There’s a story in the Gospels where Jesus goes to visit two of his dear friends, Martha and Mary. Martha is a bustling whirlwind of loving activity…who gets pretty upset with her sister for doing nothing but sitting at Jesus’ feet, leaving her alone with the burden of serving. But Jesus’ response to her outcry challenges her whole way of living:

“Mary has chosen the good portion.”

I think these words reverberate poignantly within the busyness of our modern lives, where we’re so good at being efficient and productive, but have largely lost the art of really being.
Being with.
Being present.
Being fully alive.
There is a powerful grace in the kind of human encounter that happens when we slow down and let being present with another become the most important thing. Like the Father at the beginning of time, Jesus calls it “good.”

This story captures the why behind my work.

Time and again, I have found myself unable to find a card that could capture my desire to just be with a friend, to communicate my presence to them – whether to share in their joy, or to shoulder their sorrow – and especially, that could draw from the richness of the Catholic faith, which is my heritage and my home.

So. Enter, this work. My answer to this need for art, beauty, words, that can facilitate an authentic human encounter. Where being with means a new level of intentionality, of givenness. Where we can slow down, find a stillness in the midst of our activity, stop and stay with another for a time. Where we can give the real gift of our presence to them in a moment of mattering in their life.

May my creations be a gift to you as you choose “the good portion” and seek to live your life fully present and fully alive.