Good Fruit by Carly White

Artist: Carly White

Title: Good Fruit

Medium: Acrylic and oil on board

Dimensions: 16 x 20 inches

Artist Statement: I have often contemplated my role as a mom and the weight of teaching my child truth and untruth. My mind sometimes falls on fear that my religion can, in the future, somehow harm my child.

I’m not scared of being wrong about my beliefs for me. I’ve come to a place where I value my religion and see much good in its influence in my life.

But I am scared of being wrong about my beliefs for him. What if he resents it when he’s older? What if he resents me for raising him in religion?

What is the other option? To not talk about spiritual truths to him? To let the world teach him to not believe in God? That can’t be right either.

This painting symbolizes this discord in my heart.

I now understand that, for now, I can pick what I feel is “good fruit” for him, until he’s tall enough to reach fruit on his own. I will do my research, I will pray, and I will show him how I try to find good fruit. Mom won’t always be right and there might be a worm in your apple, but I’ll try to check for those first.

Maybe he’ll find it sweet to his soul as well.

Or maybe, when he’s bigger, he’ll decide that he has different tastes than his mom.

He might not like the fruit I once offered him, but certainly, he’ll know that this doesn’t mean that there isn’t the good fruit of spirituality anywhere to be found.

And certainly, he’ll know his mom doesn’t expect him to like every fruit she does.

I imagine he’ll remember the process of watching his mom search out and find good fruit in the orchard, and go on a journey to find his own good fruit in spirituality.

For now, sweet child, I will be reaching for what I feel is good fruit in our orchard called religion.

I will check it for worms, and if we find one from our fruit tree, we won’t eat it. I will taste the good ones for you to be sure, then I will cut it up into bite-sized pieces and offer it to you.

Because certainly, a life of spiritual fruit is so, so sweet.