This is a new piece, an 18″ by 24″ painting on panel, that is part of my upcoming show at the West End Gallery. It is titled In the Moment of Grace. Fittingly, it was finished in the time that I listened to President Obama‘s stirring eulogy for the victims of the Charleston tragedy on Friday in which he pulled its theme from the classic hymn Amazing Grace. Although I was already fully invested in this painting, that fact added so much more meaning to it for me.
That eulogy was the culmination of a remarkable and historic week, one that found the Supreme Court issuing decisions that upheld the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and made Gay Marriage a right throughout the nation. And if that wasn’t enough, the Confederate flag finally came down in South Carolina, though it took the act one young black woman willing to be imprisoned for her civil disobedience rather than the act of an intransigent State House and Senate. The President’s words over the fallen in South Carolina framed the end of this week perfectly.
Amazing Grace.
Despite the wonder of it all, I know there is much more to be done and more conflicts to be faced in the struggle for equality and fairness for all. That is the nature of change and change is the nature of America. And I think that is the point that is missed by so many of those who hold so tightly onto the past, those people who say that they want “their country” back: America is not a monolith, not owned by one group or region and cannot be defined by one thing, person, place or time.
That is its strength. Like a great work of art, it lives always in the present. And the present is an inclusive and shifting prism, a kaleidoscope or, yes, a rainbow of diverse people who make up this nation. It has eventually always made room for all who sought to live in that light and it is that spirit of inclusion that separates us from the rest of the world. Tolerance unifies a disparate people and brings us closer to grace.
As I said, there are many more hurdles to be overcome, more work to be done. I could continue preaching here for a while but I wish to just sit back for a moment and relish the present. So, for this Sunday morning music I thought a little Amazing Grace would be appropriate. Her is a truly beautiful version from Judy Collins and the Boys Choir of Harlem, sung on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
Have a good Sunday and reflect for a moment on this remarkable week.
Redtree Times 