GUARDIAN SOUL
My husband's Love,
And my Love met,
Within the womb of my being.
A girl I did not know,
Grew to the rhythm of my heart.
Her tiny heart, her tiny Soul,
Pulsed stronger every day,
Kicking and punching to be let out,
To have a go at life,
Outside the sanctuary of my form.
It was time we met,
Now here she was, looking me in the eye,
Two wide blue pools of wonderment,
Quizzical, as to who was I?
Snuggling her close upon my chest,
Awash in a tidal wave of Holy Love,
I thanked my God for the miracle of her.
Now here I was, gift-wrapped in a smile,
As guardian, guide, protector,
Her Mother - Our baby, our Love.

- Poetry © Kathleen Tonnesen, 1986

Artist Statement
"Guardian Soul" is a painting of myself and my daughter Samantha. As a parent I saw myself as a guide and guardian of her blossoming life. I placed us on the shoreline as my favourite quote from Dwight Currie the author of, "How we Behave at the Feast - Reflections on Living in an Age of Plenty" sums it up: "To stand on the shore is to stand neither on land nor in the ocean; you're neither here nor there; you're neither this nor that. You might say that to stand on the shore is to be truly nowhere at all, but I think you'd be wrong. To stand on the shore is to be everywhere at once" (p. 56). This was befitting of our life journey which included many hours of walks along the beaches in South Africa. I loved to watch her explore and to find ocean treasures that gave her great delight. The painting was part of my eye rehabilitation process so I was only trying to paint experiences from my life that had given me untold joy. Things that I was so deeply filled with gratitude to have seen. - Kathleen Tonnesen, 2023.