The three trees represent our Past, Present and Future. The red represents the past, the abuse and addiction. The green represents the present, the hope and challenges that make us strong. Our future is a colorful tree that represents our strength and victory from the challenges.

In my daughters words, “It means our happy life when we conquer our victory and the sun is love.”

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The right side of our tree shows the past, the darkness. The left side shows a bright future with color, prosperity, love and happiness. Everyone’s feelings are all mixed up. The top left is shining like today and we are showing our artistic abilities.

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I felt my lifetime of pain and hurt when I painted my tree, like I was overcoming it for my children. I am planted firmly in the ground like my tree. The cloudy messed up side represents the past, full of pain, hurt and abuse. The right clear and yellow side is me healing, growing and getting better for brighter days. The leaf that says Dorothy is me, healed, bright, golden, moving forward. I am above my kids because I take care of them. My daughter Destiny did the pink part. The right side is healing with light colors and the leaves represent my children/ In the future I am going to go to school, that is represented in the growing portion of my tree.

The red is for pain and tears. I have been a victim all my life. I was abused as a child and grew up in foster care and I was molested by my father. I had mental health issues from the childhood abuse that continued into my adult life. Then I met a man who I thought was “Mr. Wonderful” and he ended up bring “Mr. Awful”.   I didn’t know it was domestic violence until I was in a mental hospital for trying to commit suicide. I almost lost my kids. At the hospital I was given a pamphlet about domestic violence. It had the National Domestic Violence Hotline on it and some questions like, ‘does he ever do this to you?’ That is when I realized it was domestic violence. It took me a few months to get into a shelter. I went to a few domestic violence shelters, they were all wonderful experiences. Peace & Joy is where I call home. They have worked through a lot of problems with me, (especially Ms. Wilson) rather then give up on me. Now I say to other domestic violence victims, keep your head up, it can always get better.  God loves you and so do I.

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My picture represents the freedom I’ve longed for.

The leaf on the almost dead tree represents the hope that kept me going.  I had two children with me that needed me.  I couldn’t be a sad tree.  I never thought I could ever be the person I wanted to be, and that I had to obey to survive and  give my children a “family.”

I still fear many things, but I know now that my hope for a brighter future shines more than ever.  We are a real family now, and although many wounds still need healing, we are building wonderful, happy memories.

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Mixed-Media on Canvas 12×16

Mixed-Media on Canvas 12×16

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This is my life. The red is for pain, the orange is for me trying to find my way, and blue for the opportunities that have come to me slowly. The yellow represents when my kids’ and my eyes were opened. The yellow also represents being able to forgive myself and others. I want to forgive myself for the decisions I have made in life that have affected me and my kids. I also want to forgive those who have done me wrong and meant me harm. I want to forgive them because I want peace. I have come so far and no one can stop me but me. I am not going back to the past and domestic violence, I won’t allow it.

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Mixed-Media on Canvas 18×24

The leaves on the tree represent our family members staying together. The bottom leaves are the forgotten things from the past. I hope that those leaves will deteriorate into the earth.

The top colors and bright balls represent happiness. If my tree could talk it would say that it is happy and healthy.

The bottom of my tree represents sadness. My wish would be for my son to be calm and not become an alcoholic like his father.

My daughter Lady added the things her tree would need for the future like love, respect, food, money, a house, clothes, peace and to be strong.  Her wish is for her baby to be happy and healthy.

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Bad things could happen day and night. If it was hurt I would ask,”Why did I get this for no reason?” The trunk is not done growing upwards. Hopefully one day the top of the tree will be filled with leaves of hope. The blue and pink leaves are sadness and anger. The orange and red leaves are happiness and a better life.

In the future I want to be happy and to have no more family problems. I want to be able to control myself so that I don’t repeat the past, so that things that happened to me before will not happen again.

My advice to others would be to stay up, don’t let anything bring you down so it won’t be worse. Do the best you can.

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The flower is for the peace you get and the love you want. I would like to tell other kids that if they come to the shelter you can do lots of art. The shelter is fun and you have a yard to play in.

