55 - ONCE A HOME

ONCE A HOME

18 x 26 inches

(An abandoned rural home)

This abandoned farmhouse didn’t belong to my family, but that doesn’t matter—it was someone’s home. Just imagine how this house must have looked when the wood was painted and the shingles were nailed in place. Imagine clean wash flapping in the breeze and smoke coming out of the chimney. Imagine children playing and grandparents rocking on the porch. Imagine years ago; imagine home.

When my mother listened to the sentiments I wrote for this painting, she wiped away tears. It moved her deeply to see a house deteriorate that had once been filled with a loving family. It reminded her of how she had put her heart and soul into making our worn and tattered farmhouse a home.

Mom could have turned any abandoned house into a comfortable home for us. She would have filled this house with music, laughter, hearty meals, and many warm memories.

Sensitivity combined with a very strong will define my mother. The internal strength that Deitrich Weitzenkamp brought to America in the 1800s continues as it is passed on to his many descendants.