{"product_id":"texas-magnolias-by-caroline-gonzales","title":"\"Texas Magnolias\" by Caroline Gonzales","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Texas Magnolias\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcrylic on Canvas\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e36in x 48in\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis painting is a part of a body of work created over the course of one year. Each painting is paired together with a creative writing piece created by Selina R. Ramos. Taking turns in response to each other every month. The writing below is the response to this painting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026gt;\u0026gt;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Dear Dad\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDear Dad,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI keep thinking about what I would say to you if I could see you again. Thank you for your love. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eThank you for your wisdom. Thank you for your dedication to our family. I don’t know if I ever \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003esaid these things to you in life. Looking back on our time together, I wish I had taken more \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003epictures of you or written down some of the stuff you told me. If only I could’ve just followed you \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003earound with a tape recorder lol…hindsight. I just figured we’d have more time together, you \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eknow? I didn’t think grief affected memories. Sometimes I can hear you clear as day. You’re a \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003evoice, sharp in my mind. Sometimes your face is a blur in my mind and I can hardly make out \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eyour features. My heart quivers and my hands shake. I’m still standing in the reverberations of \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ethe cataclysm of my loss. It’s been hard to regulate my emotions. I don’t even really care to try \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003emost days. You were my calm. My peace. Whenever life was chaotic and I felt like I couldn't \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ehandle things, you were always there to still my mind. We would troubleshoot, find a solution, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eand I’d try again. Your love and your faith in me, I have come to realize, allowed me to bloom \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003einto the woman that I am.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIf I could speak to you one more time, I’d tell you that your grandchildren are everything you\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ecould have hoped for. Silly funny little things, they have your smile and they carry with them\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eyour joy for life. Oh, Dad… being able to watch them grow is so bittersweet. I wish you were\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ehere to see it. I’ve lost count of the number of times that they did or said something so\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eridiculously cute or funny, and I immediately thought of you. I imagine what you’d say to me. “My \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003esweet grandbaby” or perhaps, “You used to do the same thing when you were that small,” and \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ethen proceed to tell me the story. They ask about you all the time. He still remembers you and \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ewe sit together and I hold on to him until the feelings become less painful. She wonders where \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eheaven is and if we can go visit you soon. She tells everyone she knows that she has a grandpa \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ein the sky.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIf I could speak to you one more time, I would tell you how much you are loved. I would tell you \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ehow sorely you are missed. I would tell you all the things that you are to me, and you would \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eleave this world filled with the knowledge that you touched the lives of so many people. You \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003efilled our world with color. You are the inspiration that drives me and makes me the person I am \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003etoday. Thank you, Dad.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLove Always,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eCaroline and Selina\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"doyoubuyart.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47326746476795,"sku":null,"price":4500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0625\/9926\/6555\/files\/1000026263.jpg?v=1752256455","url":"https:\/\/do-you-buy-art.myshopify.com\/products\/texas-magnolias-by-caroline-gonzales","provider":"Do You Buy Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}