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This piece represents my life and the pain and the hurt I have felt. When life had no direction and I had no where to turn. My back was against the wall with four kids. Everything wasn’t going right where I was living, my financial situation. So I called different places and one referred me to Jenesse to help me, heal me. I wanted to know peace. I only knew misery. The misery was the violence. I had nothing, I was missing my mother. Now I am at Jenesse, I am in school to get my GED to be a nurse. I see myself doing better than before. For my future I want to graduate, have a home and help other battered women to have peace and love. I also want to show those who helped me that they can depend on me. Slowly, but surely, over time I am finding direction.

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It felt good to make the art. The red flower in the corner is for my dad because he liked red. He passed away when I was three and I loved him and miss him. I put myself in a petal because I like who I am and made the flower purple because I like purple.

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The polka-dots are different colors and so are the leaves on the tree. The different colors make the tree look good, the tree is in the dark during springtime. It’s Springtime and the leaves change colors, that is what my tree represents. The circle represents the moon. I think it is beautiful at night, different colors, different shapes of the moon. You can see the beautiful stars. I always see Orion at night, it feels good. I want to be an artist in the future because I want to be able to paint and draw. I think it will be a nice job to have when I get older.

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I have joy now because I feel safe and my life is going SOMEWHERE. I feel strong because I am here at the shelter. I feel joy because I have my kids back. My kids weren’t in my custody for two years, they were in foster care because of domestic violence. For my future, hopefully I will be dependable, find love, start a career, and be the best mom I can be.

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We’re a team.  As we’ve gone through our journey together, our family tree has given us hope, peace, shelter, and love. The little box of sadness on the ground fell out of our tree, The sadness is gradually being hidden by flowers and leaves that grow bigger pieces of happiness. Above the tree, we are three birds flying away to our future.

A new beginning starts now. Leaving all my problems, sadness and negativity behind. This tree represents my life, my children and my past. The fallen leaves are my past, problems, my sad days and my tears.

I want to leave behind the tough times with my batterer, all of the chaos, feeling out of control, the fighting and arguing. I couldn’t do anything when he was in my life but now I can do lots of stuff. I never used to be able to do art with my kids but now I can.  I was forced to focus on him. Now that I don’t have him I can accomplish so much more including taking care of my kids and being there for them. My daughter put the apples on the tree, she wanted them to be thick. Apples are her favorite fruit and it makes her happy.

My goals are to find work, go to school and to be someone for my kids. I want to have a career. I used to be a cosmetologist, but one day he asked me to just stay at home with him and the kids. I stayed home and he continued to ask me not to go until I stopped going all together. I want to have a safe and stable place to live for my kids and myself.

Our new beginning starts now.

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Mixed-Media on Canvas 18×24

This tree tells the journey of our family from four unique perspectives. The top of the tree on the left side represents the mixed emotions we went through, both good and bad. Some feelings are healed and others are still healing. The top right corner holds the happiness and love that binds us together. At the bottom of the tree, the right side shows the loneliness and hopelessness that fueled the tough times and the left side shows our hope for a better future. The flower with its missing petal is for a missing member of our family. The petal that flew away is alone, but all the flowers on the tree still hopes for its survival and that one day we will reunite in peace.

I hope for a better future for my family; that we learn from our mistakes, stand strong, and reach for our dreams.

My 11-year -old daughter shared, “Mom made the trunk and we are the limbs. Mom wants the limbs to be strong. I am partly strong. She hopes that we will love her and care for her, like she cares for us.”

In the past, we had a lot of anger towards each other. The flame represents that. But over time, as we grew, we learned to love each other and make the most of everything. The roots represent our strength. Even during the hard times, our strength held us together.

The bright colors on top of the hills represent our bright future. It was good to see my daughters connect with each other today. There’s hope for our family!

Mixed-Media on Canvas 18×24

The dark colors on the left represent the rough times in our past. We weren’t happy. We didn’t have a lot of faith. We were isolated and tried to protect each other. We weren’t as open to people as we are now. That’s why the hearts are small. The paint is messy because we didn’t have our life in order. The roots are light and thin. We were just learning to be strong. Even in the dark times we had each other to love.

