Last week I was subbing at OCHS in a special education room, and was having a conversation with one of the paras while the teacher was packing up to leave for a golf tournament. Paula asked if I was related to the Jennings in Osage City. I told her I grew up in Lyndon and my maiden name was Pouch and my grandparents were Goldsmiths. She shared that her dad had managed the grocery story in Lyndon, and she worked there. "Are you related to Ann and Raymond Goldsmith?" Yes, Raymond was my mom's first cousin. And, as most conversations wander, I shared that I didn't know Ann was such a celebrated artist until I read it in her obituary, and that I hoped to find one of her paintings. "They were very good friends with my dad," said Paula, "and Ann gave him a painting. It has hung over their mantle for years."
Again, our conversation shifted. Paula said she was in the process of preparing her parents estate for an auction and how hard it had been. I told her our story, and how there were still boxes to go through. "What do you do with things that meant a lot to them, but not so much to any family member?" Well, when Dad was the superintendent in Chase County, he purchased a painting of the courthouse, painted from the north end of the main street. As my brothers and I were deciding what to do with belongings, none of us were married to the painting. We decided to see if the school district would accept it as a gift. One email and a trip to Strong City later, the superintendent happily accepted the gift and showed Frank and I where they were going to hang it.
And, she went home and got it on her lunch break! I love landscapes! It is subtle, and looks like early spring in the Flint Hills, just barely colored in and strikingly beautiful.
Paula knows me only through the times I have subbed. I still cannot believe this serendipitous, kind act of generosity! A picture is never as good as the real thing, but I hope you enjoy seeing it, too. Now I have to decide where it will hang in our home.
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