Josephina

I saw this picture for the first time in Luz’s house and I fell in love. I don’t know what it is about this picture that absolutely moves me inside; maybe it is the coloring, maybe it is the facial expression of Josephina, or maybe it is the idea of ancestral legacy, or Could it be something deeper…? Could it be the home that this little girl has watched over for so many years? Could it be the love of the people and the depth of soul surrounding this picture day in and day out? Could it be the signs of charity that no one sees except for Josephina?

One such experience was seen just this afternoon. But first, let me give you a quick background of what I have gathered about Luz (the owner of this painting). Luz is an older woman that physically is rather similar to the middle woman in the picture above. Her husband died when her two boys were still rather young. One of her sons was hit by a car in his early twenties and survived a two month coma. He now requires constant care for basic everyday needs. She still works during the day and takes care of her son at night. A truly amazing woman.

I learned the word for drunk in Spanish today and I decided to rather humorously tell Luz that I was “drunk on life.” What started out for me as a joking moment turned into a profound experience. She smiled at first but then got a serious look on her face and said, “Life is a privilege,” she paused and quietly breathed, “we should be grateful every day.”

The words that she said are common. Something heard and repeated often. It wasn’t the words that were as striking as the way that she said them. It was the look in her eye and the love that I felt from her. She finished by looking me in the eye and saying, “You should thank your parents! Your biological parents too!”

Maybe this is what strikes me most about this painting… what would it be like to look through the eyes of Josephina for a day?