A few months before I returned to Uganda, Barb, the proprietor of Happy Go Smile, my favorite boutique in Cayucos, started participating in an Abandoned Art Project. The deal with abandoned art escapades is that you make a piece of art and abandon it somewhere for someone else to find and keep. I offered to take one of Barb's pieces with me and abandon it in Gulu.
She gave me this heart piece to abandon. Since today is my 18th wedding anniversary, I decided today was the perfect day to abandon this heart piece and send some love to The Hubs on the other side of the world.
And I had the perfect co-conspirators to help me do it-Seddrick and Ivan, my two student artists.
After church we set off to Pece Stadium, a soccer stadium built as a War Memorial to honor the role Acolis had played in WW2.
The back wall of the stadium has a mural by Calvin to commemorate the end of the more recent war against Joseph Kony and the L.R.A.
This stadium, meant to be a symbol of peace, seemed like a perfect place to leave a little piece of love from California. Plus it's right across from my hotel, so my plan was to inconspicuously watch to see who took the painting.
Ivan and Seddrick casually placed the painting on the stadium wall and then we watched and waited. Ivan and Seddrick eventually returned to their studio to work on their own paintings and I sat out on the patio casually waiting with my camera nearby.
Hundreds of people passed the painting without giving it a second glance. Even the cows didn't seem to notice.
When Alvin, the son of one of the hotel employees showed up, I admit I lost focus. I love this kid. His giggle lights up my day. Alvin and I had some rousing games of Peek-a-Boo.
Then I taught him This Little Piggy on his toes, which he the proceeded to play on the toes of every adult not wearing closed toed shoes.
I looked up from our game of This Little Piggy and the painting was gone.
So to the person who found the abandoned art, I wish you lots of love today. To the Barb at Happy Go Smile and to Ivan and Seddrick, thanks for creating beautiful things. And to my husband, who has loved me with reckless abandon for all of these years, thanks for loving me and sending me out into the world with a heart that is full.
Isn't it a small world. I found your blog years ago through Lynn Jacobs. Today I found that you had moved your blog and I started reading about your Uganda adventure. Then I come to this post and see you know another friend of mine, Barb at Happy Go Smile! We stay at Pier View Suites, next door to Happy Go Smile, every time we go to Cayucos. I learned that Barb's daughter collects old typewriters so I took her mine from my high school and college days of long. ago.
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