I came late to the Twitter party. I started a Twitter account ages ago but never used it. I never really “got” it. It seemed like it was just people spouting off on politics or sharing vacation pictures or advertising whatever work-at-home business they were promoting. Then, about two years ago, I started a Twitter account for Marshmallow Ranch. 

You know and I know, Marshmallow Ranch has been a blog about grief and life and all it entails…but the name doesn’t really reflect that. I’ve kept the name because it’s catchy and people remember it. But it got totally lost in the shuffle on Twitter. Sometime early this year, I had a brilliant flash of a name. The Grief Maven. Maven is a Yiddish word that means expert. I started another Twitter account and it has taken off like gangbusters. 

I’ve been “meeting” some really wonderful, supportive people and never dreamed grief counseling in 280 character sound bites could be so helpful. It’s quick, to the point, and easy to read. I’m really enjoying it.

There are some groups on Facebook that I enjoy as well. One is Wild Women Sisters in Creativity. It’s a group of over 31,000 free spirits to share their art. It’s nice to connect with creatives and take my mind off writing and onto creating. Yesterday, a gal posted a painting she was working on, seeking input. She was kind of stuck. She felt it needed something. When I saw the original piece, it was the red and blue background with the two shadowy figures alone on the canvas. It immediately made me think of what it feels like to walk this path without our person. Dark and lonely. And the longer it goes, the more they fade out into distant memory. I thought about what I would do with the painting.

Immediately, I thought of the light of the full moon we are experiencing right now. My life has a lot more light in it now. It’s not a harsh, glaring light. It’s the soft, glowing light of peaceful contentment. Then I thought of a bird. To me, it represents the newness of this life, like a songbird in the woods. I have a fun app on my phone called “Over”. I use it every day to add my logo to my photos for the blog. I also use it to create memes when I need one. I took the liberty of saving the picture of the painting and popped a pale, full moon and a stylized bird on it. It immediately spoke to me. It gave the painting balance and a sense of movement.

I contacted the artist. Lauren O’Neill. I showed her what I had done and she thanked me so much for taking the time. I told her a little bit about what I do and would she mind me using this collaborative art in my blog. She was happy to let me do so. It was fascinating to read all the suggestions people made regarding what the painting “needed”. I’m the only one with the audacity to post the augmented version back to her. Someone said, “This is too crowded and changes any intended meaning.” I love how art speaks to each person in their own language. To her, I ruined a perfectly good painting, and she had lots of company. Many thought the painting should stand as is. But many others made suggestions as to what the painting “needed”….a giant thumbprint, a moon, a plane, poppies, hearts. One said she lost her son three weeks ago and it reminded her of them together. Another said she senses energy and the figure on the left wasn’t balanced. It was amazing to read all the different interpretations.

This is my first collaborative effort on a piece of art. I think I may have just started something! ❤️

“Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?”

Amos 3:3 NIV