I want to tell you a story about this painting. A woman who has previously purchased my art on eBay emailed me recently asking about a painting I had on eBay called "Separated Friends". She wanted it, but it had already sold. We made an arrangement for me to paint a similar one on commission. The painting above is the finished product, called Separated Son . Here s why I named it that. She told me why she wanted it. I quote:
I had a son who vanished without a trace here on his 23rd birthday, November 4, 2000. When I saw that picture, it tugged at my spirit. It was like what has happened in my heart with my son. His name was is Joshua. I loved it, and I love how looking at your work makes me feel in my soul.
I can't tell you how deeply her story moved me. My oldest son's name is Joshua, and I couldn't imagine the pain she must have and must still be enduring. We emailed back and forth, discussing the painting, and she confided even more:
Joshua left us beside the ocean in the nighttime. It s a long, strange story one that could take hours of sharing. I am a believer. I have survived through faith. Some people said: Oh, God would never make you have to live with the not knowing. He will let you know what has become of your son. He didn't. And we have learned the true meaning of faith, not on a day filled with sunshine and fulfilled dreams, but in the trenches where it would be oh so easy to throw up the hands and stomp away in anger for lack of answers in anger over the loss... in the trenches the hurt the disbelief the agony of the hunt unreconciled with the child we sought so frantically...
She is one of my heroes. I commend her faith. She s running a good race. She s fighting a good fight. She s keeping the faith. Click here to read the news stories about Joshua Smith.
a separated son
I want to tell you a story about this painting. A woman who has previously purchased my art on eBay emailed me recently asking about a painting I had on eBay called "Separated Friends". She wanted it, but it had already sold. We made an arrangement for me to paint a similar one on commission. The painting above is the finished product, called Separated Son . Here s why I named it that. She told me why she wanted it. I quote:
I had a son who vanished without a trace here on his 23rd birthday, November 4, 2000. When I saw that picture, it tugged at my spirit. It was like what has happened in my heart with my son. His name was is Joshua. I loved it, and I love how looking at your work makes me feel in my soul.
I can't tell you how deeply her story moved me. My oldest son's name is Joshua, and I couldn't imagine the pain she must have and must still be enduring. We emailed back and forth, discussing the painting, and she confided even more:
Joshua left us beside the ocean in the nighttime. It s a long, strange story one that could take hours of sharing. I am a believer. I have survived through faith. Some people said: Oh, God would never make you have to live with the not knowing. He will let you know what has become of your son. He didn't. And we have learned the true meaning of faith, not on a day filled with sunshine and fulfilled dreams, but in the trenches where it would be oh so easy to throw up the hands and stomp away in anger for lack of answers in anger over the loss... in the trenches the hurt the disbelief the agony of the hunt unreconciled with the child we sought so frantically...
She is one of my heroes. I commend her faith. She s running a good race. She s fighting a good fight. She s keeping the faith. Click here to read the news stories about Joshua Smith.