A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

This is a painting that a neurologist in Corpus Christi,  Dr.  Juan Bahamon, donated for a benefit. Sammy Giraldo is the son of  Dr. Jose Giraldo, a mathematician at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi and a very dear friend of mine.  I have known Jose and his family for five years. They are, in short, at the top of my list of loyal and dear to my heart. Sammy got into medical school at Ross University, but then red tape and immigration have entrapped him and prevented him from returning this semester. It's quite a story you can read about here. So, Sammy's friends had a benefit to help raise the money needed to re-enter school. Hence, the painting -- part of a silent auction held at the benefit. The lighting does not do it justice...believe me, it is magnificent.

I fell in love with this painting the minute I laid my eyes on it. The roseate spoonbill is prolific in Corpus Christi, and also in Ecuador, where this composition was originally photographed before painted as seen here. You can see the water falling from one of the bird's beaks as it 'sifts' the food while sloshing the water in it's wide, spoon-shaped beak. The featheration of the bird in the center is ... amazing. Such an elegant creature captured in such an unusual pose...I had to bid on it. I spent the remainder of the evening making sure no one upped my bid. And left -- hoping it would be mine in the morning.

It's now in my living room, a centerpiece above the couch, surrounded by a blue wall...the first thing you notice when you enter that space. I love it, it's perfect, and so unusual.

Sammy's fate is still to be determined. Only God knows what will happen and I pray His will is done. As for the painting, it reminds me that while trying to help Sammy, I was rewarded with one of the most amazing pieces of artwork I have ever come across.

There are many more amazing things happening in my life -- all part of the collective whole becoming larger than the sum of the parts. Blessed beyond measure.