The Shire

" I paint home portraits on slate covered with old music sheets"

Is usually my short answer to what I do as a retired nurse

who now finds herself with this new found talent of painting.

Most of my paintings are so much more as something 

beautifully odd or almost miraculous comes about more

often than not. This brings me to the story of THE SHIRE.

I have young friends I call the Barker twins.

These girls, I swear remind me of myself when I was 

their age. They both are little momma's and animated 

and we have great conversation when we speak/text.

Kristen has ordered quite a few portraits from me and

says she loves my work. Each time she picks up a piece,

she puts her name down for more portraits. Kayla,

likes to talk about as much as me but just maybe

one notch lower than I. I call them my Barker twins.

So here is the story:
A few weeks ago, Kristen' name is up once again for a painting.

I text her, "K, your name is up and I have written that it is for

your boss."

She excitedly explains that she wants that spot!
 Her Mom has lost one of her best friends just days
before from a horrible tractor accident while working on his master piece.
THE SHIRE
Yes, he owns a home he calls the Shire. He also was a single

parent for many years to his one child who now lives in London. 

In the middle of a global pandemic, she was able to get a private plane

to get as close as she could to her deceased Daddy who 

was everything to her childhood.

Then the "miracles" or coincidences started happening.

I did not know this man, he was a retired lawyer who

had his Shire moved to his land in three pieces and put his carpentry 

work to use as he was bringing the Shire back to its beautiful beginning.
With the twins history, they say after he finished law school he traveled
the World by back pack and fell in love with Paraquay and Uruguay.

He built a guest house in the image of a cajun home from the 

ground up. He tore down an old barn and gave most of the wood

to Kayla twin so she could build a stand for her baby's birthday.

From the minute I got the text, and then the photos, I was deep into 

this project. I studied all the most beautiful photos of the home  

and felt like this man was with me from the beginning.
I even felt like I could see his shadow in the windows of the photos he sent.

Along with the photos I used to paint the Shire, I also taped up a photo
of himself, and his daughter, Jessica when she was young for inspiration.

Yet, as I began, I felt he was making sure I got it right as it was going

to be a gift for the woman he loved, his baby girl.

This home, this estate was beautiful, the work he

was doing here was phenomenal.
Sometimes I felt his hand led my work.

I love every home I paint and as I have said before, because I pray

for the family I am painting for and asked many questions,

many special things come to pass my work. it is far more than

just a painting. However, this one had me feeling I was not

the one in control of this piece.

As I was finishing up ideas began to come into my head,

"Add a very small photo of he and his daughter when she was young."

"Wood burn a piece of the barn wood to say 'THE SHIRE'"

Paint his dog in the front of the house,

"Paint a carving in the tree that says Papa loves J".

I looked at the songs I picked, two hymns about love

and the middle one I tore out of a Led Zepplin music book

"STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN"

A poem I had called  THIS IS MY FATHERS WORLD

and it was so fitting to this man I never met that I had to add 

it along with a love letter to the back of the slate.

It was then time to show the Barker twins my finished project:

Just like they always do, they praised my work and could not wait to

gift it to this grieving daughter, Jessica.

I was nervous, I was excited, I could not wait for her reaction.

Yes, I cried watching this, yes I want to meet this daughter

whose Daddy loved her to pieces.

Yes, I'm saddened that I never got to personally meet her Father.

But I cannot say I feel like he is a stranger as 

like i have said, he has been with me from the beginning of this project.

It was one piece, maybe the only piece I was actually saddened to finish.

As I sealed it, took down all the photos I had taped all over my work

station, I was sad about it being done.

I cannot thank the Barker twins enough for trusting me with this 

most precious gift to an only child who must be hurting in 

ways she can't even yet begin to comprehend.

I pray that as she travels back home to London, with THE SHIRE

accompanying her, she places it in a place where she can be

comforted on those hard days. I pray that it is comfort it brings

always. I ask that you all remember this story and remember this 

family that did not loose their loved one to Cover-19, but to 

something that he just loved doing, remodeling his beautiful 

Shire. May he rest In Peace.

Thanks again, Barker twins, I love you two to pieces!