“Every child has known God. Not the God of names. Not the God of don’ts. Not the God who ever does anything weird. But the God who knows only four words and keeps repeating them, saying:
“Come Dance with Me.” ~ Hafiz (unconfirmed)
trouble
One of the greatest joys of my life was having my parents (left) present at the reception last Friday. Many of my friends are missing their parents, so I know how fortunate I am to have them both still with me and relatively mobile. In fact, I got as many compliments on my parents as I did the photographs. They’re mighty special to everyone, not just me. Adding to that awesomeness was my biggest surprise of the night: Darrell and Barbara Conley (right).
old friends
Darrell and my mother grew up together. I’ve heard stories about Darrell my whole life yet somehow we failed to meet until his brother Charlie died not quite two years ago. In an unfortunate, though not entirely unexpected, turn of events, mom and dad helped bury Darrell’s baby brother Ronnie the day before the reception. Needless to say, it has been a hard 22 months for Darrell. I was over the moon to see his smiling face walk though the gallery door. I’ve grown to adore him in the short time we’ve known each other, and seeing him gave me the chance to give him my condolences.
love and affection
Darrell’s a photographer, too. He loved my work and we had a lot to talk about concerning photography and sacred spaces. I think it did his hurting heart good to come be with family (all three of the Conley boys – Darrell, Charlie, and Ronnie – are like brothers to mom). It absolutely tickled me to death that he and Barbara were there. It was so refreshing. I know Darrell and I have made friends late in life, but I hope to see much more of him as the days go by. Maybe we ought to go on a photo play date sometime. Our pictures might not be any good, but the company would sure be worth the time.
4 Responses
How sweet of you, our precious baby girl, you do have a way with words. Such a wonderful evening we all had at your reception and it was our pleasure meeting your friends as well. I’ll dry these tears now and get on with my day, saying that “you are our world”….
<3
[…] first met Darrell Conley in the November 3, 2015 post. As you might recall, Darrell grew up with mom and Aunt Janet. Yesterday’s baptism […]
[…] grandchildren. You met Martha’s Brother and sister-in-law Darrell and Barbara Conley in November 2015 at my Sacred Spaces exhibit opening, and you might remember that Darrell, also lifelong […]