Vermeer art, myrrh, and sad news

I wanted to follow-up with David’s memory book.

I delivered the custom book yesterday am I sorry to share sad news, but… this is crazy –  well David’s father passed away too! He passed away 3 days ago while in the hospital for some complications with a major infection.   Some of us neighbors are going to be dropping off meals for them this week – and well, if you are the praying type, please keep this grieving family in your thoughts and prayers.

Now of course – this is just one more opportunity for us all to remember that life is precious.

I also want to take this opportunity to share some art by the Dutch painter Vermeer.

Vermeer died in 1675, at the young age 43, and that is also the same age David’s father was when he passed away last week.  And so in memory of my neighbor – and as reminder to us all to enjoy our life –  I decided to sync some images of Vermeer’s lively paintings to a song called “Your Life matters”  by Ashes Remain (here).

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A collage of Vermeer’s works:

Now if you have time, I also want to share part of what we talked about last night – as I was teary eyed for this family, who is now enduring a double loss.  As we reflected on getting to know this family over the years, it led to this whole conversation about some powdered myrrh I bought at the Vitamin Cottage in Denver, CO.

My first memory of getting to know David’s dad was in late summer 2005. I think it was a weekend.  Our boys were in our driveway shooting hoops with his boys.  The dad came over and we started to chat.  He shared that his back molar was bothering him – (which he got fixed that next week).  Well… I ran into the house to get him a small baggie of this “powdered myrrh” that I had bought in Denver earlier that summer. (Side note, ironically I had actually bought the bag of myrrh while on a trip to Denver for Kip White’s untimely funeral in 2005.)  The Myrrh helped his tooth that day – and our children used to hang out a bit.  Anyhow, talking about the “myrrh” last night brought some relief to the feeling of grief – and thinking of the trail of people who have received some of this myrrh was fun to think about.  For example, after I gave some to my aunt Maxine (it healed something she had on her cheek, which would not go away with anything else) well she then shared some of her myrrh with a couple people down in FL! 

I still have about 1/3 of the bag of this potent stuff, which is not easy to find.  

 

 

Okay, and without sounding too cheesy – please remember that your life matters, you are still here for a reason, and “every day that your heart keeps beating – there is purpose for your life.”

For more on Vermeer – check out this class project website HERE

Also, I am linking up with JNW’s beige (here) as well as Narami (here: https://narami.wordpress.com/2015/01/27/tuesdays-of-texture-week-5-of-2015/) – because just look at that powdery, rich beige, all natural, antimicrobial/antiseptic!