UncommonPromise

With squeaking brakes the UPS truck comes to a stop in front of the house and the heavy steel door slides open. We rush to the porch and discover a plain brown box next to the garden bench. We cradle it like a newborn and hurry to the kitchen to look for scissors.

Layer by layer, the wrapping falls away and the intricate piece of art becomes visible. It’s only one square foot, yet speaks with strength. Mottled browns form an earthy backdrop for a stylized tree, centered on the canvas. Pearlescent green leaves are scattered across the top, surrounding a simple open window that frames an endless view. Above the opening, an arched transom holds the rubbing of a liberty nickel, and encasing the window are rusty scraps of a steel ruler, a boot buckle, a car ID number—hard-edged remnants that define a life.



We lift our sacred painting into its place above the mantle. Inspired, we settle into overstuffed chairs before the fireplace and write stories and music in response. For the moment we are swept through the window into measureless abundance, floating through a life without expectations or boundaries.

Inspired by the collage Measuring a Life by Joan Fullerton

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