The Painter’s Canvas

The Painter’s Canvas

Dedicated to my beloved Aunt Jean Marie Keller…

Her gentle brush strokes
once caressed the blank canvas
with dappled green leaves
adorning tall maples.
An old red cottage down by the river
reminiscent of long-ago summer days
with picnics, sack races and bingo.

The crickets sang as the red sun faded,
punctuated by the amber glow of lit cigarettes,
laughter and the cracking of cans of Black Label beers
as the children slept on woven lounge chairs.

Festive celebrations on Christmas night,
they danced around the second floor apartment,
holding hands, hooting and singing like gypsies
stomping on the hardwood floor
without a care in the world.

A light snow fell and piled up on the windowsill,
as wide-eyed children huddled by the Christmas tree
watching as their parents sipped from ruby cups,
a special concoction in the crystal punch bowl
that she created for the occasion.

In late August, we piled in cars and crossed the Bay bridge
and drove to the shores of Chincoteague Island.
Trudging through hot sand dunes, we went beachcombing
and waited in vain for wild ponies to make an appearance.
An ocean girl, she braved the crashing waves,
fetching conch shells, holding it to our ears so we could hear the ocean,
as if it was a miracle sent from heaven above.

Late nights on the screened patio, sharp scent of citronella candles
the lighthouse beckoned with its pulsing green light
cutting the black as the moon danced on invisible clouds
and the frogs in the bay bellowed and croaked.

She painted the seasons… spring, summer, fall and winter,
capturing their essence in a watercolor snapshot.
But the years passed, time faded away,
and one by one, the faces in her paintings disappeared.

She was the final chapter
of fourteen brothers and sisters,
the last brushstroke on a canvas painted with love.
And now she has laid down her brush,
leaving us to remember the colors she gave us,
the sacred stories, the secrets she carried,
and the endearing love she left behind.

Fourteen are gone now, forever embedded in our hearts,
but their brilliant canvas remains—
Family….
a masterpiece painted in light, love, laughter,
and cherished memories that time cannot erase.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2026
September 26, 2026

Good evening, family and friends. This has been one of the most somber weeks and months that I have had in quite a while…maybe EVER. Just five days after my Aunt Mary Helen’s funeral, my beloved Aunt Jean passed away! I just wrote about both of them last week, fearing how the death of one would affect the other….

Well, our worst fears came true. She fell ill on Sunday night, was rushed to the hospital by ambulance, where she was diagnosed with pneumonia, influenza A and was in full body sepsis. My heart dropped that night, dreading what was to come. The next morning, she passed away. I was completely devastated, to say the least. To lose two precious beloved aunts who were so close to each other – in just a matter of 12 days – was absolutely crushing to us. It has taken me the better part of the week to even BEGIN to process this loss.

Grief comes in waves, and it’s been crashing down on me at different times this past week. Some days I’ve been in worse shape than before. I think the finality of this is hitting hard. A whole generation is now gone. There were 14 Keller siblings, and Jean was the final one. She was ready to go home and be with the rest of the Keller family in heaven. I posted her obituary and wrote about it, it was cathartic at the time, but pushed me into another wave of grief. I’ll be needing a little more time to try and process this.

We will be going up to Maryland and spending the night to attend both her viewing and funeral – which she specifically indicated was family only. That’s how Jean was, she was very private and did not want to let anyone know she was suffering or struggling. We had a special bond, she was my inspiration and I always enjoyed every moment with her. She had a heart of gold. She loved life, and loved her family. When she retired, she moved in with Nanny Keller and became her caretaker.  And when Nanny passed at the age of 99, Jean took the reins as the second matriarch of the Keller family.

I will never forget Aunt Jean, and I will miss her and our special bond. But I do take comfort knowing that she is no longer suffering, and is dancing like a gypsy with the rest of her brothers and sisters in heaven. Love you forever, my dear family in heaven! And I love you all – be sure to hug your family even tighter!
xoxo

Love,
Colleen

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 13.18 – Moon Dance
Hard Bonus: Incorporate a song title or lyric from Neil Young (“The Painter”; “Down by the River”; “Red Sun”; “Ocean Girl”; “Time Fades Away”
Easy Bonus: Mention a yoga pose (bridge)