I don't have a painting for you today, but I want to share some thoughts. Yesterday, I had a medical checkup. The doctors put me into sleep. I lost about one hour of my life, but I didn't feel a trace of discontinuity of my consciousness. Has anything happened? I perfectly didn't know. This makes me ponder. Is time real? Is life a delusion? I have no clue.I had a friend passed away recently in Huntsville, AL, and today is her funeral, probably at this moment I am writing. I am so sorry I can't attend. The last time I saw her was in October. She has been in a coma for 4 years. Life was very hard for her and her family. She was a very dear friend of mine like a mother. I stayed with her when I was a university student. She took care of me in any small details. I remembered she refrigerated my toothbrush every night to prevented gems getting to me. I felt sad when I saw her in a coma. I feel sad she is no longer with me. I ponder more. Is life a delusion? I think I have some clue.
I have this lotus flower bestowed on my friend. I hope our life is like a lotus. We started in a chaotic world like mud. We went through difficult times. but we should always remain conscious, practice and nourish our spirit, and purify our mind, like the lotus grow through water. Until someday, we will make it to the surface, and bloom splendidly with a spectacular beauty.
16 comments:
What a lovely heartfelt post.....
Qiang: I am so sorry for the loss of your friend. What a gift that she took such good care of you when you lived with her family. You honored her with a beautiful photo, and the lovely metaphor of the lotus. Thank you for sharing it with "us." I hope and pray that all is well with YOUR health, and I am very happy that you woke up after the hour of sleep at the medical office!
Dear Qiang,
Life is an illusion. But who is having the illusion? Or not, for that matter?
Thanks for sharing...
Li Hua
Dear Qiang,
I enjoy so much receiving your lovely paintings in my email. It's a bright spot in my day.
I am so terribly sorry to hear of your lose. She sounded like a wonderful person. And I know she is with you always in spirit.
Your photograph and your words couldn't have been any better. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.
Thank you for sharing this. Your friend, anderson:-)
how fortunate you were to have such a good friend and she was fortunate to have you
Dear Qiang,
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Your writing and photo honor your friend so beautifully and helped me to pause and think about my own way of living. What a gift. Thank you for that. Wishing you well.
So sorry for the loss of your friend. You made us all stop and take pause about our lives and about everyone around us.
May God surround you with comfort.
Pat
Sorry for your loss. This blog entry dedicated to her is very sweet.
Very dear post, Qiang. It sounds like you both blessed each other's lives. I have a hunch the blessings will continue to ripple outward.
BTW, I am loving 'Backyard Harvest.' It's gracing my dining room wall and is such a joy to see every day.
Such a beautiful tribute to your friend. So sorry for your loss - wishing you brighter days ahead.
The lotus, is such a lovely way to articulate your thoughts about time, the here-and-now, and the transition from this "energy level", to the next. This dearest person in your life, will always be with you. Such a wonderful memory of her, that you shared with us. Thank you for that, Qiang.
Is life a delusion? Fascinating question for the engineer side of you. Perhaps the quandry, might be the transitory and unexpected nature, of how & when our atoms are re-arranged. For now, they are in a "matter" form of energy. And without as much as a ripple in time, this matter, can be converted to a "non-matter" energy, such as light. And the conversion still retains the mass. We are 'there" in mass or light, but not "there" in matter. Sometimes, maybe we are too quick to define "life", only by what is presently in the 'matter form" of energy. Many thoughts to ponder while painting lotus blossoms. A peaceful heart to you, Qiang.
M. Sonoqui Gillette
What a beautiful tribute. I am sorry for your loss. Everyone we know imprints us in some way. May her memory bring blessings.
Qiang'
Your post makes think. Saturday I was drawing a nude model and felt as though I was dreaming. I think some people such as artist can fall into such a revelry and it blurs the line between wakefulness and dreaming as to how we experience what is roughly analogous to a 'holograph of awareness'. Yea, it does seem that the induced coma of anesthesia is totally void of content, at least any memory of that state must be totally obliterated upon waking. But just to be able to experience life so intensely is very beautiful regardless if existence is, as if, a temporary event.
Keep posting! Chris
Your words make me think you are already "blooming splendidly with a spectacular beauty".
This is beautiful in words and spirit. Thank you for posting. Sorry about your friend.
Hello Qiang,
Thank you very much for sharing your beautiful tribute in words and art to a very special person! My husband and I had the good fortune to know this lady, as a friend and neighbor, for several years, until we moved away. It has been many years since we saw her last, however her presence in our lives left a lasting impression. I think what we will remember the most was her kindness and generosity! She was an excellent cook and would frequently share her wonderful home made buns, dumplings, and other specialties with us. She tried to show me how to make a few things, but I could never duplicate them as well. I also admired how strong minded she was. She was smart and a hard worker and when she set her mind on something she did it. She was always ready for a trip and loved to travel. Even traveling half way around the world with limited vision, due to cataracts, it didn’t prevent her from traveling anywhere. It has been a blessing to know her, and we share in the loss with her close family and friends. And to her devoted daughter and son-in-law, who patiently cared for her since the very beginning of her convalescence to the end of her life, all the love given was not lost but lives on!
Susan Elgarf
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