My Mother
Portraiture by Laurie Justus Pace
SOLD Private Collection of Artist
Contact me for portrait work. Laurie
Portraiture by Laurie Justus Pace
SOLD Private Collection of Artist
Contact me for portrait work. Laurie
This was painted about ten years ago... I never finished it and I think I will. It truly looks just like my mom. The tribute below was written in 1979 for my mother for a Mother's Day Banquet at her church. I lived out of town and had two small children and could not make it up for the Friday night banquet. I sent flowers and had my best friend Candy read this to my mother at the dinner that night.
A Tribute to Mother
To paint upon a canvas
the glory of life, the total of love, the beauty of earth...
One could close your eyes and imagine
never ending fields of brightly colored wild flowers, cool meadows
surrounded by the quiet of a shade trees with echoes of drops from a nearby waterfall.
In the distance you can both hear and smell the sounds of a cool rain on the horizon
and anticipate the sunrise of a new day.
One could imagine
endless pictures of the beauty of nature God has so graciously given us.
The canvas is full of God given glories
but none compares to another yet mentioned.
After considering the birth, life and death of Christ,
God's next greatest gift was that of Mother.
She is ever constant made in His image.
She is there from your first memory
unconditional and indestructible despite all attempts to prove otherwise.
She is Mother, She is Love, She is Life, She is Beauty.
She gives you forever love and asks for so little in return.
The dark of night, the crash of a storm, a scrapped knee, a first day at school,
endless homework, a first love.... a broken heart.
A Mother bears with you all of your pain and fear
and hold tights in her heart her own pains and fears.
She gives to you sunshine and fields of brightly colored wild flowers
that you may pick the best of life along the way.
She comforts you with the cool meadows when the outside world seems so confused.
She rocks you to sleep under the shade tree when you are weary from the day.
Her tears are the drops of nearby waterfall as she silently bears her pain for you.
The cool rain on the horizon leaves life fresh as you wake to a new sunrise.
It was her prayers offered through the night to bring this new dawn.
The day will come that you will pledge your love to another through eternity
joined by marriage or through a career to fulfill a life long dream.
Behind remains Mother, still constant with her endless love.
There was never need of pledge or ceremony.
She watched you grow and turn your life and love beyond her.
Remember your Mother as I have done, and in your mind create your picture
of the glory of life, the total of love and the beauty of earth.
My mother's face fills my canvas and in her eyes glistens
the love of God, the Glory of God and the beauty of all He has given us.
For Gladys Justus
May 1979
To paint upon a canvas
the glory of life, the total of love, the beauty of earth...
One could close your eyes and imagine
never ending fields of brightly colored wild flowers, cool meadows
surrounded by the quiet of a shade trees with echoes of drops from a nearby waterfall.
In the distance you can both hear and smell the sounds of a cool rain on the horizon
and anticipate the sunrise of a new day.
One could imagine
endless pictures of the beauty of nature God has so graciously given us.
The canvas is full of God given glories
but none compares to another yet mentioned.
After considering the birth, life and death of Christ,
God's next greatest gift was that of Mother.
She is ever constant made in His image.
She is there from your first memory
unconditional and indestructible despite all attempts to prove otherwise.
She is Mother, She is Love, She is Life, She is Beauty.
She gives you forever love and asks for so little in return.
The dark of night, the crash of a storm, a scrapped knee, a first day at school,
endless homework, a first love.... a broken heart.
A Mother bears with you all of your pain and fear
and hold tights in her heart her own pains and fears.
She gives to you sunshine and fields of brightly colored wild flowers
that you may pick the best of life along the way.
She comforts you with the cool meadows when the outside world seems so confused.
She rocks you to sleep under the shade tree when you are weary from the day.
Her tears are the drops of nearby waterfall as she silently bears her pain for you.
The cool rain on the horizon leaves life fresh as you wake to a new sunrise.
It was her prayers offered through the night to bring this new dawn.
The day will come that you will pledge your love to another through eternity
joined by marriage or through a career to fulfill a life long dream.
Behind remains Mother, still constant with her endless love.
There was never need of pledge or ceremony.
She watched you grow and turn your life and love beyond her.
Remember your Mother as I have done, and in your mind create your picture
of the glory of life, the total of love and the beauty of earth.
My mother's face fills my canvas and in her eyes glistens
the love of God, the Glory of God and the beauty of all He has given us.
For Gladys Justus
May 1979
Comments