So here’s the scoop on the ice cream series: it began a couple of years ago in a season where I was fighting to find joy again in the grief and aftermath of a long and tedious treatment for Lyme disease. I was struggling with depression, trying to rebuild, to forgive others, and to forgive myself for failing my family in a million ways during that season. Mostly I was trying to find the me that I had lost in the shuffle of organizing pills and doctors visits and sorting through thoughts that weren’t glorifying to God at all.
I began the paintings the summer after Lyme treatment ended and just after a busy year of rebuilding All Good Things Collective. I was in desperate need of God rebuilding me, the waves of grief still flooded in way more often than I expected, and it became painfully obvious to me that I was in need of a season of rest, and my team blessed me to step out of the business for the summer.
Through painting, God began to shed some of those layers of grief, and reminded me of the joy that He gave me when I first began painting. God led me back to memories of childhood, to simplicity, to giving thanks through paint for his grace, and He turned my face toward the irresistible sweetness of the good old fashioned treat called ice cream. I guess it’s not technically ice cream but the the first one I painted was a lime green popsicle and asked God to melt all that had hardened in my heart during the season of Lyme. All I heard God say was Go paint and go play. And one day you will stand up and tell your story and it will encourage others who walk through seasons of grief.
So almost three years later, I am finally sharing these with the world and finally at a place where I can speak about the journey with a posture of thanksgiving. Because I can see now that the treasure he showed me in the dark will be spoken in the daylight, and the time I spent pouring the pain out in paint will go forth to bring joy to the home of someone else. And maybe on that person’s worst day they will look up at the sweetness of ice cream and will taste and see that the Lord is good. And see that sometimes it’s the simplest of things that He uses to change a neighborhood.
Click on the photo below to view the whole collection.
