This week, in addition to painting, I have been busy putting together my website which should be up and running before next week. I am happy to finally have this done - it has taken a bit more effort than I was thinking it would. There is also a juried show coming up for which I am hustling to paint a couple of watercolors, and then there are the final touches on my red tulips commission. I have also hung 5 paintings in a shop close by - so, along with my very busy day job, all of these things have made the week seem full.
A bit of a snowstorm had just ended when I got in my jeep to drive to work yesterday morning. Part of my trip is down a very long hill into a valley, which, if you are not careful, you can gain a great deal of speed on. As I got to the bottom of that hill, I noticed a young girl walking in the ditch, and a car that had run off the road into the barbed wire fencing. I stopped, and this young 20 year old was sobbing as she walked. NO ONE had stopped to help her, and there were plenty of cars that had gone by! She was unable to get cell reception in the valley, and had walked up that long hill to call for help, then back down again to her car. After sitting in my jeep and talking for about 10 minutes, she finally calmed down enough to be able to laugh a little, and talk about herself. This was a very young, very vulnerable person who needed help, whose car was visible in the ditch and no one would stop. What is wrong with people these days? You could easily see that this girl was not dressed for the weather, was in distress, and was not a threat to whomever would help her.
After about 30 minutes, her boyfriend arrived with truck and chains to pull her car out. She had bought her car 2 weeks before, without winter tires. Going down that hill, she gathered too much speed, hit black ice, and slammed into the ditch. Fortunately, her air bags did not deploy, and she was not injured - just shaken.
How discouraging to hear that not one person - not even the snowplow driver who sped past her - would stop to lend a hand. I was late to my first meeting of the day, but to me, this girl whose name is Destiny was far more important. This was, in fact, the meeting that was destined for my day... and I am glad I had the chance to respond in a way that seems RIGHT!
This sunset is the view out my living room window, to the west. When I see the glorious beauty of Alberta skies like this, I am uplifted in my spirit - just as I was when I left Destiny safely in the truck of her boyfriend.
If you would like to purchase a print of this photograph, please contact me: jogiesbrecht@gmail.com
