40 Circles, 40 Years

At the end of last year and at the beginning of this, several people I love turned 40. It started off with my older sister, her husband, and now my husband Chris. Last will be my friend Tammy. 40 years seems like so much, but in reality it is very little. When my Mom died at 45, I thought she was so old, but now as this age is so close to others I love, I realize that they have so much more to experience and do.

I wanted to commemorate my husband turning 40, by giving him something that would be remembered, cherished, and loved often. I first thought of making him an art book with 40 of Jessie's best pieces of art. I realized that I had run out of time for this. Then, on seeing some pictures of my sisters on her blog, I realized that this was the perfect thing for Jessie and I to do. The pictures showed art created by children of multi-colored circles. I bought a 24" x 36" canvas and divided it equally into 40 squares. Then with paintbrush in hand, Jessie and I began to paint 40 circles. We used acrylic art paint as our medium. Jessie was upset that Daddy might not like her circles as well as mine, but I assured her that Daddy would love each and every one. He did.

The colors of this painting are very vibrant, and I feel that they are a good reflection of the life that Chris has had, and of his life now. They are happy, warm colors. I am so proud to say that I have spent over half of Chris' life with him. I wish him much happiness in the years to come.

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” - Abraham Lincoln