Last week, while reorganizing the closet in my art studio, I found several boxes of greeting cards. One box contained every card my husband had sent me, and the other had every card I had sent him. We used to send each other many cards, and it made me realize how much I miss that connection we shared. Part of me wanted to keep every card, but another part knew that reorganizing was supposed to help me move forward with my art and life.

My artistic side, which I call my “artist self,” ultimately prevailed. I chose the most meaningful cards and notes and decided to recycle the rest. It felt shocking to be able to make this decision even over four years after his death. I felt a disconnect from my past with him and overwhelming sadness. I found myself sitting on the closet floor, contemplating how to reconcile my grief. At that moment, the concept of “The Power of And,” which was last week’s post, came to me.
After thinking it over, I settled on “I feel sad and have faith in things unseen.”

This same faith guided me in the days immediately following his death, before I could imagine healing from the loss. It’s comforting to know that something greater than us is at work.

This starry canvas symbolizes the unknown. The moon’s phases represent the passage of time, the overlap of days, months, and years as healing and direction unfold. The tiny green leaves suggest the promise of the future if I remain open to it.