Present in the Moment

This painting comes from a photo I took while in Albania, during the adoption process of our fourth daughter. During that long process, there was a window of time when we were waiting on paperwork, and I could take her on afternoon outings from the orphanage. We were just getting to know one another, and the obvious fear of the future made her mistrustful of me on these outings. But when we took the bus to the beach, she would lose her herself in the pleasure and make-believe. I was so happy to have found a place where love and trust could begin to grow, that I would let her stay and play until dark, before taking her back to the orphanage. I designed the title and piece to point to the gift of being able to lose yourself in joy and play, which for my daughter was the beginning of recapturing her childhood. And this time was a gift to me, watching her having such fun at the beach, under my care. Today she is a happy and well-adjusted 9-year-old, having just completed 2nd grade at home with her siblings under quarantine!