even know if I had the right address. It wasn’t until I made that portrait that I realized that I wanted to get in contact with her. I had painted them as they once were, or I tried to. But when I looked at the painting, I realized that my father’s eyes were guarded as if even the painting was holding secrets that it would never tell. My mother’s eyes were tired and wary like she was afraid of being hurt.
Politically, there was some noise about a young man named John F. Kennedy running for president of the United States. He had Grammy’s support because he was both Irish and Catholic. Most women liked him because he was both young and cute. I kind of liked his brother Bobby more. The man had a lot of potential and a lot of kids.
“I hate that you have to go Cleo. I feel like all the important people I have in my life just leave me one by one.”
“See ya around, Ice Princess.”
just remember that every relationship is like a rose. It needs to be tended, cut back now and again, handled with kid gloves and be wary of thorns. But if you give it enough attention, enough love, it will blossom into a beautiful flower.
There were days when you just wish you could unburden all your problems on the ones you love; only you never want your problems to become their problems. So all of you suffer in silence. Families are funny that way.
Shannon McCauley - Author 