At my husband's celebration of life, friends arrived with a covered bowl of a thousand origami cranes.
In Japanese tradition, folding a thousand cranes, senbazuru, is an act of deep love. It carries wishes for peace, healing, and good fortune. Cranes mate for life. They symbolize fidelity, longevity, and the hope that what we love is not lost but transformed.
The painting is about more than grief. It is about anything we hold onto, afraid that letting go means losing it forever. The cranes sit in their jar, full of color and beauty. The lid holds them in, safe and dear. But as time goes by, they lie lifeless and cannot fly.
In “More” the cranes are no longer held so tight. One by one they come alive, flying, reaching for the light. Colorful paper wings catch the angular beam of sunlight cutting through a somber sky showing the way forward. And as they climb higher, they transform, paper becoming feather, origami becoming real, contained becoming free.
Sometimes to have more, you must let go of what was to be open to what could be.
Love me
Touch me
Hold me
Never let go of me
And I'll
Love you
Touch you
Hold you
Never let go of you
And more
But how
Now that you're gone
But how
Can I keep holding on
I'm afraid
If I let go, you'll be gone
I'm afraid
I'm afraid
But I must walk on
I lift the lid
And set you free
Soar high
And take a part of me
My heart open
Deeper
True
I'll soar free
And take a part of you
And with smiles
From our hearts
I'll
Love you
Remember you
Go on
Laugh and love
A little brighter because of you
And more
