“Your on Fire”

It’s Motivation Monday once again. For today’s quote I chose one that my son Reese drew on paper with a red marker for the fire flames and a black marker for the words. Up until this point, he had been very sick with leukemia. By the summer, he was officially in remission. In spite of all he was going through that spring, he noticed projects were still finding their way to me through my studio. Some of the work I was doing in his hospital room. By the time he finished his last round of chemotherapy, rang the golden victory bell down the hall from his room, and was back home, he helped me move into my first brick and mortar studio space. It was wonderful. He was healthy and out of the hospital. We both got to see a different kind of progress in my studio that we hadn’t seen before. Life was good. On June 17, 2020, he presented me with this drawing of fire flames with the words (his spelling, he was only 9 at the time) “Your on Fire Good Job”. It was very sweet at the time. I rewarded him with a big hug and a hearty thank you, then we carried on with the day. By the end of August, we found out that the leukemia had come back and he would have to start chemo all over again, only this time receive a bone marrow transplant. Ten months later, my little Reese (at 10 years old) earned his angel wings on June 10, 2020. The first thing I did when I made it back into my studio is look for that picture of the fire flames. I brushed his Cheez It crumbs off and put it in a nice black frame and hung it on the wall in my studio where I am sure to see it on the daily. These days, I mentally re-word it to say that I must “stay on fire” to honor him. He believed in me. Although I am without him in the physical sense, he is ever with me. This morning I passed it forward to a group of kids in summer camp to go out, do good, and stay on fire. It really is an honor thing in more ways than one. Honor oneself, as well as the one we have lost.

-Michelle