I have been tagged by the very talented artist Laurie Justus Pace
Here are the rules: 1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog. 2. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. 3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. 4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
5 facts about me. As Harley Brown said, 'You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder why.' OK. Hang on!
1. I am terribly allergic to turpentine and most chemicals. One whiff and I am out 12 hours with a migraine.
2. This may sound weird. When I was 9 years old, I had asthma and double pnumonnia. I actually died. I remember being above my body looking down on myself. My mother was beside the bed, crying. But I came back, and no, I'm not crazy! I now also work as a CNA and take care of my mother, who will be 90 in a month.
3. When I was 7, I remember my father lifting me up on his shoulders to see John F. Kennedy, who came through Moline campaigning for President. I just remember lots of flashbulbs going off as John F. Kennedy went by sitting in the back of a convertible.
4. I have done editorial and magazine cartooning. One of my cartoons was published in the Saturday Evening Post. The same month the cartoon was published, my brother died suddenly at age 37. Three months later, my father died. I didn't feel like drawing funny cartoons for a long time after that.
5. This was a defining moment in my life. I became a CNA because my best friend of 30 years became ill with a rare form of Parkinson's disease. No one was helping his wife with him, so I did. I helped care for him for 6 years. The disease had ravished his body. His family was gathered around him when he died. For a brief moment, he looked as healthy as he ever did in his life. His daughter, Tonya, grabbed my arm and asked me what was happening. I told her, 'He isn't sick anymore.' You could almost visibly see his spirit leave his body. It was remarkable. Sad and joyful at the same time.
I noticed that the facts about me seem to have a theme. One thing I have learned is to take life a day at a time. Each day is a gift. No one is guaranteed a certain amount of time here, so enjoy each and every day! Live well, because when it's over, it ain't over!
I am going off to tag 5 artists, I'll get them linked up here when I choose who gets it. I'll be back.
OK. I have chosen the taggees. They are:
Liza Hirst
Brenda York
Mike Beeman
Irene Corey
Michele Beaulieu dba Naquaiya
The view from my studio window of the house across the street.
