Special Gallery Visitors

A few weeks ago, on a day when gallery visitors were scarce, I was pleasantly surprised when a group of high school students dropped in.  Accompanied by two teachers, I knew that these were a special group of kids.  They were impressed by every piece of art.  The girls ooh'd and ah'd over the jewelry while the boys seemed to be taken by photography, water colors, and wooden objects.  Since they didn't seem to be in any hurry, I decided to infuse a bit of fun into their day.

I distributed raffle tickets to them after having selected some inexpensive, yet beautiful, gallery items (scented handcrafted candles, pendants with bird images and small ceramic crosses.  I called out numbers, and one by one, they came forward to select their prize.  Winners all, they left with their small art treasures.

I was left with my own treasure--amazement at the dedication of our public school teachers and the care and love of these kids for one another.  I was especially impressed by the tenderness shown to the young man in a wheelchair.  Everyone made sure that he was included and those pushing him around shifted the task seamlessly.

So imagine my surprise when they all showed up again this week.  One by one, they handed me their hand-crafted thank you cards.  I took the time to read a part of each card as they handed them to me.  I knew that each was an act of sincere appreciation.  I smiled as I tried to make sure that my tears didn't betray the admiration I had for each of these special young persons.

Here are photos of some of the cards they brought to me.