Project Love

As you all know, I enjoy painting and since my kids are in Michigan for the month of December so that Hailey can get another 4 week block of Conductive Education. I am missing them like crazy, so i've decided to throw myself into my passion of painting to help me relax and keep busy. Being connected in the special needs community for the past 5 years, i've learned the importance of the simple things, the beautiful things, the personal things. Soo many members of my special needs family love my paintings, they send me emails all the time saying how they put a smile on their face at the end of a challenging day. With this, I've decided to do something called "Project Love" and so far project love has been overwhelmingly successful. I've put it out there that for the month of December I will accept submissions of images that show true love and paint them without any obligation of purchasing so that the recipient can print them out at home, they can make them into greeting cards or share them on fb, blog about them, whatever they want to do with them digitally. I said I would choose one painting a week and paint it. Little did I know the pictures and letters would come pouring in crazy! Now I am having an extremely difficult time choosing because I want to paint them all! The following was a very generous mom, who asked me to paint her children, then changed her plea from painting her kids to painting these two incredible boys. This is her heartwarming story:

"Hi Janet, I was wondering if I could submit a second photo on behalf of a little boy (Christopher). Christopher's mother is a stay at home mom, since Christopher needs full time care. I can't even begin to tell you all that Kelli does for her precious boy. Recently, a lady donated a black lab from her litter, and another lady donated her time to train this pup to be a service dog for Christopher! Christopher was actually going to have his choice of the male black lab, or a female lab. When Kelli took Christopher to meet the pups, the black male, named Buddy, chose Christopher!! A month ago, Buddy was finally to the point in his training that he could go spend some time with Christopher. Buddy's training involved - and continues - picking things up for Christopher, helping to lift Christopher, alert Kelli if Christopher has a need, stay with him at the side of his bed, and to stay with him, as the service dog he is, when Kelli takes Christopher to his various doctors appointments. Not only has this pup been an enormous help to Christopher and his parents, he has made Christopher HAPPY!! She shares picture after picture of the progression of Buddy's training, and of the partnership these two have formed. I would like to submit this picture of Christopher and Buddy, the day they met! This is when Buddy chose Christopher! Kelli doesn't know I'm asking for this. I know this would move her beyond belief to see her boys painted together. Your portrayal of Christopher, with the only friend he's had, will be priceless now, and even more so in the years to come. While I would truly be honored to see you paint my two monkeys, if I had to choose between the two, I'd ask if you could please paint Christopher and Buddy as a wonderful surprise for Kelli. Thank you so much!! Jennifer Boyd