A Gallery of Friends

My gallery wall is almost complete.

I make small adjustments here and there but it seems to have arrived at what I’ve been going for. It’s a collection of meaningful images and objects. Two mirrors, three clocks, a shadow box with memories of my mother’s life, a hanging candle holder that reminds me of a censer from a Serbian/Greek Orthodox Church in Los Angeles. The centerpiece of the grouping depicts an abundance of harvested fruit once belonging to a great grandmother I’d never met. Grandma Cary hung this in her home for years and wrote an inscription to me on the back in her own handwriting making it even more dear.

So it is with the collection of people we have in our lives. At some point in time one special person is going to be the at the center with all the others carefully arranged around it. The mirrors become the people most like us. Depending on our current life stage they reflect how we dress, how we think, and what we believe.

The three clocks tell me that it’s now 11:25, 10:01, and 4:03. It’s good to have people in your circle with different vantage points and opinions. Then there’s the photo of high bred British Cavalier Spaniels and a framed emblem from Scotland, reminding me of places I’ve traveled and representing cultures slightly different than my own. At the top of this grouping are two framed prints that somewhat fit the only open space in this grouping. Their theme fit my style. At some point though, as things in life will tend to do, they might be repositioned to another wall, in another room, or even a grouping belonging to someone else.

There’s not a lot of room left now but if something with a kindred feel pulls my heart then this existing group will all need to inch closer together, making room for a new and interesting friend.