THIS WAY MY CHILD

Acrylic on archival quality masonite, 16 x 20", ornate gold frame

“For he will give his angels charge of you in all your ways. On their hands they will 

bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone.” ( Psalm 91: 11-12 ) 

"In 1960 we lived in North Vancouver and my brother Peter, who was about thirteen had a paper route. He would have to arise at four a.m. in order to have the papers at the door before people awoke. On occasion my sister and I would sneak out of the house to do the route with him. It was dark and often misty, exciting but also frightening.

Peter said that in the dark night, he would, when seeing an amber light shining from a window, get a feeling of comfort and safety. 

This painting is a metaphor for Peter’s life. The only amber light that gives us true safety is God. The almost translucent angel, on seeing that Peter is about to stumble in the darkness, has her eyes on the stone at his feet so she shines a heavenly light in order to guide him safely on his journey. St. Joseph, the patron of our family, walks closely behind him with his hand on Peter’s shoulder guiding him forward in the way that he should go. The blue green dots in the sky are an indication of the supernatural presence that surrounds him.

Peter was treated more harshly than any of his siblings. It was a real source of pain for us, as children, to watch this take place and to internalize the injustice of it and yet this ill treatment was, in a mysterious way, a ffire that forged within him an inner strength. Peter used all his emotional and psychological wounds and their pain constructively, with no sense of victimhood, to strive to achieve success in his creative and business life. God gave Peter a very gregarious, loving nature, many creative talents and an intellectual curiosity that gave him a love of learning and studying, That hard work paid off and helped him to get ahead. Some very good people, and particularly one father ffigure, was placed before him to mentor him, who saw clearly these gifts within him. Peter remained loyal to him all of his professional life.

I offer this painting, with all its limitations, as a labour of love to my brother, who I am very proud of and I pray that the angels and saints continue to walk with him all the days of his life until they bring him safely home to the heavenly shores."

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