The right side represents our life now. We have more hearts, bigger hearts, and more love toward our family and others. The roots are bigger, which shows that our family is stronger, and put together. The leaves are smoother because we are more stable and feel safe. We can now see the sun shining and our future is bright!

I wanted the weeping willow tree because as a child, this was my favorite tree. It signifies times of happiness and sadness.

The left side represents what we went through. We’ve gone through death, hopelessness, struggles, pain, hurt, and anger. Things seemed like they weren’t going to get better; that they were always going to stay the same. Death came to us in the passing of my daughter and grandma. The pain is from being deeply hurt from childhood, to the point of not ever feeling. Feeling numb. And never having anyone to tell but my grandma. When she died, I had no one to talk to. My grandma was everything, and never put me down. She was always there for me.

My 18-year-old son said, “I’m still on this side of my life, where there’s confusion, hurt, sadness, and pain. I’m not yet on the other side. Half is dead, and half is alive. There is anger and sadness that hovers over everything else. The stars are still trying to shine and fight through everything.”

The trunk of the tree represents my kids and my foundation, our strength, and tranquility.  We’re still all together. The roots signify the intertwining of our lives. The rainbow signifies my daughter who has passed. Her death has helped us to feel again. Even though she’s remembered in the past, the colors are still bright. The blue sky represents heaven.

My 14-year-old-daughter shared, “The bright colors I chose mean happiness. Just being with my mom and my brother makes me happy.”

Mixed-Media on Canvas 18×24

When I lost my children’s father, I felt hopeless.  My kids made me strong because I had them to lean on.  There was a lot of darkness, and I slowly got stronger as my children grew.  The words of my kids helped me to keep going, “It’s okay mom. You’re the best mom that anyone could ever ask for, and things are going to be okay.”  I wanted to give up, but I knew I couldn’t.

We’ve been back and forth and up and down through struggles, until we got to Pacific Clinics.  Pacific Clinics has had a positive impact on our lives.  Optimism has gotten me through everything.

The hand prints represent our unity.  My grandson holds my family together, which is symbolized by his hand print in the middle.  The heart is hope.  We are working towards a brighter future.  The brown leaves, which symbolize our old habits and the past, are being washed away in the river.  The broken hand saw shows that no matter how many times life has tried to knock us down, we all stick together as a family.  The trunk is strong and stable.  It’s never going to move.

We are happy now, because we have our home and stability.  We are working our way towards success.  Our future is strong.  Our family is like a canoe team.  We stroke together and keep going.  I want to have more religious faith in my family.  The halo around the heart, shows that.

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Mixed-Media on Canvas 16×20

In my relationship I felt alone without options, I was constantly humiliated. Everything was an insult. My abuser was so jealous that if I ever went out of the house without him, he would be bothered and try to get every detail of the day from my son. My son was only 3 years old at the time. The abuse we faced made me so sad.

The roots of my tree represent things I don’t want to think of, things I want to overcome. I feel like I am still carrying insecurity, distrust, and more than anything fear and I still can’t get over them.

The middle part of my tree represents the present. I live in a place where I’ve learned to have self confidence. I’ve been given something very important, peace and tranquility. I close the door and can’t believe it’s peaceful. If I have to go hungry I would not trade it for the tranquility. The present is happy, my son is happy, we feel safe where we are at.

The top part of my tree represents the things that the shelter has helped me to regain. I want to continue and be successful.

The small tree is the work of my son. It represents his creativity and his desire to always participate. My son is beautiful.

Mixed-Media on Canvas 16×20

For me, this tree represents hope.  The lower part is my pain, sadness, and anger. Little by little hope is opening up for me, so I can succeed and be able to help my family.  The flowers are my future and my family and my prosperity.  For my daughter the lower part of the tree and the grass represent the sadness and anger of the past.  For her the top is the future and she feels proud,  at peace, and healthy.  She feels like that because  she says she can wish for something in the future and it could come true.  The flowers represent her future because she says in the future she will bloom like a flower.

