Thank you all for joining this page! I'm having a ball with this creative expression! I remember the beginning of every school year growing up looking forward to brand new crayons...unused and perfect. We couldn't afford the big 64 box...or even the 48 count box...but the 8 and 16 count boxes were just enough to make me happy...until I'd get to school and see someone with the fancy box with the sharpener on the back. I then knew there was a difference between the HAVES and the HAVE NOTS! LOL... I HAVE crayons...I HAVE NOT a sharpener and this is some bullsh!t! I didn't dare make a fuss. I showed my appreciation by colorin' my little heart out.

My Aunt Nellie was the greatest artist in the world...in my very complete Covesville, Virginia, world! While I would grab a blue crayon and color in pants or a red crayon and scribble inside a shirt outline, Nellie would take the blue crayon and draw a dark blue outline on top of the given outline and then, with single downward strokes, would make the blue pants look like denim...or a brown crayon and make corduroys! SHE KNEW HOW TO COLOR!! Every picture was always so perfect! I tried to mimic her technique but it never looked as perfect as hers. Nellie would say, "My perfect doesn't have to be your perfect. Make your own perfect." Freedom! I got to colorin'...and writin'...and creatin'...and lovin'...and livin'.

You see, my Aunt Nellie wasn't simply talking about coloring. In a statement, she gave me the the green light...pine green, forest green, sea green, and yellow green...to be an individual, independent creature of creativity. I've colored wild. I've colored outside the lines. I've colored against the grain. I've colored without fear. I've colored without apology. And I don't need a sharpener. You color enough, you will remain sharp and with an exquisite point.

So color! It's not reserved for children. It may not even include crayons. It's about expression. However you express yourself, do it with brightness, boldness, and all the vibrancy of life you can muster! Our children will thank us for it later.

Thank you Aunt Nellie.

TDV