White Wings

I FINALLY got the book I've been wanting and waiting so long for!

Back in July, my daughter and I went to the Street Art Fairs in Ann Arbor. If you've never been, and get the opportunity, and enjoy that type of thing, I highly reccommend the experience. I come home every year just bursting with a renewed creative energy. Wish it happened more often. I finally ordered the book in late September. Then a snafu of some type happened and she forgot to mail it. So finally... after almost a month of impatiently waiting... IT'S HERE!! ;o)

At the fair, I met an Artist named Lila Graves. Something pulled me to her booth. It wasn't just the art. Though it was beautiful, I didn't give it much more than a glance that day. In retrospect, that surprises me because I love the whimsical playfulness of her work. And her use of color really grabs me, too. What pulled me was her glow... the light that seemed to surround her.

The first thing I noticed was a book that was propped up on a small easel. My second biggest passion, right behind art, is books. If I can get two in one, it's that much better! Of course, I picked it up. On the cover was a woman kneeling, wearing white wings of palm leaves and feathers. Inside was incredibly moving artwork, photographs and a story that has not left my mind since.

I read on the first pages that when Lila was 25, she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. She was given 6 months to live. I stopped right there to ask her if she was healthy now. She smiled and said, "Yes. It's a happy ending." So I continued reading.

She felt like the people surrounding her, convinced she was dying, were making her death come true. She needed to get away. So she did.

While she was in San Miguel, she decided that she didn't have to die to be an angel. With the help of friends, she made herself a pair of wings and wore them everywhere she went.

"The grace that came to me during the days I spent building and wearing my wings was my miracle. I knew what I had to do. Live my life. Live my life with love, without fear. Fear can be Toxic." (from White Wings by lila graves)

When she returned to her home in Alabama, the cancer was gone. Totally gone.

She autographed it for me (to Kelly Miracles and Blessings Lila Graves). Inside there was tucked a CD with one song on it. It's a song written and recorded by her husband Jonathan Bloom that tells her story. Quite beautiful. I'd like to hear more from him.

White Wings by Lila Graves (book) White Wings by Jonathan Bloom (music)

check out her art at: www.lilagraves.com

see website for book ordering info :o)

miracles happen

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