Girl's Love Of Art Spreads Happiness And Healing In Unlikely Place

Lily swung her little legs back and forth as she sat at her easel, paints, brushes wipe rags and a water can scattered in front of her. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she carefully chose which colors to use next on her painting and which brush to choose.

"What are you making, sweetie?" her Dad asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"A picture for Mommy's work," Lily replied without looking up. "For the people who are hurt and have to do fizzikal terrapee."

Her Dad chuckled at her mispronunciation. "You mean physical therapy? That's very very kind of you."

Lily nodded solemnly. Whenever she went to pick her Mom up from the hospital's rehab center, she saw people who looked like they were in pain - struggling to walk with canes, or clutching their arms tight to their bodies. Some even had casts or bandages. Her Mom would give them encouragement and help them do exercises that helped them heal, but Lily could tell it really hurt them.

She felt bad that they had to go through so much pain and hard work. Her Mom said they had been in bad accidents or gotten very sick, and physical therapy was helping put them back together again. But it wasn't easy. Lily wished there was something she could do to make them feel better.

And that's when she got the idea to make them cheerful paintings. She wanted to create something bright and happy that could bring a smile to their faces, even for just a moment. Something to remind them that better days were ahead if they kept going.

With her tongue sticking out in concentration, Lily started painting a pot of colorful flowers. She loved making flowers, they were her fav, she also liked rainbows. She focused intently, determined to make it her best work yet.

The next day, Lily could barely contain her excitement as she clutched the picture to her chest on the way to the rehab center. Her Mom held the door for her as she skipped inside, looking around at the people following their therapists' instructions or waiting their turn.

"Who should I give it to first?" Lily whispered.

Her Mom smiled and pointed to an elderly man doing leg lifts, his face contorted in a wince of pain. Lily took a deep breath and marched right up to him.

"Hi!" she said in her high, friendly voice. "This is for you!"

The man turned in surprise as Lily held out her colorful drawing. He looked at it for a moment, then back at her shining face, and finally broke into a broad grin.

"Well, isn't that just about the prettiest picture I ever did see," he said, carefully taking it from her hands. "Thank you, young lady! You've gone and made my day."

Lily beamed, delighted she could make him happy. One by one, she handed out more drawings to the other patients, receiving smiles, pats on the head, and words of gratitude each time. By the end, she felt like she had a little army of new friends.

And when she looked over at her Mom, Lily saw the warm, proud smile on her face, too. Yeah, this was definitely worth the effort to raise everyone's spirits. After all, healing didn't just come from medicine - it came from love and kindness, too.

This story is based on an incident that happened to me as I was doing fizzikal terrapee for a shoulder replacement surgery. It was painful but beneficial. Each time I went for my appointment, I would do my exercises and stretches and I would stare at this picture which hung above the desk of one of the therapists working there. It made me smile then and makes me smile now. A copy is hanging above my desk now. Thank you Lily for the healing help and inspiration!