While living, my grandfather commissioned a painting.
The painting was of a campfire in the woods, with logs encircling. At the focal point, was a bundle of sticks tied together by either string or a piece of leather--it doesn't matter. To the side of the bundle were scattered sticks broken into different-sized pieces.
Family history records that my grandfather gathered his sons to present the gift~~if they stuck together they couldn't be broken. If they didn't stay tied, they could easily be broken.
With four headstrong sons in business together, he was aware of their already manifested differences, and the potential conflict that lay ahead. I also think he had a sixth sense or a prompting that trouble lay yonder.
He was right. In the years after their father's death, their business would be ripped apart. There would be audits, and court dates, and jail time.
The painting became more prolific and even prophetic.
Each time one of the twenty-seven cousins visited their dads at the office, they saw the painting. Thus, the painting endeared itself to everyone. Each member of the family would have loved to inherit that painting.
The painting ended up in the office of two of my grandfather's sons. When they both died, the painting disappeared.
Or so I thought.
Over the years, I've heard whispers that so-and-so has the painting. It's neither fair or unfair--you can't cut a painting into twenty pieces, so someone had to hang it in their home. But today I heard a different approach.
As my friend Kristi's mom readied to move to a smaller home, she had to consider what she would keep and give away. There was a designated day, months away, when the children would gather to choose what they wanted from their childhood home. Everyone knew the favorite item that everyone would want. It was a beautifully illustrated book of fairy tales.
When the day arrived, all the siblings learned that one insightful sister had spent the year searching for copies of this beloved book. She'd found a copy for each of her siblings.
The painting that disappeared is a simple painting. It would have been easy to copy and make prints~~ a beautiful solution.
Postscript: I asked a few questions. The painting's whereabouts have been revealed. It was never lost...it was kept quiet.
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