Mixed-Media on Canvas 18×24

The door is the past well shut and must never come out especially to bother us.  The large tree signifies me, the strong mother and my beautiful green leaves are new ideas. The small house is where my son is now and even though he isn’t with us, he is always on my mind and my home. The tree with a little face is my daughter, a happy girl that is loving and cares a lot about her family.

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Mixed-Media on Canvas 16×20

My art has two different meanings, my past and future. The dark part shows how my family felt with the violence. We felt fear and sadness. The future part is what brought us hope, faith, happiness, and freedom. My family makes me feel stronger than ever.

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Mixed-Media on Canvas 16×20

This tree signifies life and love. The painting also tells a story of the past and now. Before, in the past, things didn’t matter at all to me. Now I have bloomed into a better person. I am more understanding about situations, and am communicating with respect to others. I have learned so much about how to care, and to value life more than ever before. For example, the flowers on the right mean friendship, and the hearts mean love.

After the workshop, my aunt shared her feelings, “In the past, I saw things with more difficulty. But now everything is clearer and it’s easier to come out ahead, with more love, peace, serenity, respect, and courage.”

Mixed-Media on Canvas 12×16

My picture shows the meaning of my future – a future that brings me hope, freedom, love, and happiness. There’s always faith in my life. Now my life is brighter, and my family is what motivates me and what makes me feel alive.

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The black signifies all of the darkness and sadness of our past and that my daughter thinks her daddy is sad and lonely without us. The light color is how our life is now without my husband. However, sometimes I feel guilty because although my daughter doesn’t say it to not make me feel bad, she misses her dad. Thank you lord for the daughters that you gave me.

Mixed-Media on Canvas 18×24

The brown tree represents our life in the past. It was dark and without a future. The green tree represents our new life with a strong base, new plans, a life in another color and a new future.  The change I made was putting me first and then others. It is because of this that our life has changed.

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We decided to make apple trees, one in day and one in night. My tree is growing in the sun, representing my growth in God’s light. With God’s strength, I can grow stronger and taller one day at a time. The apples are the qualities I possess like compassion, courage, love, understanding, faith, determination, freedom, nurturing, smart, strength, openness, friendliness, honesty, and caring. The fallen apples represent the things I’m ridding myself of as I grow, like fear, feeling trapped, sadness, and insecurity. We decided to connect our trees with one branch representing the love we have for each other.

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The truth will set you free. The blue represents the cold, clear waters of truth that nourished the seed of “Someday” and allowed my dream to grow and flourish. Each leaf represents a different aspect of the brighter future that I envision for myself and my daughter. Like the branches of our Someday tree, we are reaching for the future.

Many of the phrases beneath the tree are what I said to myself in the weeks and months leading up to my escape. The car door represents all the times I told myself over and over, “Just get in the car and go.” I knew if I stayed, he would kill me, if not in body then in spirit.  The woman crying symbolizes how much I hated myself for staying and putting up with the misery and violence. I told myself, “Stop crying and do something!” The sleeping baby represents my daughter, who was only 16 months old when we left. She had already learned to fear him and became anxious when she heard his truck in the driveway. I wasn’t sure if I could save myself but I knew that as a mother, I had a moral obligation to save her. The woman in a cage symbolizes the fact that I didn’t realize until much later that the cage door was always open. I could have walked away at any time. The choice was always mine. I could choose to participate in the violent relationship, or leave.

Reclaiming our freedom was the crucial first step. Now I am looking forward to taking my dream to the next level by joining the middle class. After I finish graduate school, I can finally have a career which will enable me to achieve every single goal written on the leaves of our Someday tree. My daughter deserves a happy, peaceful, good life, and so do I.

In my seven-year-old daughter’s words, “This tree is like us, being free because we burst out of our shell where we were afraid and hidden. And now we are in the sunshine.”

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The bottom part of our tree represents the dark, sadness and rough times. They are in the floor because it is my past.

