A LONG Time Ago

That's what Miggy said today on Facebook when I told her I still have a painting she gave me at the end of her senior year in high school more than 30 years ago.
Although I have left art and books behind with friends and family every time I have moved (New Orleans, Washington DC, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Nashville, Denver, Birmingham, New Orleans, Sewanee), I have always taken Miggy's painting.

I love it: for the vibrant color, the spontaneous energy, the balance, the image of falling, the mystery of the figure.

I don't need explanations or answers in art, but I do need to feel the exuberant joy of the maker in line, shape, color. And that's what I feel every day, many times a day, when I pass this painting on my way into the kitchen.

Thank you, Miggy, for the gift of a lifetime.