If I have a religion, it is perhaps a belief in the Creative Spark, with which I believe we are all endowed. For various reasons, some of us pursue it and some of us won’t or can’t. I believe it is the sacred part of us, and it is also the core of my relationship with Maria. We encourage one another.

For Christmas, I gave Maria an enamel chalk set, and I haven’t heard about it.  She never shows me her work until it is finished, and even then only once in awhile.

But I know Maria, and creative tools are an addiction for her. Like a mouse with cheese, she will come to it and try it out. This morning, she showed me her first drawing – it is of part of the living room. She did it while I was trying to watch the Super Bowl Sunday and free my inner male. That didn’t really work out, but the creative spark did its work, and this gifted and loving artist produced yet another work that is bright and affecting. We encourage one another, and she is selling her work and a few of my photos on her website. This lifts my heart, and it is has been pure joy to see the creative spark emerge and deepen in this talented woman, my love.

She has worked so hard to get to where she is. Because we both know you can’t just wish for things. You have to be open to the infinite expectation of the dawn, and work like Hell every single day.