The Beautiful Colors

On June 27th, Bram and I went out to lunch with Josh and Pamela.  This was the same day that Josh told us, in kind and certain terms, that the treatments he had been getting were no match for the tumors.  He knew he was dying, and accepted this.

Josh savored each bite of food at the little Italian restaurant.  It was one of those hot & humid days that have dogged us this summer.  As we stepped back out of the air-conditioned restaurant into the steamy parking lot, Josh stopped and said with the wonder of a person filled with light:  "Look at those beautiful colors!" 

We were literally in the middle of a parking lot, with pavement and cars and a strip mall reflecting back heat and glare from the mid-day sun.  So I put on my artist's eyes and looked for what Josh saw.  The stress from the heat and lack of water had turned some distant burning bushes and a red maple autumn colors, blending the tree with the bushes.  And the colors were beautiful.

I am inspired by Josh's last gift to me, to see with artist eyes that know how to find and wonder at the beauty in a parking lot on a stifling Hudson Valley summer day.  Josh has always been encouraging of my art, and his last gift to me will stay with me forever as a source of inspiration. 

With Love & Gratitude,

Barbara Jean