A GIFT

My son Alex and I were pulling into our favorite park when we drove by a pond with a beautiful weeping cherry tree, in full bloom, along its bank.

Across the pond was a woman sitting in front of an easel, painting the reflection of the weeping cherry that was bouncing off the surface of the pond.

“Oh, my gosh! I’ve always wanted to do that!” I cried as I tried to get a peek at how far she’d gotten with her painting.

“You want to come to a park, set up an easel and start to paint?” Alex looked at me. “With everyone watching you?”

I began to shake my head and started to laugh. “Absolutely not!” I cried. “That would never happen. I can’t have people looking at me like that!” I pulled into a parking space, turned off the car and looked over at Alex. “I did do a paint-and-sip once.” I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s down in my office. It’s a beach scene with the waves crashing along the shoreline.” I had to laugh. “If you look at it from across the room it doesn’t look terrible.”

“So why don’t you try painting again?” Alex asked as he opened the door and stepped out next to the car to do some stretches.

“Because I wasn’t very good at it.” I said as I climbed out of the car.

“You only did it once!” Alex looked at me over the roof of the car.

“Most of that painting was done by the people sitting next to me. I kept having to ask for help.” I shook my head sadly. “I clearly don’t have a gift.”

“You only did it one time!” Alex cried again.

“Exactly!” I walked around the car, clicking the lock button on the key fob “I clearly don’t have a gift for painting.”

We began walking to the path that led through the woods.

“What I’ve really always wanted to be able to do is sketch.” I held up my hands showing him the size of the sketchbook I’d want to have. “Something about this size that I could throw in my purse and take out when inspiration struck.”

“So why don’t you get yourself a sketchbook?” Alex went ahead of me on the narrow path.

“I already know I’m not very gifted in sketching either.” I moved a branch out of the way. “I can barely draw stick figures.” I sighed.

Alex stopped and turned around. “You do realize that everyone that paints and sketches has to practice to get good, right?”

“That’s not true.” I sighed again. “Some people are born gifted. It’s just comes naturally to them.”

“That’s like one in a million people!” Alex laughed. “Everyone else has to practice. Doing it over and over again until they get it right.” He turned around and began walking again.

“But I want to be that one in a million.” I said as I followed him. “I want to be gifted. Where it comes naturally and I don’t have to practice.” I sighed again.

“That’s not how life works!” I could see him shaking his head as he laughed again.

“Don’t I know it.” I caught up to him as the path widened enough for us to walk side by side. “But wouldn’t it be magical if life did work that way?”

Alex turned his head to look at me. “Well, you can always keep hoping.”

“Exactly.” I looked over at him and nodded my head. “I’m just going to wait and see what my gift is going to be.”