Once Upon A Time........They asked for the portrait lady

I thought it would be a typical Saturday in the shop as I sat painting at my easel.  This was back in the day when my studio was located in a strip mall shopping center.  Something caught my eye, and I turned around in time to see a car pulling into the parking space in front of the shop.  Three teenagers got out of the car.  Perhaps I should say, three very hip teenagers got out of the car.  My first thought was that they were lost.  I greeted them as they entered the shop, and they spent a few minutes looking around.  Two boys and a girl.  Finally after hesitating, one of the young men looked at me and asked "Are you the portrait lady?"  My face must have registered surprise, because I wasn't quite sure how to answer that one.  "Yes....I do paint portraits" I smiled.  I could tell he was nervous.....I had guessed that the other two were his friends, there for support.  "No, I mean are you the portrait lady who paints portraits of people who have died? I have heard about you."  Whenever people tell me that they have heard about me I automatically think of the pirate Jack Sparrow in the Disney movie.  When told that he was the worst pirate that the soldier had ever heard of, his reply was "But you have heard of me" :)  LOL

Now I was very interested in this young man.  What had he heard, and what did he want?  I am guessing he was about sixteen.  He started to tell me the story of his girlfriend, who had just  a few weeks earlier  been killed in a car accident.  I had actually seen the story on the news.  He had a photograph of her and was hoping that I would be willing to paint her portrait.  I hesitated.  I did not paint portraits for everyone who asked.  There was no way that I could do that .  When I did paint portraits as a gift, usually it was for a parent who had lost a child, although there were exceptions.  I was ready to turn the young man down, and conviction came.  God whispered in my ear and told me to take a good look at these three young people.  I was worlds away from them and could not easily relate, but here was a chance to reach out and touch their lives.  I will never know all of the reasons why, but I knew in that moment that I was being called to paint this young woman's portrait.

I painted the portrait for the young man, urging him to someday give it to her parents.  I knew that he would move on in his grieving process, and it would be a wonderful act on his part to present this to her family as a gift.  I do not remember this young woman's name...I am sure he told me, but I have forgotten.  I don't even remember the young man's name.  I am sure I wrote it down, but have no clue where it went.  My hope is that he did give the painting to her family......... but I have left that in the hands of God.