Original title: "The Blessing of the Painter |Shao Kongfa
On August 5, 2023, after visiting Emerald Bay, California with my family, I dined at a roadside LHOP chain on the way back to the "Four Seasons Hotel Tahoe". At four o'clock in the afternoon, the Chinese food had passed, and the dinner time had not yet arrived, and there was only one chef and one waiter in the restaurant. We waited for a long time after ordering and didn't see the food served. The grandchildren washed their hands and sat on the children's high chairs, flipping through the ordering books and playing with their cups and chopsticks.
A tall, white-faced white man sits alone at a four-seater dining table in a back-to-back hall. Paints, brushes, and paper are placed on the table. I ordered french fries, salad and ice water. There are only a few tables of customers in the store, and the painter does not hinder the hotel from picking up customers. He can see everyone who enters the store and can give them paintings. Looking at the familiar conversation between him and the waiter, he is a regular customer in the store.
According to the object of the gift, he improvised the picture and sketched the picture as a gift. Paintings were given to a table of white young men and women, to a single lady, to an Indian family. I don't know how many pictures and blessings he has sent to diners.
Unexpectedly, he walked towards me with the picture in his hand, facing me, gesturing with his hands;First point to the sky, then hold out a heart, smile and dedicate it to me, wishing our whole family happiness. I don't speak English well, but I can understand that he gave me pictures. According to his daughter, he is a devout disciple. I am an atheist, but his expression of sincere hope for our lives makes me believe that he can really pass on God's love to us, and his heart feels the warmth of true love in the world. The picture I gave was drawn on a rough 12x16cm piece of white paper, with raw edges cut by hand. On the screen: two palm trees by the sea, flowers under the trees, and clouds floating in the sky;Facing the sea, spring flowers are blooming. The lower right foot is his signature.
There were no customers entering the store, and he was talking to his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter, which I didn't understand very well, but the atmosphere was pleasant. The granddaughter introduced her two twin brothers to the painter in English, talking and laughing. The artist drew one for each of the three children in one go. The picture of the granddaughter is a children's paradise with a rainbow floating in the sky, the picture of the eldest grandson is the flower in front of the flower shop, and the picture of the little grandson is a glass vase flower arrangement. I would like to express my gratitude one by one.
In the middle of the meal, a fat white man who could not be seen to be about 50 years old, holding a toddler about one year old in his arms, sitting on the right hand of the painter against the wall table, ordering french fries and milk, and watching the toddler eat French fries. The painter smiled as he watched the toddler greet the white man, and suddenly asked the white man, "Is this your son or grandson?"The fat man didn't mind and replied, "It's the grandson." "If you want to say that this painter is really a man of temperament and can't speak, this has to be a quarrel in China. He didn't feel offended by words, he buried himself in painting, enthusiastically sent paintings, and the fat man expressed his gratitude.
We also indulged in the stunning scenery of Emerald Bay with the excitement of viewing;The painter in front of us sent us pictures, smiles and blessings, and we were flattered by the unexpected harvest of too much beauty in one day. When we left the hotel, we said goodbye warmly.
A beautiful smile comes from the heart. On Halloween Eve, go with my grandchildren to a white neighborhood in San Jose and go door-to-door to ask for candy. A traditional old-fashioned white family, the whole family sits at the door, filling each child's bucket with various kinds of sweets and sending blessings, and the face is full of the painter's smile.
Thanksgiving, participate in community church school activities. The ** apprentices who sponsor the school distribute candy along the side of our road to the school, and the grandchildren get a share of candy and blessings;The face of the candy dispenser is filled with the piety of the painter's smile.
My daughter translated the text on the back of the picture I was given, and the painter wrote in beautiful font: May God bless your family forever and grant you His love, grace, truth, mercy and place of eternal perfection. Happy Sabbath!Bruce Helling Reid 8-5-2023. This is the warm blessing of a loving soul swaying on the picture. Now, the pictures are bookmarked, and the text of the books I read is warm.
If you don't go to that restaurant anymore, you won't necessarily meet the painter. There is only one chance contact in a lifetimeHis smile, his blessings, his paintings, will always remain in my memory. He is happy because he gives me joy, and I can be happy and happy for others.
About the Author
Shao Kongfa, a native of Quanjiao, Anhui. Graduated from Anhui Normal University, teacher and journal editor. Anhui People's Publishing House published "Xiangshui Anthology", "Traces of the Ancient Garden" and "Langya Qingying".