Sometimes, the writer is humbled and silenced, sometimes an image just fills the heart up like a warm bathtub, and it overflows. This photograph was taken by Kelly Campbell, an organizer of Maria’s trip to Kolkata.
As it happens, I saw it when I turned on my repaired computer, and was both surprised and relieved to see everything working, and everything in its proper place. I thought it was no accident that I saw this the moment I got my creative nerve center back, and also my real heart just took a skip and a hop.
This is the essence of Maria, really, she has such a huge heart and loving spirit, she is so happy to be there and to be helping these remarkable young women live their lives, they are at risk. They are the first members of the Kolkata Potholders Association, and they seem to fit so well together.
They loved Maria and she loved them, writers can bungle the words but photos do not lie. They are already making some neat potholders together.
This photo made me happy, and washed away the remaining shadows of my brief funk, I suppose I never love being left behind. I am so happy to love this woman, and to have her love me. I can’t possibly deserve such good fortune, but I am happy to accept and embrace it.
She is an amazing woman, doing an amazing thing. Heart heart is brave and strong. Her radiance is a force of nature. Soon I will have her back.
I am also happy to get my computer back, with all of my words intact. My external hard drive with all of my photos is damaged and stayed behind for more work, hopefully my photos can be saved. If not, I will take more.
Sometimes, even when you do everything you are supposed to do, it doesn’t always work.
I think this is the picture of the year as far as I am concerned, even though I did not take it. This work, these women, their art have entered Maria’s heart, I hope there will be room for me and the farm, because this is so much heart here. Maria has enough.
I am very happy to share it with you, and grateful for seeing it. This is what Maria hoped for, worked for. This group is going to make some amazing art.
Sometimes the heart just overflows, and it’s the words that pour down the drain.