The Solace Project #14
OfficialWaje
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Dear Friends,<br/><br/>For Mother’s Day, let’s go to The Huntington in beautiful San Marino, California, to look at <a href="https://emuseum.huntington.org/objects/5145/mrs-elijah-boardman-and-her-son-william-whiting-boardman?ctx=6621da261f80f06853f04a0e843df8e27b6cd2f6&idx=24">Ralph Earl’s portrait of Mary Anna Boardman with her son, William.</a><br/><br/>First of all, Happy Mothers Day to all of us who are mothers and all of us who have mothers and all of us who take care of anyone or anything. That would be all of us. Sometimes, I like to deep sigh and say “if it’s not one thing, it’s your mother,” usually not meaning mine, often hoping that my own two daughters are simply glad they were born and then call me once in awhile. That might sound forlorn, but it’s actually ecstatic gratitude for the foundational gifts of life, upon which all of the other bells and whistles are heard.  <br/><br/>To reach the portrait of Mary Anna and William, I’m going to skip the part where we take the 405 to the 10 to the 164, through East LA to Pasadena, or the 101 to 134, through Hollywood and Glendale, because the thought of driving in Los Angeles still triggers me even though it’s been decades since I attended UCLA and spent as much time in my car as I did in class.  In my mind, I just want to parachute gently into the camellia garden, take that all in, stroll over to the roses, wander a little more until I’m surrounded by fields of forget-me-nots. I’m conjuring a total sensory experience, even though I haven’t been to the Huntington for a few years at least, I am getting a rush of moist air, and intoxicating floral scents--yes even though we are just minutes from all of those freeways.  <br/><br/>Yes, it’s a complex complex, a maze of gallery buildings, library, and gardens that create an oasis that is hard to fathom when I really think about it. The city grew around it, of course, and I have to say that oh so long
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serenaM
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