My 5 year old daughter said the tree felt sad in the past. My 11 year old son said that the past was rough, painful and sad.

The middle part of our tree represents life now. A little brighter, not too dark. Life is getting better and closer to the sky.  My daughter said that in the present the tree feels nervous because it hasn’t been here. My son felt the present is better, calm and less stressful.

The top of our tree is bright and that is where we want to be.  My daughter said that the tree says “I look nice” and my son said, “my future is a graceful loving family that is my future”.

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Using my daughter Isabella’s hand was a great idea. She holds me together.  The roots of tree hold it up.  Right after my daughter was born things went downhill. He became possessive and jealous. He tried to choke me when I got a call from a male friend congratulating me. The hitting started. I tried to stay in the relationship. I needed to get out and be a mom. He called my boss to check on me. Chaos and out of control. I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t doing anything the right way. I couldn’t focus on my baby. No control over my life. Crazy and depressed. Isabella started to hit everyone and everybody. She became afraid of noises, even the ice cream truck. She had a lot of hate because Daddy was gone.
I knew I had to grow up, move on and deal with it as a woman and as a mother. Can’t push away the past. Struggling because he’s still around. Five months pregnant with son and needed to get a new state of mind. Started school for a new career. Expanding my wings. New ways to better ourselves. I will enjoy my kids and be financially stable. Our mother daughter relationship is just developing.

The butterfly is enclosed in a cocoon and leaves when it’s ready to grow. I couldn’t breathe. The experience helped me. I had to decide to climb out. It’s looking better now.

I’m stronger mentally now. In the past I let someone manipulate me. Now I enjoy every emotion I go through whether it be happy or sad. My daughter is like that too.

I wish for joy and happiness that the negative can’t touch.

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The roots of our tree signify my past, as in my drug addiction, domestic violence and my childhood. The dark leaves represent what I used to be during the dark part of my life. I wasn’t a good mother to my daughter. The middle leaves are me starting to get help.

The light green leaves are me getting better. I am now calm, happy, lovable, special, and comforting to my daughter. I treasure the moments that we spend together.

My 6-year-old daughter shared, “The butterfly and bright colors mean happiness and prettiness. My mom is lovable and I am lovable. The lines on the flower are for my whole family, my brother, me, my kittens, my daddy’s dogs, my grandma and grandpa, my mommy, and my daddy. I love my family!”

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In the past we were separated. We felt alone and scared. The black background expresses how we felt then. The bright leaves and the bright colors represent our light shining through, and our bright future together. The sun and moon represent God, who has always been shining upon us and who will always be there for us. With God, we’re building a life of safety, honesty, trust, love, and respect for each other.

My 9-year-old son is happy about his life today. In the workshop he shared, “My mommy tickles me, and loves me and my sister and we’re together. We’re growing stronger everyday! I think I’m going to like the future.”

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Mixed-Media on Canvas 12X16

Raindrops are like a tree’s tears. From a broken heart much came to happen. The top of our tree represents the past, which was black and sad. My daughter’s hand is reaching out to mine.

The root of the tree represents our life starting today. I have lots of gratitude as we are starting to heal and we are together.

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My fear was leaving my family behind, but once I entered the shelter, I acquired a new family. Now that I am ready to leave, I find myself feeling sad because once again I must leave people I love. I have spent many marvelous months with these women, all of them are special and without any one of them the shelter would not be the same. May God bless them with tolerance and patience to continue to help more women.

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The bottom of my tree shows that the past was difficult and sad. The middle shows that I am in peace and healing. The top shows that brighter times and stability are coming. I am leaving fear behind and I want happiness in the future.

This tree was peaceful in the past. It gets beat up in the present. The leaves represent the future.

In the past the tree swayed the wind. It brings people together to see how graceful it is. In the present the people destroy the tree by cutting it down. In the future the tree grows back but it is a different kind of tree.

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My tree inspires me. My tree is about the sunset. My tree has apples on it for my health.

