The Art of Living

When she was a senior in high school, Margaret installed a long, challenging text/art piece in the hallway opposite my classroom. I saw it many times every day, and each of those many times every day I loved reading it every time. It was a courageous act of self-expression. 

Today, over chai tea and bagels, she explained how she had carved out a place for herself in that school through art. Today, it's field biology that calls out to her -- rattlesnakes and ground squirrels, among her subjects.

But there's an art to that too, just as there is in being a wife, daughter, and sister, which she is too. All of it takes dedication, and love, and joy. 

You can see those qualities in her face.

At least I can.