From Ashes to Art - The First Pieces
A Journey of Love, Loss, and Learning to Cherish Every Blessing
On August 29, 2024, my husband and I lost everything.
A fire doesn’t just take things. It takes memories, comfort, and the little pieces of life you didn’t even realize mattered until they were gone. We lost our home. We lost our routine. We lost the familiar. And among the heartbreak, we lost every single piece of artwork we had spent years collecting - each one holding a story, a moment, a memory we had carefully chosen and intended to preserve.
Some of the art we lost was irreplaceable - originals that can never be recreated, prints and giclées that had made our house feel like home. Just weeks before the fire, we had returned from a cruise where we’d carefully selected several new pieces, thrilled beyond belief to add them to our collection. Most of our purchases had already arrived, only to be lost before we had a chance to truly enjoy them.
But somehow, amidst all that loss, a small stroke of grace remained.
Three pieces of art, by two incredibly talented artists - Donovan Fitzgerald and CrisX - had not yet shipped before the fire. And this week, we received the first two. ❤️
These paintings, the first two pieces of our new chapter, created by the wildly gifted Donovan Fitzgerald, now carry an even deeper significance than when we first fell in love with them:
🖼 Ode to Aruba - A reminder of an unforgettable cruise to the ABC islands, a piece we chose because it captured the energy and magic of that trip.
🌿 Consider the Lilies - A painting we purchased on Easter Sunday, as we sailed toward the islands, now forever connected to themes of renewal, faith, and new beginnings.
They were already special, and now, they are something more.
Now, they represent resilience.
They represent gratitude - for life, for love, for new opportunities.
They are a reminder that beauty finds its way back into our lives, even after devastation.
Losing everything changes you. It causes an immediate change in perspective. It forces you to strip life down to its essentials - what really matters, what you truly want to carry forward. And I’ve realized something:
I will never again wait for a "special occasion" to enjoy the best things in life.
I will drink the expensive wine just because it’s Tuesday.
I will fill my home with things that make me happy - not just things that take up space.
I will never take for granted the beauty that surrounds me - the art on my walls, the people in my life, the moments that deserve to be celebrated!
And more than that, I will be intentional with my love.
❤️ I will always tell my husband “I love you” when either of us leaves the house.
❤️ I will always say “I love you” to my friends and family - when we part ways, when we hang up a call, or even in a simple text.
❤️ I will never dismiss a breathtaking sunset, or the power of a majestic rainstorm.
❤️ I will never watch the deer walk through my yard without whispering a thank you to God for all the beauty He has created.
❤️ And never again will I take for granted all that He has blessed me with.
A Heartfelt Thank You
Donovan, these pieces mean more to me now than I ever could have imagined. They are the first steps in rebuilding not just a house, but a home. A home that will be filled with intention, with love, and with gratitude for every single thing inside it.
I cannot wait to hang these paintings in our new home, where they will be a testament to the things that matter most: love, resilience, and the ability to begin again.
And I know, when the final missing piece arrives from CrisX, it will be another reminder that beauty always, always finds its way back.
Because life is too short not to love fiercely, live fully, and appreciate every blessing along the way.
#NewBeginnings #Gratitude #ArtThatMatters #PostFireJourney #OdeToAruba #ConsiderTheLilies #DonovanFitzgerald #CrisX #RebuildingHome #LifeIsNow
