Sacrifice
Oil on Canvas
20x20
THIS WAS BY FAR ONE of the most difficult paintings I've ever done. When Joyce Ann Jamison (henceforth referred to as Mee-Maw) came to live with us in 2022, I had no idea the stress, the love and the sacrifice that would go into our day to day. When I say "our" I'm mainly referring to Lynanne. There's something to be said about listening to the stories from someone who lived through history - meeting JFK, televisions becoming a part of our everyday life, indoor showers, life on a farm, the small community she lived in...and the list goes on and on. In the few years I knew her, I heard story after countless story about how Mee-Maw sacrificed her time and most of her life to not only her family, but to the community. And it wasn't just the sacrifice that was synonymous with her name, but also her integrity; "Oh, if Joyce Ann told you that you best believe it," was a common phrase.
Her integrity rubbed off on her granddaughter, Lynanne, who carries that same reputation - completely and totally authentic. I witnessed an individual in court tell the judge, "just believe whatever she says Your Honor, she's not going to lie. That whole family tells the truth."
When Mee-Maw came to live with us, I watched as someone who'd sacrificed everything, now needed that same generous, reliable and compassionate care that she'd dedicated her life to. Compassionate and reliable...two words that are thrown around in the world of caregiving, but something we rarely experienced. Caregiving is for the most part, a thankless job. It's time-consuming, emotionally exhausting, and takes a toll on a person's mental health; especially if it's someone you love.
And Lynanne? I watched her, day after day, year after year, take care of her grandmother in the most patient, kind, and warm-hearted ways. There were no lengths she wouldn't go to, to ensure that Mee-Maw was as comfortable as she could be. As Mee-Maw's strength began to decline and she was unable to do the most basic functions (brushing her hair, putting on lotion, etc.) Lynanne's spirit never once broke.
And here it was, on an evening like so many others, a woman who had sacrificed everything in service to others, was needing someone to offer her the same. Lynanne took the cloth, gently wiped Mee-Maw's face and complimented her on how absolutely beautiful she was. In that moment, I snapped a photo...just a simple photo of a granddaughter sacrificing her time to the woman who had done it so many times for her...and I knew I had to paint it.
On the surface it doesn't seem like much - taking care of a loved one, that's your responsibility, right? Maybe...but sacrificing everything to give a loved one a sample of the compassionate, generous and selfless service they gave everyone, to me, is a work of art in and of itself.
