A chapter opened and a chapter closed

Here is the acrylic painting wedding gift I was working on for a couple of weeks before Christmas. This is the beautiful young woman my son married yesterday. We have just returned from their wedding in Fredericton, a happy bright respite from the grey of winter, to telephone news of the passing of my husband Jim's father. Kind of a roller coaster couple of days from top of the loop to a sudden grounding. Jim is good at finding blessings in all situations and points out that both of his parents got to spend their entire lives in dignity in their own home. His mom died in late november in her dining room rocking chair.

Its an odd thing to be juggling two sets of emotions from each end of the happy/sad spectrum at the same time. Like holding two books, one open at page one and one with the back cover closing....

Jim, Mom & Pops Walsh , family home in PA. Watercolor 2001.