There is no better art than “art directly from life.” Please continue to follow your heart. There is nothing to be forgiven. You deserve only thanks. From JH and from all of us.
I don't think you need to fear that your son won't want to be featured in your writing. He may feel this way for a brief time when he is in junior high, (when most children seem to be embarrassed by their parents). But you are writing what you know about - you are writing with authentic love and sensitivity and feeling. And besides the writing is like the shadow on the wall in the allegory of the cave, it is not the thing itself --you cannot capture all of his essence no matter how hard you try. And it is created with love. Like Tim O'Brien or William Faulkner - you are writing about what you know. What could possibly be wrong with that? John Henry is to you just as Jeanne Hébuterne was to Modigliani, he is your muse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_H%C3%A9buterne#/media/File:Jeanne_Hebuterne_by_Amedeo_Modigliani.jpg
John Henry will love it because it came out of love. Your fears will respond, more or less, to the attention you afford them. Set them aside and carry on!
I was thinking about you and JH the other day when I was watching a bird if prey from the balcony. Sounds weird I know. But I often think of how the other creatures around us life their lives different to we do. Sitting on a phone pole watching the world go by...hunting for mice...dog-fighting with crows. Who are we to say that the quality of life of those creatures is lower than ours. They are just different. And that’s where you son fits in. ♥️♥️♥️
Your art, your life, and your son (although I imagine those are all really one and the same) are extraordinary, beautiful, heartbreaking, soul soothing gifts, and I, for one, am so incredibly grateful that you've chosen to share them with the world. I can't believe that sharing such a gift is anything that could ever require forgiveness, only gratitude.
There is no better art than “art directly from life.” Please continue to follow your heart. There is nothing to be forgiven. You deserve only thanks. From JH and from all of us.
Thank you for reading. 💗
I don't think you need to fear that your son won't want to be featured in your writing. He may feel this way for a brief time when he is in junior high, (when most children seem to be embarrassed by their parents). But you are writing what you know about - you are writing with authentic love and sensitivity and feeling. And besides the writing is like the shadow on the wall in the allegory of the cave, it is not the thing itself --you cannot capture all of his essence no matter how hard you try. And it is created with love. Like Tim O'Brien or William Faulkner - you are writing about what you know. What could possibly be wrong with that? John Henry is to you just as Jeanne Hébuterne was to Modigliani, he is your muse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_H%C3%A9buterne#/media/File:Jeanne_Hebuterne_by_Amedeo_Modigliani.jpg
John Henry will love it because it came out of love. Your fears will respond, more or less, to the attention you afford them. Set them aside and carry on!
I was thinking about you and JH the other day when I was watching a bird if prey from the balcony. Sounds weird I know. But I often think of how the other creatures around us life their lives different to we do. Sitting on a phone pole watching the world go by...hunting for mice...dog-fighting with crows. Who are we to say that the quality of life of those creatures is lower than ours. They are just different. And that’s where you son fits in. ♥️♥️♥️
Your art, your life, and your son (although I imagine those are all really one and the same) are extraordinary, beautiful, heartbreaking, soul soothing gifts, and I, for one, am so incredibly grateful that you've chosen to share them with the world. I can't believe that sharing such a gift is anything that could ever require forgiveness, only gratitude.