💠A Year That Leaves a Mark
As 2024 comes to a close, I find myself, as I often do in December, reflecting on the months just passed. But this year has been unlike any other. It has pierced me deeply. It has been a year of loss, transformation, and unfamiliar questions. A year of silence, uncertainty, and rediscovered words.
👤 Saying Goodbye to My Father
In September, I lost my father after a long illness marked by dementia. I had the privilege and sorrow of accompanying him to the very end, in a suspended time where words faded, but presence became everything.
In that fragile and often confused silence, I discovered a different kind of tenderness. A form of care that no longer relied on dialogue, but on presence, listening, and simply being there.
His illness changed us both: conflict gave way to quiet, and distance softened into unexpected peace.
👪 A Shared Grief
I was not alone on this journey. My husband was my steady strength. Then my mother, my brother, my family—we faced the pain together. What we found was not just suffering, but a form of love that surprised us with its depth.
It was a shared path. Difficult, yes, but full of a renewed intimacy.
🎂 Sixty: A Birthday in Contrasts
Three weeks later came my sixtieth birthday. It arrived in the middle of mourning and brought with it a swirl of conflicting emotions.
Gratitude for the road already walked. But also, disorientation and pressing questions:
Am I really living my dreams? Do I still recognize them?
It felt like a threshold. I was fragile and strong at the same time. Lost, but also ready to begin again.
🎨 Art as an Anchor
And yet, there were moments of light. Two solo exhibitions. A piece I consider a turning point.
There were also months when I couldn’t paint—too much grief, too much confusion. And still, art was there. Silent, but present. Inside me.
Art never left me. On the contrary, it reminded me of who I am.
Discover more about my journey →
Creating is my native language. My truest identity.
🔄 The Desire to Change
Now, I feel the need to go deeper. To give my work more meaning.
I imagine the year ahead as one of rebuilding, lived slowly, consciously, and with humility.
A time where every year-end reflection becomes a new beginning. Where even silence has its place.
🥂 Looking Forward
Let’s toast to the new year with courage. And with determination.
And yes, with a touch of lightness—because life knows how to surprise us, especially when we least expect it.
