One Summer at the Lake, we were having coffee with some friends when someone showed me a picture of this loon. The lady had taken it because the loon had built her nest on their island. They felt she was a young and inexperienced mother because she had built too close to the water and she was having a difficult time keeping her eggs warm enough to hatch as the cool lake water kept lapping over them.
Our friends were very impressed with her because she just would not give up on her family. She sat on that nest long after all the other loons on the lake had hatched their young. In fact she was still on the nest when all the other young loons were "teenagers".
On hearing of this remarkable young mother, my husband and I slowly and quietly putted by the island one night and, sure enough, there she was, faithfully sitting on her nest with all faith and hope. She hadn't given up. It kind of choked us up because it really wasn't looking good for her to actually have a happy result. So, Bill and I lifted up a little prayer for her and asked the Lord to bless this little mother and reward her for her faithfulness and patience. As it happened we "putted" by the island again the very next morning and, oh my goodness, there she was.... with a tiny ball of fluff swimming along beside her.
Maybe it was just my wild imagination, but she seemed not proud of herself in any way, but thankful that, at last, her baby was here. Indeed she WAS a good mother. We watched the family all the rest of that Summer and she and her partner brought that precious baby safely to adulthood. She touched my heart and I just HAD to paint her and so I did. She was my first journey into working with oils for a long, long time. I call her "Patience".
