"An Open Letter...From Danny Gregory..."

...as taken today from the Everyday Matters Group Blog:

"Dear Friends:

As you have heard, my wife Patti passed away last week. She was a lovely, creative person who gave me strength, inspiration, ideas and love. She was always extraordinarily positive -- despite what the pathetic initial media reports may have told tell you.

A couple of days ago, our friends put together a lovely tribute to her memory. Hundreds of people jammed the place, singing songs, sharing stories, crying, laughing, and celebrating her life and approach to it. She touched so many, and the spheres of her influences all came together on Wednesday night: artists,musicians, school friends, librarians, fashionistas, moms, dads, kids, chefs, florists, all celebrating the bright perspectives and willingness to take risk with which she infected them all. There was huge crowd out on the street that couldn't get in to share the festivities. I was never prouder of her.

Everyday Matters was the fruit of our family's mission to celebrate our daily gifts in the face of the random crap life throws at us. That mission grew from Patti's heart. The fact that she has gone does not diminish the importance of this mission to me and to all of us. Life is wonderful. Its riches don't lie in bank accounts or career success or power or fame. We just need to look around us, at the beauty of a wrinkled orange skin, the ray of sunshine across a wooden table, the shape of a napping pet, an abandoned shoe, a building against the sky. To reap those riches, I use a pen and a small book. I meditate on what I see, and transcribe that reflection in my book. The lines I make , sometimes sure and sharp, sometimes wobbly and vague, are the deposit I make in my account, the way I capture life's true rewards and value.

In the days following Patti's death, I lost my appetite, my ability to sleep, my concentration, my will. I hesitated to pick up a pen. Nothing seemed to matter, let alone the everyday. But then, after some time spent staring into space, I began again to draw. And I must and will continue. Drawing brings me meaning. To abandon it would betray Patti's memory and myself. I hope that if you are hesitating to draw, beating yourself up because you're not good enough, telling yourself you have no time to spare, feeling distracted and down, remember that, though life can be plucked from us at any moment, it is full of wonder and beauty. Keeping an illustrated journal is the perfect way to capture and treasure the gems that lie all around us. A few minutes a day make it all worth while.

Patti was never a member of the EDM group but she met many of its members, and loved the goals of the community. She made things all the time, knitting, sewing, singing, making collages, gifts, drawings, paintings, flower arrangements, photos, and more. Creativity was her passion and she loved people who loved to create. I hope you will help to keep her love and spirit alive.

Your pal,
Danny"

I felt this to be "must read" for all of us.

It was Danny Gregory who started me on this journey.

Through him I met Anita.

She took me under her wing

and introduced me to a whole new artistic world.

I began my days as an artist/blogger...

and

the rest is history.

Every single minute of every single day

really DOES matter.

I rededicate my art to that purpose.