Is the world opening back up?!

We are a quirky bunch in our house. During early days of Covid my eldest son would move all my paintings so they were leaning (to drive me bonkers) and this one at the top of our our staircase was upside down for ages before I noticed. I found it extra funny as I hadn't noticed for so long as the fear of Covid had preoccupied my physce for a long while. I also often thought of my Nanny who lived in this home in Ireland and the hardships and loss she endured in her lifetime and my own mother how she suffered immensely for years with a chronic autoimmune disease while raising a family of five children.

We have agreed that when things get back to our new 'normal' that we will flip it back. I'm not sure if we are there yet so it remains this way today. It may stay this way for a long time. Two of us have had Covid in the house and survived our quarantined time in bedroom ever so grateful it was the lesser Omni strain. I'm so grateful for those in healthcare who have had to weather this storm and do feel the need to defend them when I hear the opposing views from the antivaxxers who because they didn't die from Covid think it's a hoax and just the flu. My nephew is suffering long Covid symptoms and they are serious so I do want to slap a few pieholes when they start beaking off. I digress. This is about gratitude I'm defo prochoice on what you put in your body but it goes both ways. Back to Gratitude. Gratitude that so many of our youth my boys in particular; weathered this storm with adaptability and flexibility. They never complained about the masking, the restrictions and the shutdowns. When the gyms closed that was a tough one. My outdoor painting space on the deck became an outdoor studio and gym. We adapted and were grateful to be healthy and together. We were all doing what we loved albeit cold and bundled in layers. We may not have been doing what we loved where we loved to do it but we knew there were those sick and suffering and cracking under the pressures that Covid brought. Whether they were 1st responders, govt officials trying to navigate us in the dark forever being criticized (yes at times by me....sorry). I was grateful that my husband could work through Covid while I lost my job and had to reinvent myself (again). Grateful for my nephews and neighbor's who were front line in grocery stores and had to suit up and show up. My son was working too cooking in a local restaurant so there were many things to be grateful for. As an artist who has to constantly hustle I too was selling paintings and doing commissions. How very LUCKY or blessed as I knew when others were losing their businesses.

So as I walked up my stairs this morning after another email came through from someone paying for an upcoming spot at my latest LIVE PAINT NIGHT I offer up yet another THANKS to my Creator for taking care of us. We have all we need today.