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In my 50’s, my husband Ruben, who was supportive of my artistic inclinations, asked me when I would take up painting again. I told him to wait until I would be like Grandma Moses who started painting in earnest in her 70’s. By then, I would definitely be done raising children and helping him feed, clothe and educate them.
However, six years ago, my heart belied my words when I wrote in my 2014 bucket list a yearning for Reuel and me to be enrolled in an art program, and daydreamed of exhibiting our collaborative work along with other children who have neuro-developmental disabilities ( NDD) like him. Little did I know that all it would take was the Covid-19 pandemic to tick this off my wish list. Quarantined and bereft of the critical routines that ground children with autism, I was going bonkers trying to create a daily rhythm for Reuel. During one of my video chats with parents who also have NDD children, we came up with the idea to have those who have aged-out of school come together and do activities online to keep them busy during this pandemic. Hence, the online art journaling program was born with artist and teacher Amos Manlangit who was heaven-sent. Along with Reuel’s friends in the NDD foundation called Boundless Possibilities, these art sessions kept them busy and happy during these trying times. |
Through art, Reuel is teaching me a lot about who I am and who he is when I am really present to him. I would be there just patiently waiting, testing the waters when he would oblige and choose to work with me. I know now that he doesn’t like anything he cannot follow and prefers coloring by numbers anytime to choosing the colors himself. He still needs to build his confidence in drawing though, and in choosing the colors himself.
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