All for Love


Hello friends,

While walking out of an ice cream shop yesterday, I saw a faded scrap of fabric stapled to a utility pole. People had stuck their old wood ice cream spoons into holes in the pole around the fabric, creating a mini art and sculpture installation.

I recognized the fabric, of course, as being an old piece from local artist Shanalee Hampton. I have several of her embroidery pieces hanging in our home, having been introduced to her work by outdoor installations just like this one.

The outdoor pieces become part of the space they are in, changing with time and the seasons, growing sodden with rain, then drying and baking in the summer sun. They weather, and change, just like we do.

I appreciate that.

The message on this scrap is one that is close to my heart. “All of this is for love” it read.

Isn’t that the truth?

All the art that moves me is for love.

All the activism I cherish is for love.

It has to be. Rooted in love, the world matters once again. Rooted in love, the anger becomes bearable. Rooted in love, what we create has meaning. Rooted in love, we connect once again.

I have a longer essay percolating on the same topic, which makes the serendipity of a chance stop for a frozen treat leading to seeing Shanalee’s art all the more poignant.

Sometimes the universe conspires to show me the message that I need.

This week, after dealing with some of the world’s hatred, it was beautiful to be reminded that the thing that keeps me going—no matter how annoyed, or angry, or tired I may feel—will always be…

Love.

Best wishes — Thorn



T. Thorn Coyle

Read more from T. Thorn Coyle
orange and red maple leaves look as if they're dancing in the sky

Hello friends, On a walk in the soft rain of the atmospheric river that just arrived to the Pacific Northwest, I saw two small maple trees whose leaves had already turned orange-red. Some of the maples in the neighborhood are still green, or just turning yellow, but these two were in full autumnal celebration mode. So, of course I walked across the street to get a closer look. When I looked up, I was delighted at the display. The leaves looked like ethereal dancers, turning this way and that,...

A big slate heart stepping stone and a green soled boot.

Hello friends, I was at a magical event with old friends and new last weekend, in the woods of Northern California. In some parts of space were big hearts made of slate slabs. The thing I liked about these hearts were that: Being made of slate, the hearts could support weight. Someone had taken the time and effort to carve the shapes. The hearts had clearly been nestled in the earth for years, greeting everyone who walked by. All of this was a reminder to me that a little inspiration and...

Two small deer

Hello friends, I’m in the woods right now, with a group of friends, both old and new. There are deer here, small, gentle ones with large ears. The deer keep their distance, but not so far that I cannot read the glint in their eyes, or catch the curious fan of those ears. These deer are not tame. They just live in a world where the potential for harm is slim. For deer to live so unafraid means this is a sheltered place. A place they have learned to be slightly wary of the lumbering, two legged...