When my good friend, Nancy Grogan, called me this summer for a potential opportunity to create art with the patients at Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital, my heart skipped with excitement! Having four children, Curry and I are very thankful for this wonderful hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. From eye surgeries, multiple E.R visits, broken limbs, kidney stones, and stitches, our wonderful foursome has seen the hallways of Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital!
So, to say that my time with the patients and parents on Tuesday afternoon was inspirational would be an understatement! I was just happy to be there as a volunteer and not as an anxious parent.
What a joy to help these precious children take a break from treatment and focus on something FUN. That’s what art does. It has amazing capabilities to free the mind of the things that are weighing us down. This is why I believe so strongly in incorporating art into my Bible studies for young girls. Art allows us to let go of our momentary troubles where we can focus of creativity, originality, inspiration, and joy! We can laugh and play and sing and dance . . . Oh, why not? The fifth word in the Bible is created. . . “In the beginning, God created . . . ” (Genesis 1:1).
On Tuesday, we CREATED parmesan cheese glass jars with ribbon and used the holes to place twisted colors of pipe cleaner to attach a note of encouragement. One mom, whose son was recovering from surgery said, “This art should be called: “Better Day in a Jar!” I couldn’t have named it better.
My new friend, Malik, took three different colors of pipe cleaner and twisted them together. His creation was a true masterpiece! On his way back to his room, he told Sharon (one of the chaplan’s), “Thank you! That was so much fun!”
One of the many highlights of my visit was this note from Diamond.
“To: Ms. Nancy and Ms. Annie, Thanks for being here with me. I’m hoping you would could visit me again. Love you!”
Thank you Diamond for letting me come visit you! One of the special parts about this art project was the encouraging notes that parents and loved ones could write to these children. I wrote a prayer on ALL of their cards. Would you please join me in praying for all the children at Wolfson’s for healthy and speedy recoveries?
And, as God works in ways we never expect nor imagine, we had left-over art materials that we made into “kits” that Nancy and Sharon can take into children’s rooms who were too sick to join us! Thank You Lord for all your provision.
I hope this is not my last VOLUNTEER visit to Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital. If you want to join along (adults only), please contact TAE at contact@thouartexalted.com.
