ART WAS A SOURCE OF SURVIVAL FOR ME.

You see, in 2014, when my kids were all under the age of 4, I was diagnosed with a rare and debilitating nerve disorder. It knocked me off my feet and put me in a wheelchair and on crutches for years. We didn’t know if I’d ever walk again.

My life as a mom to my little ones was redefined. My career as a dancer disappeared. My marriage spiraled under the stress. My body fought against us at every turn.

But God.

I knew He was still good, through it all. I knew He was with me, carrying me even when I didn’t have legs to stand on. Through the struggle, the unknown, and the pain. Through years of spine procedures, therapies, and bone cancer treatments. Jesus was my joy, my strength, my constant hope.

It was in the thick of that season of life that I picked up the rusty brushes I had tucked away in place of finger paints in the early years of motherhood. I began to hand letter truth from Scripture to cover my walls. I was desperate for words of hope to keep my eyes lifted beyond the pain. Seeing my walls covered with this art that reminded me of God’s presence, even on my darkest days, was a source of survival for me.

Then, when God miraculously lifted me back onto my legs a few years ago, my brush strokes shifted from words to waves. Waves remind me of the hope that has held me all along - hope that’s never failing and sometimes seems far off but, sure as the tide, is always steadfast.

So here I am, painting waves and so much more - glimpses of my awe of the One who brought me and my family, standing, through it all. My hope is that you might get a little lost in each brush stroke and find fresh hope for whatever you’re facing there.

Because of Hope,