#JURT

it's a cosmic story that was so crazy i shared it here when i first figured it out.
it's complicated and long -

nutshell version - in trying to find the perfect print for a new turn in my life,
i bought from an artist i didn't know....i picked his piece with an 'i'll know it
when i see it' feeling - from THOUSANDS of artists. and sure enough, i knew
it was the right piece when i saw it. i wrote him, told him how much it meant
to me and thanked him.

turns out that was his first piece he sold on that site, it was his beginning
into the art world and that sale along with the note encouraged him to move forward.

YEARS later i found out he was friends with one of my sons and thru their
connection, a friend of mine as well on facebook!~

the same artist!!! and i didn't even know it! all that time!

i found out by spreading his link one day on facebook and browsing thru his work -
bam! right there was my print!!! bam! i gasped, just about fell on the floor
and ran to tell my son and then to tell him!

he totally remembered the sale and told me how much it had meant to him.
and he too was blown away that we didn't even know it was each other!

too too too weird.

he lives on the other side of the world in australia!

and somehow, after awhile that same guy was sitting at my kitchen table.
all the way from australia. a friend of my son's, and an immediate member of the family.
he fit in so well it was a little bit freaky.

well, this guy inspires me.
he's a fascinating mix of darkness and light.

experiencing a nightmare of a car accident that took his grandmother's life,
and severely injuring the others in the car, including himself, he was thrown into
blackness.

his injuries affect him to this day, over ten years later.

i believe many incredible things are born in the darkness. or in spite of the darkness.
his creativity flourished as he struggled with the demons that haunted him. his art is
filled with darkness and light. there is one piece of his that stands out in my mind.
it's called 'phoneix rising.'   knowing his story, this piece moved me deeply.

it is him.
it is you.
it is me.
it is all of us who have been throw into the darkness and have risen again - have soared again.

sometimes i get discouraged at all the darkness in the world. and then i think of
stories like andrew's. and the strength of the human spirit.
in a journey searching for good, such as josh is on right now, andrew's story comes to mind.
when we dropped josh off at union station to begin his tour, i remembered dropping andrew
off there after his visit with us. how perfect to be thinking of him as the search started.

the journeys wind around and entangle in the strangest ways filled with stories of survival.

searchin' for good, i found andrew.
................

you can find his work here
and you can find my cosmic print here
and the phoneix rising here!