like all of us, i’m having a really difficult time processing the devastation in japan. last nite as i was watching the coverage, i could barely hold it together. john came home with taco bell to find me on the couch sobbing. in that moment i was imagining baby true holding on to me and then being ripped away by the force of a tsunami. you know how our mind wanders to the worst case scenario? and how it brings us to our knees?
the people in japan are in our collective worst case scenarios. and they are on their knees.
i know many of us are considering what we can do. we give our prayers, our money, our thoughts, our lit candles. for me, today, in this moment, i’m giving my gratitude for being alive, for being safe, for the safety of my family. i cannot, i absolutely cannot imagine losing my baby, yet so many daughters and sons have been lost to the devastation. they belonged to someone. to a mama. and a papa. i think about the devastation of hearts worldwide, the impact of all of that brokenness. i want to honor all that loss by living my very best life, today. today, today, today. we just never know if we’ll be gone tomorrow….you just never know.
it brings such an acute awareness to the fragility of our lives, doesn’t it? rachel awes. do you know her? she makes glorious, profound art that really and truly celebrates the fullness of what it means to be alive – super inspiring. she made a painting called what if we treasured every single beat and i haven’t stopped thinking of it since i saw it weeks ago. last week when i was in the studio i thought of her painting and it inspired me, along with my gratitude for my family and my life in the midst of so much devastation, to create this piece. what if we treasured every single breath? what if we lived as if our breathing, our aliveness was temporary…because it is. what if we honored all of the loss in japan and all around the world by treasuring our every single beat, our every single breath? i can’t think of a better way to honor the lives of those we’ve lost. i really cannot.
japan, you are in our hearts. and we are with you in your suffering – every breath of it.
for those of you who are walking your own grief journey, no matter how long it’s been, i wish for you this: that you honor their beautiful gift of life by living, really living, your beautiful gift of life.
xo, kelly rae
ps: i will be auctioning a few pieces of original art, along with several artists, in an upcoming online event to raise funds for japan. stay tuned…the above piece of art will be included in the auction.
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