Leave Your Mark by Melinda Curtis

My mother passed away in June at the wise old age of 92. She'd been a first/second grade teacher, but when she retired, she became an artist, a painter of oils and watercolors. Here are some of her pieces.

Yosemite was her favorite subject. She'd go spend a week camping and taking painting classes in the valley. She came by her love of creativity honestly - her father was an engineer who also designed and built houses, her mother loved to play piano and carve things from wood. I've got two of her carved trays hanging in a guest bedroom.

When Mom became ill in June, we had plenty of time to visit. She had kind words of encouragement for everyone. But there were two adult grandchildren she held onto and told not to stop creating. One was my college-age son, who enjoys writing plays (he won state honors two years ago). The other was my daughter-in-law, a budding artist, a painter like my mother. Here are a few of her paintings. I love the whimsy. Although my mother didn't get to see any of her work (she became legally blind about five years ago), I think she would've loved my daughter-in-law's unique style.

In this era of negativity, encourage someone - whether their interest is in art or in athletics or sewing or whatever. Leave your mark by being kind and supportive. Dreams are important. Pass it on!

Melinda Curtis is an award-winning, USA Today bestseller. She writes clean romance for Harlequin Heartwarming, sweet romantic comedy, women's fiction and sexy contemporary sports romance. Her latest release is The Rancher's Redemption, coming October 1.