15/01/2016
I have a smidgen of artistic ability…just enough to appreciate a real artist’s efforts…but not enough to actually have someone want, or buy my work.
Great art is more than just a representation of something, or someone. Art should cause an emotional reaction, or connection. Millions have stood in front of the Mona Lisa trying to determine what that upturned corner of her mouth meant. Speculation to its meaning continues on, even to this very day.
While this sculpture is no Mona Lisa, it is an important piece of art none the less. Some will argue that it is not art because it is a tombstone. However, as a parent, you cannot look at this and not have an immediate emotional reaction to it. You are drawn to it. You want to know the story behind it…yet at the same time, you “know” the story. You know this tombstone is that of a poor tortured soul of a child…who has traded the pain and suffering of this life…for what we all hope is a better life somewhere where there is no need of a wheelchair.
The tombstone is that of Matthew Stanford Robinson. Matthew was born on September 23, 1988 to Johanna and Ernest Robinson in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was expected to live only a few hours, but he lived ten and a half years; passing away on February 21, 1999.
Here is a bit of his obituary…
“Matthew was a joy and inspiration to all who were privileged to know him. He was a testament to the supreme divinity of the soul and an embodiment of the completeness our spirits yearn for. The godliness of his soul inspired, influenced and blessed all who knew him. He came into this world as a miracle and left this world as a miracle. His life expectancy was anticipated to be only hours long. However, fortitude, strength, and endurance, combined with the power of God allowed Matthew to live ten and one-half years enveloped in the love of his family and friends. His family was privileged to spend time with him here upon earth, to learn from his courage and marvel at his constant joy and happiness in the face of struggle. His family will be eternally changed by his presence and temporally changed by his passing. His presence inspired all those who knew him. He opened their hearts as well as their eyes.”
It is my hope that Matthew is in a place now where he is indeed free to walk and run, to skip and jump. It has been mankind’s hope, since time began, that there is a place where things get evened out. Where pain and suffering are a thing of this life, and not the next.
Our world is on fire right now. There is madness throughout the world. There is a darkness spreading. More than ever, we need that hope of better days to come. In the meantime, we can view Matthew’s headstone and hope for a peace and a tranquility to come.
