Art Heals

Early this year, I met Marla, the leader of Helping Parents Heal Tampa, a volunteer group that helps parents who have lost their children to heal. At Mother's Day, I had the honor to offer a healing art session at a small gathering for eight beautiful mothers. About a month later, I was invited to back to offer another session for a large group of grieving parents and grandparents.

It was a true privilege to be with these beautiful people. Pain, struggle, grief.. these are all real, and so are hope, resilience, and love. During these sessions, my heart melt again and again as I witnessed beauty arose within these wholesome people when they created art.

A few months later, as I was looking to offer more healing art experience, I asked Marla if she would write me a reference letter, Marla, and her group of parents, showered me with the most generous love with this letter:

" Qinghong Wei is not only a gifted artist but she is blessed with a heart as big as her talent. As the facilitator of the local affiliate of the national organization, Helping Parents Heal, I was thrilled that Qinghong agreed to be our presenting guest at one of our monthly meetings. She incorporated her skill as an artist with her equally impressive ability to use art as a healing activity. Taking our parents through a 90-minute creative watercolor activity that helped them tap into unexpressed feelings of loss, love and hope, she ended this precious time by guiding the parents through a progressive story created by each person present. It was an uplifting exercise that allowed each person to add to the collective narrative, resulting in a very positive and hopeful expression of hope and love.

"It was so helpful for parents to be guided through the healthy expression of grief through a creative medium such as the watercolor mastery and storytelling Qinghong shared. We will definitely ask her to return for a future meeting. Here are just a few of the wonderful comments from our parents after the meeting:

• What a great learning and enlightening experience. Truly another step towards understanding and the experiencing of awakening. It is all around us and thank you for leading us to another very fruitful activity.

• What a beautiful, emotional, touching, and uplifting evening.

• This was the most beneficial meeting that I have attended. Not only the story of the unicorn which represented our lives but painting and connection that we had with each other.

• Last night’s water color painting class lead by Qinghong Wei was amazing. Such a peaceful environment with so much love and compassion. I felt as if I was in an art class in another world, quite magical indeed.

• I really enjoyed our meeting last night. The watercolor with Qinghong Wei was very therapeutic. I really liked what Qinghong said about our left hand, that it knew the answers deep in our soul, or some words to that effect.

• Our experience with Qinghong Wei was very spirited and relaxing. Love her energy and therapeutic way of experiencing painting from the soul."

Reading this letter, my heart was full with immense gratitude. These beautiful people, and many people like them who I have the privilege to meet in my life, enlighten me again and again that Heart is all we need to live in wholeness, with the help of daily practices to ground, open, and grow.