Reconciliation, 36″x48″x2″, acrylic on collage

The road to reconciliation is rarely simple. I began this piece seeking a new understanding of forgiveness—and found that the journey looks different in every situation.

In Reconciliation, layered symbols guide the viewer through the emotional terrain of healing. Lemon trees acknowledge the bitterness that can line the path. Doves resting in archways symbolize the quiet peace that can eventually settle in, often after great struggle. Spring flowers—blue hyacinths, white tulips, and daffodils—whisper of renewal, of hearts thawing and life beginning again. Water flows through the composition as a symbol of cleansing, while the lotus stands as a sacred reminder: there comes a time to release what we cannot fix, and gently move forward.

I believe there’s a sacred place in the next life for healing broken relationships. In this cathartic garden, doves in flight form archways above those who embrace and forgive. The arches here aren’t stone—they’re formed from peace.

This painting doesn’t offer a single answer to the question of forgiveness—but rather, honors the complexity of finding it, and the eternal hope of restoration.