Frances Friday: An Artist with a Social Conscience

The last of Frances's birthday presents trickled in last week: two little notepads with Frances's name at the top. The very first thing she did with them was write me a letter.

"See?" she said. "This is for you. It says, 'I love my Mummy!'"

(Mummy melts.)

"Oh, sweetie, thank you! I will have to keep this in a special place forever and ever."

The very second thing she did was draw a picture of me. It's not a bad likeness. I might use it for my avatar icon. How many people have a piece of original art to use beside their posts and comments?

She drew pictures and letters for her Daddy, too, and for her friend NB. (The gift-giver is probably reading this: it was a hit!)

~~~~~

On the weekend I was reading again about the abandoned baby girl, hoping that someone would have come forward with her name, if nothing else. (She has been christened Angelica-Leslie by the child welfare officials.) Beside the article was the original photo.

"That baby looks so sad."

"She is sad," I say. "She lost her Mummy and Daddy. She's very sad."

"She's so cuuuuuute," says Frances.

"Isn't she?"

She wanders off and I figure it's like most sad stories at that age, in one ear and out the other, not for lack of compassion but lack of experience. But two minutes later she comes back, holding her pad of paper and saying, "I drew her a new Mummy and Daddy. See?"

"I do see."

"That will make her happy."

I wish it was that easy.

Posted by Andrea at February 8, 2008 8:42 AM under Frances Friday

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