Her name is Kathryn.

The painting club I belong to is a loosely organized group with approximately 8-9 regular members getting together every Wednesday, from noon to 3:00 PM at one Assisted Living facility in Appleton. Most of the regular participants are retired senior citizen except me who is a senior citizen but is still working, and a young fellow in the 30's who is an unemployed or under-employed law school graduates. Excluding that young fellow, I would say the average age of the group is approximately 68. None of us is a professional painter. Sometime ago, the group has hired a teacher to instruct the members. But later, because the instructor had some medical problems and stopped coming to the group.

I joined the group probably a year ago through a church friend who was trying to get her mother who is the 90's to have something to occupy. Through informal conversation with the members, almost all of us have some medical, emotional, or relational issues that include: diabetics, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, divorced or separated or marriage strained problems, or have to take an extreme patience to take care of ailing spouse. Despite the difficulty, everyone of them has some unique story that can be inspirational or uplifting. Kathryn is one of them

I met Kathryn in one of the painting occasion. We sat in the the same table covered with a plastic top to avoid spilling of the paint. She was painting a greeting card with flowers as her themes using her right hand. She is probably 5-6 years older than I, in the age of 74 or 75. She started the conversation,

"My dominant hand is the left hand. But the Parkinson disease I had few years crippled my left hand, so I have to train my right hand to do the painting." She said.

Now, I realized that Kathryn is afflicted with a disease that is capable taking away her motor ability. I have seen many of my friends who got the same disease withdrawn, depressed, and eventually paralyzed and lose any hope for life and joy.

"When did you begin to paint?" I asked.

"About two years ago, about the same time I knew I got Parkinson." She said.

"How many greeting cards have you made so far, since I started painting." I asked

"Quite a few." She said.

"What do you do with the finished painting? Frame them or send them out as greeting cards?" I asked.

"Well, I gave my finished work to those person who are also afflicted with the Parkinson disease whether I know them or not know them. I told them, even with such a terrible disease, we don't have to give up our life."   after hearing this,  I was very moved.

"For the best work, I gave it to my doctor who sees me every month. I give my doctor a big hug, and says to him and to myself, 'This is my affirmation that I will not give up life even I have such a terrible disease."

Friends, even in our very humble group, I see courage, I see hope. I also see the face of God. I don't know if you agree with me or not.

 

One of Kathryn's painting.