Art with Charlotte...therapy for me...

Rowan's sweet friend Charlotte brought him so many smiles, giggles and belly laughs when he was with her.  Whether they were having a picnic at Landa Park, visiting the zoo, putting on disguises at the Doseum, making animals at Build-a-bear and recording their voices inside them, or even if they were playing Life or doing art together in the hospital play room...they were both always smiling from ear to ear when they were together.  And she has the best smile ever!  Rowan even told me once that he thought her name meant "beautiful smile". 

I've missed that so much since Rowan passed away.  Yesterday, I got to go spend some time with her again by myself though.  At first, I was a little afraid it would be too hard...but it wasn't, not at all.  Just being with her brought me so much joy, and reminded me of so many happy times I spent watching the two of them together.  And Charlotte and I never stopped smiling, and shared many belly laughs of our own yesterday.  I'm sure Rowan was there with us, smiling from ear to ear himself too.

Charlotte loves loves loves arts and crafts! So I brought a water color pencil painting set, so we could do it together.  She was excited to try it out, so we got started on it pretty quickly.  She knows I love to take pictures, so she kept telling me, "Ok, take another picture of it like this", "we're almost done, take another picture", "ok here is the final masterpiece", etc.  I of course obliged, and I got these wonderful pictures of our day.  I will cherish them as I do all the photos I have of her and Rowan together.

The first step was coloring in the peacock with the water color pencils...and she did a great job...

Next, she used a wet paintbrush to turn the colored pencil into water color paint...

It turned out so beautifully vibrant.

Charlotte's sense of humor is so much like Rowan's.  She cracked me up when she asked me to take this following picture...

I showed her the photo and asked her what that silly face was, she said "It's my mean Italian man face, and that's me holding a pizza". 

Then she said "Ok, now you can take a regular picture."

Charlotte didn't want me to leave (and I didn't want to go), but I had an appointment I needed to get to.  I promised her I would bring back a different kind of art project soon, and we would have some more fun.  She gave me a big hug, and then her family gave me a wonderful surprise. 

They brought me this out...

Charlotte's older sister had drawn this portrait of Rowan and Charlotte.  It was from the last day they ever saw each other...just days before he left for Seattle.  She is so talented.  It is so beautiful. 

I cry tears of joy looking at it because it reminds me of such a fun day...such a happy time.

Even though Charlotte and Rowan can't have their playdates on Earth any longer, I thank God for how many they did share together over the past couple years, and that I witnessed and photographed them all.  And I thank Charlotte's family, for allowing me to remain in their lives, and for letting me spend my own time with her, even without Rowan.  It was more healing for me than they can imagine.  It was Art Therapy for my soul, and I can't wait to come back and do it again.

*Please continue to pray for Charlotte and she continues treatment for leukemia.  She relapsed after Rowan passed away, and is fighting for the second time.  She is doing well, but has a long course of treatment to finally rid her body of this disease.