1 Pa, 2 Pa, And So Much More

1 Pa, 2 Pa, And So Much More

John Paul Derryberry

Sometimes when you are not looking, you find something that alters your mood. Three years ago, Anne and I were walking around Iowa City's art festival. We were pursuing the stands and displays, but mostly, we were taking our minds off the fact that we were no closer to expanding our family with a baby. We walked into the silent auction section of the art festival. There it was displayed, a painting beaming with we're-going-to-get-a-kid hope. A giant, funky, spray-painting hippo. We immediately knew we had our first gift to our first kid, whenever they arrived. Hope that our family would grow returned.

I circled the painting during the last 15 minutes of the silent auction to ensure we could take it home. The art barely fit in our car but it did wholly cover our hearts with new energy. It did wholly covered our hearts with new energy, if we had a gift for our baby, we would eventually have a baby. Amelia arrived, and when she entered our house, her edgy hippo artist sat perfectly in her nursery. A reminder our love for this child existed well before she arrived.

Little did we know our luck not only changed, but it doubled its speed. Amelia arrived, and we discovered our invitro process had worked. We had another little one on the way. Anne starred at the first hippo one night and said, we can't have just one. I agreed-we needed to complete the set. Each girl needed a hippo. Anne scoured the internet and got in contact with the artist. We commissioned a second hippo, but the artist wanted to see our space, the first hippo, and get a feel for us.

Jeff Mcnutt arrived at our house, entered, looked at the painting, and said, " So happy to see Pa in a good place." We looked puzzled, and Jeff explained the story of his kids becoming enamored with a stuffed hippo and calling him Pa. He used Pa to teach his kids lessons about compassion, kindness, and the importance of caring for each other. Jeff was over the moon Pa had found his way into the life of new children. He agreed to complete our set. No longer a hipster artist hippo, now our first painting was a hipster artist Pa.

This week Jeff delivered to our house the second Pa. Our set complete, Greta had her Pa. Both our girls have a life long gift, something to remind them of each other, of us, of Jeff, Jeff's kids, our love for them, and our hope they always support each other. That's probably the biggest lesson I want to give my girls over and over again throughout life. Connection to others is always there, and we can gift people long-lasting soul-filling moments. Pa taught Jeff's children, he'll teach mine, and if we are lucky enough, my grandkids.

These paintings will draw many lines through our history, such as our time Iowa City and our perseverance to have a complete family. The lines will carry into our present of building a bond as a family-based in love. Finally, our future when the paintings hang in their dorm room, apartment, or house, and when my girls are having a bad day, they'll l look at Pa. They will see their mom, their dad, their memories, their life, and realize they are loved. I couldn't ask for anything more for them. Pa is already pulling us closer together, before Pa we were low on hope-now we have 2-Pa's and so much more.