Portrait of my mother

Mary Quinn

This week I have been spending a lot of time with my mother, going from doctor to doctor, scans, results and finally a trip to the emergency room yesterday. Next up: surgery. It all seems to move in slow motion, even as nurses and doctors race from patient to patient all around us. A trip to the parking lot by way of the waiting room shows a crushing backlog of future patients. My mother's private room, though still in the ER a day later, is truly a thing of luxury.

Here is a painting of my mother from a photo taken on her 80th birthday, August of 2020. The Woodmere Art Museum in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia set up outdoor tables and hired a chef for a few nights in mid-August. It was priceless; a beautiful summer night in the midst of the pandemic. My mother at her best doing her favorite thing: dining out.