I had the distinct pleasure to meet Kathleen and her husband this afternoon, at an art show where I was sharing my new book, The Vase of Many Colors and had the opportunity to hear about the mission of The Painted Turtle...

During the course of that discussion, it became readily apparent to me that the mission of the Painted Turtle and my own are very parallel in that we strive to ignite hope in those who have faced or are facing situations where hope is sometimes difficult to come by-

 As with the inspiration for this story, which really came from an email from to a dear friend who was struggling with some of the more stressful behaviors of a somewhat lost teenage son, I wanted to remind her that because we are "mothers" we have the power to take broken lives and broken hearts and make them whole again... and while they can't be the same as they were before they were broken, all the trials and troubles we experience in our lives really prepare us to become the very best we can be in this life...

 As the story line progressed and became fleshed out, life lessons began to emerge... there are people... women... mothers, grandmothers, aunts, teachers, friends, sisters, daughters.... there are women of influence in our lives who on the outside may appear to us in varying states of physical health or fitness but when we ourselves falter, these women step up and help us carry our load. Their mental and emotional strength far outweighs anything that the physical body can prescribe. And it goes beyond women... men have a place in this as well.

 I intentionally did NOT name the characters in the story because that allows anyone reading the story to insert themselves into the images. Which is important if readers are to find the message, the life lesson that will be most beneficial to them in their time of need.

I encourage readers of The Vase of Many Colors to spend time with the story... beyond just the superficial story line, but see, hear, experience the heartbreak and then the re-genesis that occurs in the story we call life... we can be whole. We can be healed. We can be better and more beautiful than we were before... It's a promise given to us... a gift... if we'll only reach out and claim it as our own.

And to my new friend Kathleen... let me know when you go to your kids' school... I will come also and read it with the children there if that will help us share the message of hope and renewal with others-

All the best and thanks for taking the time to see, hear and experience The Vase of Many Colors-

Rachel