Joy

12” X 16”; Watercolor and ink on paper; 2021

(Available in print only.)

Bluebirds hold special significance to me. Bluebirds represent joy. I went into 2020 knowing it was going to be a challenging year with two major surgeries on the books. (I didn’t exactly anticipate a pandemic on top of it all, but what are you gonna do?!) I made my motto for the year: “Find the joy.” I’m a firm believer that you find what you look for. Finding the joy in 2020 was really challenging at times. I had to look really hard for it, and often found it in the most unexpected places. Sometimes it felt like it was deliberately hiding. Other times it had been right out in the open all along and I just hadn’t seen it. The biggest lesson I learned in 2020 is that there is always joy to be found as long as I am willing to look for it.