Mixed-Media on Canvas 18×24

Mixed-Media on Canvas 18×24

It seems as if leaving my ex-husband was the “easiest” thing I had to do. My son and I faced the biggest struggles after I left my husband. The fight continued as if I had never left him. Trying to break the cycle of abuse has been hard.

Even though our abuser has no contact with us, the fight goes on. I now face a legal battle to keep him away from us. I am trying to protect my child from any further damage. I still feel victimized by the system, but now I know that the only way to conquer what I fear the most is by educating myself and face each obstacle one at a time. I only hope that the courts, lawyers, judges, and the whole legal system open their eyes and see the bigger picture. The cycle of violence never ends because those in the legal system are uneducated about domestic violence. They do not understand the reality of abusive situations and what they assume is often incorrect and blinds them from the truth.

Because of the abuse, my son is psychologically scarred, emotionally detached, and fearful of abandonment. I try everything to assure him that he will always be safe with me. My son has been so emotionally abused and this causes him to act out. My son has been diagnosed with disruptive behavior and he doesn’t feel safe anywhere, therefore I never have a quiet moment for myself.

The mirrors on my tree are meant to reflect your face so you can see the power of yourself as an individual. If only everyone would take a stand for what matters we could cure the epidemic of domestic violence and ensure that every voice is heard.

On the left side of my tree, I created caterpillars because as victims of domestic violence, our abusers make us like them, ugly and unwanted. But after leaving the abusive relationship, we go into a cocoon for awhile and come out stronger, and more beautiful than ever. Once I felt the rush of freedom, I never looked back.

My HOPE and FAITH in the Lord keeps us safe. Prayer and faith feed my soul with the hope that the chains of domestic violence will be broken.

My son is only 3 years old and when I asked him what he thought of our tree he said, “Michael Alexander is happy… Michael wants mommy to be happy…. No more crying, me want everyone to be happy.”

