My Imagination and Art Have Sustained Me

About the Book

Jenifer, Muriel and I were led downstairs and through the darkened house. The dining room was just as dark. I knew it was full of students. I could barely make out teenagers in the front row. Soon the whispering started. It was hard to make out what they were saying but as their voices rose in volume I heard “Kill them!” They said this repeatedly, getting louder each time. When they were shouting “Kill them!” the lights were suddenly turned on. All the students jumped up and charged at us. They slammed us against the wall and screamed obscenities and threats at us.

About the Author

I live in Rhode Island. I like to travel in the nice weather. Several friends and family members live out of state. I visit them every year. I have an apartment of my own. I am very active in my church. I work out at a gym and am on a bowling league consisting of other adults with various disabilities. I go to counseling sessions twice a month. This has helped me over the years to overcome problems from my past. I continue to draw, paint, and write short stories. I make dolls and animals sometimes. I can do someone’s portrait if they lend me a photo of themselves. It’s very rude to sit with your face in someone else’ face even if you are drawing them. LOL! What got me through my turbulent experiences was my vivid imagination, which allowed me to turn to imaginary friends when people failed me. My artistic ability allowed me to draw people I admired and my desire for love and acceptance. I learned a lot about history because I often became attracted and captivated by historical figures. This caused me to learn all I could about the person and the era they lived in. A few years ago, I took part in a documentary about the Elan School up in Maine. The documentary is called The Last Stop. It’s available on YouTube. Although Elan closed in 2011 a lot of us feel that the public needs to know what happened there and what goes on in similar schools. I am also a cancer survivor. I had breast cancer almost five years ago. I had to have surgery and then go through chemotherapy. I would like to thank God for giving me an imagination and the ability to draw, write and paint. I want to thank my peer specialist Gina for giving me that push to get me back into drawing when I thought I had dried up. I thank Pastor John and his wife, Sue from my church who have helped me over the years. I also thank my friend, Paula, for our long and loyal friendship. I also want to thank my family and other friends for their support.