Nearly 200 years ago, in 1830, Maggie Collins and her 12-year old son, Martin, left Ireland on a sailing vessel headed west after losing their husband/father.
Their nearly five-week journey culminated in a trip down the St. Lawrence River into Ontario, Canada, where they lived before relocating to northern New York State and becoming US citizens.
Martin married a woman named Mary Ann, and together they had 13 children. One of those children was my great, great grandfather, James.
The story of Maggie has long been a reminder to me of the strength of the women in my family; how they’ve often defied odds and forged their own paths.
So when I had the opportunity to travel back to my roots and stand on the same ground as Maggie once did, I had to take it. That opportunity was presented in July, when I traveled to Wexford, Ireland, for Art in the Open.
It didn’t take long after arriving to feel it:
The stories held in the landscapes.
The history displayed in the architecture.
The essence of pure life carried on in the citizens.
It felt like home.
As I burrowed my feet into the daisies on the top of a hill while painting Hook Head Lighthouse, I felt grounded in the present, and excited about the future.
A new part of my soul emerged, as often happens when I let myself truly sink into a new place. I let that guide our 10 days there, where from early morning to late night, we took in as much as we could of the landscape, the history, and the people, going to bed with a deep and peaceful exhaustion that led to the most restful sleeps.
I tend to feel a similar serenity wash over me when I’m out of routine and traveling, and as in other times, I absorbed it deeply, letting the landscape, the ocean, and the misty air coat me.
On one particular day, I was huddled under an overhang close to our hotel, painting as the rain came down. A father and his young son walked by, his son dressed in a bright yellow slicker and matching boots.
They stopped to see what I was doing, and before thinking twice, I asked if I could take a quick picture so I could incorporate them into the painting before they went on their way to the boy’s swim lessons.
An hour later as they emerged from the lesson, they asked to peek at the final painting. The smiles that passed over their faces are smiles I’ll never forget, and when they showed up at the public exhibition at Green Acres Wexford at the end of our 10 days and bought the painting, they left an indelible mark on my heart.
On another particular day, I wandered into an old abbey, where I saw a statue of St. Thérèse with a prayer engraved:
“May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.”
It’s this prayer that I’m carrying with me today as I process the incredible experience Ireland, with all its beauty and its people, gave me this summer.
Because we are all exactly where we are meant to be as we continue onward to what’s next for us.
We have infinite possibilities.
We are free to sing, dance, praise, and love.
And we must keep using the gifts we have to pass on love. To spread light. And to keep writing the stories our ancestors started for us.