The Family That Sprays Together Stays Together

At the beginning of all this, maybe a week or so before Georgia's statewide shelter-in-place order took effect, my husband suggested we head over to his art studio and get creative. A graffiti artist and muralist by trade, he thought it would be fun (maybe meaningful is a better word) to commemorate our experience living in a world impacted by COVID-19 with a mural that would encourage others and give our family an excuse to do something together.

It was truly a collaborative effort. Rich used Dorothy's characters to create our "family," then added his own design to create the finished piece. He created several different iterations by switching out the "Positive" for "At Home," and then "Faithful." It was a fun experience and a great excuse for us to get out of the house and stretching our creative muscles.

Little did we know then that our piece may last far beyond the pandemic, thanks to the UGA Libraries' Coronavirus Collection, an effort by the University of Georgia Special Collections Libraries to collect pandemic experiences and responses from Georgians to "preserve for generations to come." (Interested in sharing your experience? Click here for more details.) Being a graffiti artist and therefore eager to see his piece preserved beyond the time it takes to share images on Instagram, Rich suggested we submit our experience. Being a Grady Grad, I was all too eager to acquiesce. (And how funny that I wore my UGA sweater while we were painting!) 

I submitted it with this description: "Early on in the pandemic, as we prepared for shelter-in-place rules to take effect and an end to a school year unlike any other, we decided to head to my husband's art studio to do a family art project. My husband, a graffiti artist and muralist by trade, sketched out a design that we felt would capture what it felt like to be a family in "these uncertain times," and also encourage others. It was a fun project that gave us a chance to do something meaningful - and memorable - together."

"Together" has been key to our pandemic experience. We've been able to enjoy each other's company so much more than normal schedules would have allowed. If I had to find a silver lining in all the chaos this virus has created, I'd say it's the opportunity to spend time with my family. With one daughter heading to middle school, and another to high school, I know that no matter what school will look like in the fall, our lives will speed up and then we'll all of a sudden find ourselves empty-nesters!

I am so thankful God has blessed us with the ability to stay faithful and positive at home!