many months ago i introduced sparrowloom, knowing it would be my place to write, question, lament, share beauty, and the work of my shockingly talented friends.

then my father got sick, and in an eyeblink life went a little sideways and then upside down. sparrowloom and a dozen other projects got shelved while we rallied around my beautiful papa.

that rally ended february 17th, and in a set of moments so gracious and forgiving and life-changing i can sometimes not bare to revisit them, my family said goodbye to my father. one month later we celebrated william owen menard’s seasoned, loving, ever-curious life to the nines, embraced family and old friends, shared tears and stories and laughter, had a sing along. people drove home and flew home and even walked home, all of us returning to our own lives with a goodbye in our heart and that tiny piece of disbelief that happens when someone you love and adore and assume will be there forever is gone.

normality returns. mostly. i am spring cleaning like a mad girl and purging the studio with the idea of new work floating in front of my eyes. i am returning to old work and pieces of writing and realizing how much the process of creativity informs my life. in that spirit, on the heels of the biggest goodbye i’ve ever experienced, i’m just stopping here for a moment to say, hello, i’m back. i don’t know what’s coming, but i really want to be here. i hope i can make it a gorgeous place.

finally, as the steps between the last time i saw my father and now grow ever larger, know poppy how much you were loved and how much you are missed. your watch goes off without fail at least three times a day, and each beep feels like a kiss on my cheek.