The Canvas of our Lives

People are like works of art.  Sometimes we look at them trying to figure them out similar to how we might study a Picasso or Dali painting to understand the underlying meaning.  As children, we come into this world with a blank canvas.  Our life experiences will make up ours.  Sometimes the patterns and colors will be what we have applied by the choices we make, but when we are very young, our canvas is painted by others: our parents, guardians, teachers, siblings, etc.  Our painting may be rich and beautiful, similar to a vibrant and tranquil landscape.  But what does the canvas of a person who endured abandonment, pain, or rejection when they were a child look like?  Would you be able to understand their painting or would their canvas not be so obvious?

The story idea for Restoration came to me while I was pregnant.  It was a reflective and introspective time in my life.  I was preparing to raise another human being and making decisions about how I would instill values that would shape her life.  To me, this was heavy stuff.  The palette I choose for my daughter’s canvas was unconditional love wrapped in blanket of safety and security while putting her needs above my own.  And 13 years later, the canvas of my young adult is beautiful, loving, and thoughtful.  A tribute to all who helped sculpt it.

What about your canvas?  Were your mother’s brush strokes loving and well thought out before they were applied?  Or were they splattered on you without much thought to what your canvas would look like when she was through?  Would strangers be able to easily interpret your canvas or would it be puzzling to them?

My main character in Restoration, Tess Olsen shows signs of Abandoned child syndrome.  Wikipedia defines it as a behavioral or psychological condition that results from the loss of one or both parents.  She is guarded, distrusting, and struggles to form intimate relationships all a result of her mother abandoning her family to marry a serial killer.

In the first chapter Tess is having dinner with her new boyfriend Ben.  During their meal, Ben begins asking her very personal questions.  Tess, who avoids close relationships and any discussion beyond her top layer, is uncomfortable with this line of questioning.  She tries to avoid his interrogation but Ben is persistent and different than other men she has dated.  Could he be the one to really understand Tess’s canvas?  And will she allow him to look beyond the top layer of paint and understand the true meaning of her painting?

Want to find out more and what a surprise phone call could mean for Tess?

Visit my website to get your FREE copy of my First Chapter.