Mixed-Media on Canvas 12×16

This family tree has so many branches, so many leaves. Each leaf has its own colors, its own feelings, and its own story. Some leaves are so dark, shriveled and crushed, but somehow they remain. This tree may have some cracks in the bark, it may be a little ugly, a little over-grown in some areas and under-grown others but regardless of this trees flaws, its still its very own tree and it well continues to grow. Over time those “ugly” leaves slowly will turn over and they won’t be seen, but for now they may still be visible. This tree has some really bright leaves. A few leaves from this tree are so beautiful and they shine and this tree grow 4 amazing leaves. Two of those leaves shine brightly in the evening sky and two shine each and every day in this tree’s presence. These leaves speak of their own obstacles and can tell a whole different side of what this tree, its branches and leaves, have been through. They have their reason why they sing, why they laugh so hard, why they cry, why there is a wall between the branches and leaves. The angelic voice that circles from one of the most beautiful leaves on our tree amazes each and every ear which is blessed to hear it. They knowledge in two leaves is almost unreal at times that so much can be learned in such a small amount of time. These two leaves are much older than time. However, throughout the little veins these leaves have, is the true age, the true “child.”
Our main branch on our tree has so much pain, so much sorrow, and so many regrets. However, this branch is also very aware. Without all the cracks and layers that have been peeled off this tree wouldn’t be what it is today. The strength and the weakness of the tree is what it is due to what it has encountered. This tree wouldn’t have grown or become what it is today if it was treated, cared for, neglected, visited, spoken to, or groomed in the way it has been.  This 29-year-old tree is a little short; its cracks are beginning to be a little more visible. This tree is a little vulnerable right now. This tree has bad branches ripped from it and what pain that caused. This tree has been kicked, hit, cut, spit on, ridiculed, laughed at, belittled, made fun of, and talked about right in front of their face. This tree has been mistreated and has gotten to the point of almost shattering pieces and crumbling. Piece by piece with friends, family, and a special leaf from the tree that appeared one day named Christy; the pieces slowly began to fit together again. Just as it seemed like this tree could never be harmed again, a major branch was slowly and painfully taken from the top of the tree. Everything became a blur and 6 months pass and the second part of that branch as suddenly ripped away. The pain grew and the tears flowed continuously. It seemed like crumbling again would be the best option because giving up and going away was better than dealing with any more cracks or belittling. If the tree just crumbles, it will reunite with that branch that was yanked away. Somehow that first part of the branch relayed a message and said “Mya just be strong, you can do it, do what I’ve always asked for.” There the tree snapped out of it and knew what needed to be done to once again become that tree that everyone envied. The tree with the bright green leaves, the bark everyone wished for, the branches no one thought was possible to keep up. That tree stood up tall and groomed itself, got its true shining leaves and refused to give up and refused to back down. Little by little the tree rebuilt composure and regained that shine it was known for. One morning, the tree was standing so straight nothing was going to strong enough to stop it. For years, this three was weak, for years the tree allowed this one tree to overpower it. Early that morning, the tree stood tall and told that other tree “no more, you are on your own!” It was very difficult at first but as time passed it became normal. It was actually easier this way and makes so much more sense. The leaves had a different time adjusting and for some time began to dislike the tree and wanted the other tree to return. They didn’t see the same picture. The other tree was a different tree with them. After sharing the leaves once more that the big tree would never be happy or never change it ways it was set in stone no matter what the situation or circumstances, that tree was never welcome to return again and with that the battle with the leaves began. A new with one leaf got close to our tree. The 3 little leaves had met while around the area. This new tree that showed up was strong and almost seemed unreal. It was an amazing feeling to have a strong, confident, and not rude tree around. The little leaves enjoyed this new tree’s company. Pretty quickly the two trees were inseparable, the two trees were perfect together. Everyone questioned and was certain it was too good to be true and said it would be done soon. The trees were perfect and un-crackable for the first 7 months. There were so many tests and obstacles coming their way. And with each and every one, commitment and honesty were put out in front of one another. Nothing was too much for the two trees. And believe me, the 3 little leaves tried everything possible.  The biggest leaf attempted to chop down the tree. It was very close. 10 months later, today 04/04/09, the trees are still going strong. The trees have their differences like every other tree family. There are things in which together the two trees must overcome and break through together. The trees have a different type of relationship with each other. Everyone thinks they aren’t getting along, however, it’s merely a sense of humor. The trees are fully joined together at this time with its ups and downs just like normal trees. It’s up to the trees to be responsible adults and deal with their problems after calming down and thinking about it.
The original tree when from CAD survived to CHAAD. The two trees become one with three bright shining leaves and 2 shining star leave/branches and 2 leaves that are unable to be physically attached to our tree at this time. The trees test now is –Can they grow together and strong? Can all the branches stay together? It may be hard for the leaves and the trees because it’s new and different but change is good sacrifice, compromise, and tough but with will power, it can be done.
This tree’s story isn’t done being told or written. It’s just a hope that there will be no more bruises, no more spit, no more pain, no more ridiculing, and no more mistreating ever again that will make this tree the tree to be envied once again!

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Mixed-Media on Canvas 18×24

The tree of the past represents my children’s father where we took shelter for a long time. This tree had weak roots and little people surrounded us and frightened us and we could not come down.  The present tree is full of leaves. The trunk is my support group. These roots represent those people who have helped me grow. Now, it is I who protects my children and we can see more clearly.

CrayPas on Canvas 5X7

He is in the sun. The yellow is thunder. It is thunder because it can do everything. He has a big mouth to fit the people, he eats the bad people. He has arms because he is strong so he can reach everything. If he talked he would say, “I will eat the people”.

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Mixed Media on Canvas 22X18

This tree represents everything from our past, present, and future. I used some of the darker colors for my past, the present portion of my tree represents the crazy chaos that fills my present, and the brighter colors represent my hopes for a brighter future.
In my seven year old daughter’s words, “the gold in tree was lemons, the butterflies in the sky loved each other. All the gold on the tree stamp was honey.”

In my eight year old son’s words, “the light colors stand for when I am good. The dark colors stand for when I am bad and the light mixed with dark means when I am crying.”

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