What’s Left Behind

When my mother died she left behind a lifetime’s worth of possessions. I kept what I could fit into a couple of suitcases and boxes; I felt that if I could somehow fit these pieces of her together in just the right way, I could somehow become closer to her by gaining a better understanding of who she was. But it’s been three years, and she’s still a mystery to me.
I made a bouquet of things my mother left behind; things that were precious to her before she lost her past to Alzheimer’s disease. Each “flower” consists of a couple of her paintbrushes, a floral watercolor sketch (painted when she was in high school in Argentina), a vintage photo (taken in Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, or Colorado), and unanswered questions.
I’ll be giving these away on Friday at our opening celebration for Garden of Grief, Rebecca Reeves’ new installation in our Little Free Library gallery.