Grace

Today is Mary's day, day 12 of the twelve days of Mary, hosted by Rebecca of Recuerda Mi Corazon.  Please follow the link to her blog to see more meditations on the Virgin Mary.

This is a painting I made for my mother.  At the time, I only thought she was a queen.  I did not recognize her as the Queen of Heaven.  How could I not have seen it, with the rose and the dove?  She was there in the subconscious, the spirit, but why was I not conscious?

At the time I was just putting to work the lessons I had learned in an art workshop, and making something that would please my mother.  It was just colors and textures, collage and paint.  Technique over content.  A strange phase in my evolvement as an artist, as I was once all about content over technique.  It took my participation in Rebecca's project for me to see the content in this piece that I made three or four years ago.  It could be a sign that it is time, once again, to come back to the heart of what I set forth to do - to speak through my art.

Today was Mary's feast day.  I will recite the Hail Mary, the prayer that has given me so much comfort over the years - the prayer that brings me back to the heart.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

I have only participated in six of the twelve days, having come upon the gathering late, but those six days have given me a lot of joy, seeing and reading the posts of the other participants, renewing connections to my mother, feeling inspired.  Many of the other participants also share in the art of haiku, and here is my little contribution:

Mary, rekindle

in me that yearning for faith;

Awaken, Spirit!

Thank you, Rebecca, for bringing us together to celebrate Nuestra Señora, la Virgen de Guadalupe!

Peace and love to all humankind.

Amen.