The Old Woman

For years, the original artwork hung in our family’s home. It was a profile of an old woman, deep in thought. An oil on canvas painting, she was the subject of much curiosity and discussion. As children, we didn’t like her. Dark shades of blue-grays surrounded a face of wrinkled pallid flesh. In her eyes, cast downward and nearly closed to our view, we saw a sad old lady – perhaps in physical and emotional pain.

As I grew older, I looked more objectively at that old woman. With her hand on the side of her face, she was clearly deep in thought. The longer I engaged with this portrait, the harder it was to pull away without wanting to know more.

When mom died, I was the one who claimed the old woman. There wasn’t any argument among my two sisters and me. My wife had mixed reactions. While she appreciated how the artist had captured the old woman’s expression, she thought it a bit dark and depressing – too much so to hang prominently in our home. So the painting found its first place on our second floor, filling an empty wall at the stop of the stairs.

Years later, when we redecorated our living room, the old woman occupied a more prominent space in our lives. Perhaps the light from the picture window across the room warmed her visage and brightened her surroundings. When we sat in our favorite reading chairs, she watched over us, still deep in thought. And when we entertained company, she inspired new speculations about her mood and her past. In some odd way, I grew to consider her as a learned matriarch of the family.

After 35 years in our house, we downsized to a condo, and the old woman moved with us. Now she occupies a wall in our bedroom, gracefully keeping watch over our dreams and memories. She has not aged. But we have. There’s more history and experience behind us – more time to reflect on our lives, on family joys and tragedies, on the challenges we’ve faced and the ones yet to come.

I’m looking forward to returning to our home up north next month…and to a reunion with the old lady whose pensive countenance has kept us company and still keeps us guessing.

Marc Sacher

3/28/17