Back in October we went shopping for appliances at the local mall when we were taken by some of the artwork in the Thomas Kinkade gallery show window. I couldn't believe it, but somehow, I found myself walking throught the gallery with my husband (who's not usually prone to doing such things). We left empty handed, but on the way home we discussed how nice it would be to buy one of his pieces in the future. Well, the future came the following weekend - before the diagnosis, before we settled on the house! We'd have to wait a few weeks for the piece to arrive, but we were really excited about the purchase. We didn't think about it much - in fact I forgot about the details - I knew it had a lighthouse, and the sea... but that's all. I didn't even remember the name.

Last Sunday, Donna from the gallery called to inform us that our painting "Courage" had arrived. How appropriate, I thought.

"Courage, my new Life Values painting,
expands on the metaphor of a sea voyage,
bringing us to the moment of divine
inspiration, when God graces us with
courage beyond the merely human — the
resolve we need to overcome any obstacle.

"I make full use of a vocabulary of personal
artistic symbols to convey this message:
God rewards our perseverance with His gift
of courage. Our lone sailor has come within
sight of a lighthouse; the beacon of divine
love will guide him to shore. Smoke curls
from the chimney of the keeper's solid brick
cottage, hinting at domestic comforts
within. A sublime radiance breaks through
the clouds, embracing the boat in its holy
light.

I painted Courage at a time when I was
especially grateful for God's hand of
deliverance in my life. May it remind you
that courage is, truly, a gift from the
Almighty."

................................-- Thomas Kinkade