Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Hamsa for My Friend


Yesterday morning I received a difficult phone call. A dear friend who has been battling cancer for about a year called. She had been on the mend after many months of treatment that had left her so very frail. She was getting her strength back and had even started to get back to some of her artwork.

All looked like it was going according to plan. She was back at work. She was making future plans.

A devastating trip to the doctor over the Easter break showed that although the original cancer was gone, it had unknowingly spread to another spot in her body. This time, the prognosis is not so hopeful. I am trying so hard to have hope. It is hard feeling so helpless when I wish to help.

Today, my friend starts another round of chemo.While waiting for an appointment, I thought about her and began to sketch. My sketching became something of a meditation. I wanted to create something to symbolize what I wanted to give her: protection, love, strength.


I started to combine three symbols: the hamsa (protection), the heart (love) and the Adinkra symbol ram's horns (strength).


These are all symbols that I love. I put them together to form a special hamsa for her. I'm not sure how to present this to her...to print, to stitch or to just give her a sketch.


I hope that my meditation, my focus on sending her these three wishes somehow made it through to her today.

4 comments:

  1. so very beautiful
    what a wonderful friend you are...

    xox - eb.

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  2. I agree with Elizabeth (eb). Very beautiful. Your friend is lucky to have you on her side. May I ask...is it a mutual friend of ours?

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    1. Thanks, Jennifer. In answer to your question,"no" you do not know her...though she is a wonderful lady.

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