I Wonder Why... ?

A busy day today...with a good sense of accomplishment. I've taken care of everything from getting the oil changed in the car, to fertilizing the lawn, to going to the library, dry cleaners, store, home center, getting a pedicure...and on and on. I toured a little westside gem today for a class that I'm taking...(that's a whole 'nother subject...I'm a possessed woman with a goal...7 classes in 2 month's time....3 1/2 down, 3 1/2 to go...) Anywho....I was at the West Valley Art Museum in Surprise/Sun City West Arizona. It's a small little venue...cozy, yet refreshing in it's experience. A little gem in our desert. I was there last June during an exhibit of African Art. Today's feature was 'Animals in Art'. Beautiful pictures done in a variety of mediums...bronze, gauache, watercolor, paper.... And beautiful animals painted in these mediums.... bright orange koi swimming through sunlight in a pool, a rhinocerous - exactly one half of his face done in black and white on etchboard, a snowy owl with a steely stare, a red fox with 'Mona Lisa' eyes, a mother giraffe nuzzling her baby, a pensive monkey... All beautifully executed... But I found a different exhibit to be what captivated my attention even more.... it was an exhibit done by valley school childen and submitted by their school's PTA... the theme... 'I Wonder Why....... ?' The entries were as varied as the grades represented. One 1st grader wondered why 'E=mc2'... a FIRST grader! Her picture depicted Einstein presenting his famous formula! One second grader wondered 'Why Are There So Many Colors?' - her picture was a collage of 5 pictures depicting color in nature - yellow sunflower, orange pumpkin, red fall leaves, green pine needles and a blue sky with a tiny puff of cloud... These were mounted in an overlapping fashion on a piece of camel mat board. I was drawn to it time and again and even expressed to my docent how much I loved it. One entry was of a beautiful hummingbird taking a drink from a splendidly pink flower - all done in colored pencil - in glorious detail and shading...and it was done by a 3rd grader!! Impossible!! But true... oh, so true. One peice really caught me, however. It was done by a girl..and I don't remember her grade...I want to say 8th grade, but I could be wrong. Her question was "I Wonder Why My Brother Has Autism?" Oh, honey.... what a question you have every right to ask. Her picture was a collage of photos, glitter glue, clippings, drawings and pictures of her and her brother, David. It gave the sense of energy, love and fun with a bit of chaos mixed in. Because of my job, I see this entry in such a different light than I would have 5 or 6 years ago. I stopped, looked, searched, read, felt, sighed...understood a small bit. I couldn't help but think that it was obvious why David has such a wonderful sister.
Yes, a gem, indeed.