|
Chapter 2 ( or is it 3)?
On April
1st, my 15th birthday, my father, four sisters and I moved from
Springfield, Mass. to Brighton Beach, New York.
On that
very day, I met Norm, a young man who would eventually change my life.
We were later happily married and lived as one. In the early
years, I devoted myself to raising two daughters Ellen and
Jayne. Later on our careers intermingled. He became a sportswear
buyer and I managed a retail women's fashion store.
My girls
became lawyers and took on productive lives of their own. Jayne
lives in California and Ellen now resides in Northern Florida.
My
husband and I moved to Florida when we retired. His passion was
golf and I became a "golf widow." My sister, Ruth who was a great
artist, introduced me to watercolor painting. Low and behold, I
discovered a hidden talent. Finding this fascinating, I took
some courses at Florida International University. There I
learned the technique of painting wet on wet. The
Red Mountains
are an example of what can happen when you throw some paint on a
wet drawing paper.
Some of
my favorite paintings are
The Lion,
The Cat,
My Blue Apples, and
a painting taken from a photo while on a trip to Hawaii. The
Lion hangs in my great-grandson Zac's bedroom while The Cat
hangs in the bedroom of my great-grand-daughter Zoe.
When my
husband passed away - what was I to do? Part of me went with
him.
now in a
small box
the ring that hugged my finger—
autumn deepens
My
daughters were instrumental in encouraging me to study haiku as
a way to overcome my loneliness. Haiku taxes your memory and
makes you look at life through different eyes. Haiku has become
a pleasure. I have become quite adept at this.
I have been published in many journals: Lynx, Frogpond, Hermitage, South by
Southeast and American Tanka.
Getting involved in collaborative writing is a joy and a great
way to develop new friendships. Although I have never actually
met many of my cyber friends, I feel I know and love them. I am
so grateful to have found these exciting activities. Thanks to
my dear sister and my dear daughters. They have added a new
dimension to my life.
Betty Kaplan
| 