Walls and Within Them
A small shrine to Megan's caring and skill.It's been easy to think of walls as bad things, given the last few years. And then there's that saying about fences. Both add to evidence that walls act as barriers as their primary function.
But of course, walls have more than one dimension. Our walls have helped display the warmth of our family. Our walls try to welcome and delight. Our walls tell a story.
At our home on Tartan Curve, Megan got it in her to paint an accent wall for each boy's bedroom. We'd gone down the route before of chalkboard walls, full-bleed yellow, and dare I say, four-different color wall rooms. This effort would be different. Not nearly as drastic but likely more work.
She started with Max, painting his wall while he visited his grandparent's house. It was something to watch her make them come to life, just her brain, pigments, and plenty of painter's tape. I've come to realize a steady refrain with Megan—she continuously makes the spaces around her better for her having been there. If only we could all be so present and talented.
Max's triangles, Jack's hexagons, and then Ben's polygons. Each was as unique as the child. Next, she tackled our bedroom, realizing a contrasting yellow and grey vision. Megan even tackled my office—creating a grey chevron or herringbone pattern that was a welcome sight for the time I spent in there. Take a look!
Leaving Tartan Curve, what we affectionately called the Brownstain, was harder because it meant leaving our walls (I hope we come up with a better proper noun for Cheyenne). Our walls have told stories. Of growth. Of learning. Of celebration. Of mistakes. Some tears were shed.
Luckily, some walls we can take with us.
In a small way, I've tried to preserve what Megan made, both physically and digitally. We have photos of each boy in front of his wall, added to the yearly photo album. I've also created the walls page, a gallery of each wall. Clicking on a wall will expand it into a full page version of itself. Lastly, I've adapted the walls as part of the experimental color palette of my new site.
We all leave a mark on the places we occupy. A memory of sorts of the people that lived there. I don't know what will become of the murals, but I hope they bring some joy, surprise, or possibility to the new inhabitants. And like our gardens at each home, I suspect this new house will need a new coat soon.