The Budding Artist

Abby June is nine years old!

Okay, she’s eight and a half. When you have a birthday so close to Christmas, it sometimes gets lost in the holiday festivities. So this year her parents decided to have a “half-birthday” celebration at their summer retreat. We thought it was a great idea – another reason to have a family gathering in good weather, instead of the unpredictable mess that usually haunts us on her real birthday.

I remember when she arrived in the dead of winter, on the heels of a raging blizzard. It was a nasty winter, and we worried about her mother getting to the hospital safely. But she got there, and Abby came into the world ready to make a statement. Since then, we’ve cheered her on at piano recitals, church programs, softball games and soccer matches. And recently she’s making a name for herself in local races. I’m sure the school track and cross-country coaches in her district are watching her closely!

Art is another talent for this young lady. Abby comes from a long line of creative women. Her mother and her mother’s mother are talented artists, and it seems she has inherited the gene. I’m not a biological grandma, so I can’t take credit for her talent, but I can certainly encourage from the sidelines. One of the first things she asks for when she comes to our house is paper, drawing supplies, scissors, and glue. By the time she leaves, our family room has been transformed into an art gallery. So when the birthday gift request list came out, I was happy to choose the art supplies. Markers that mix colors, markers that write on glass, and – an absolute necessity – a sketch pad.

I’m sure there will be interests and causes that will come and go in Abby’s life. Some will be tried and discarded, others will be embraced with passion. But creativity comes from within, and will always be a central part of her. It’s impossible to predict what venue it will take, but I’m sure it will be wonderful.

So almost nine years after her snowy entrance, Abby is busy making her mark on the world. I plan to see her make many, many more.