This made my month! : )

I painted with another face paint company that had been hired to paint
at a “Welcome Home the Troops Family Day” at the RBC Center, which is
a huge indoor arena where the NC State Basketball & the Carolina
Hurricanes Hockey teams play. These National Guard troops had been in
Iraq & Afghanistan for 2 tours of duty.


There were 1000’s of people there and the lines were crazy long as the
face painting was free. The third person in my chair was an 11-year
girl who asked for an American Flag flying across her face with her
Dad’s name written in it. (She is motioning across her nose) The
soldier standing behind me said” she might not be able to do that
honey, it may take her too long and there are a lot of people
waiting.” I replied, ”How about a really pretty red, white & blue eye
design that can swoop around your cheek where I’ll be able to write
you Dad’s name better. She agreed.


In making small talk, as I was finishing up I asked where her Dad was
stationed, “He’s not any more, he didn’t come home.” (I had assumed
the soldier behind me had been her Dad) Tears started to well in my
eyes so I tried to remain cool & not give into tears and said, “Wow, I
bet you really miss him huh?” “Yeah” she said as she looked in my
mirror, “Do you think he’d like this?” “He does.” I replied, “I bet
he’s smiling at you right now.”


Did I get a photo?
….no….I probably couldn’t have seen to focus at that point.
The face painting company didn’t pay me yesterday because of some
glitch, but I’d already been paid

Oh man, that's an amazing story to tell..........I cried and smiled thru the whole thing

I love painting at events like that. I painted at a block party in one of the roughest neighborhoods in our area(for free & no tips). One of the boys said he'd never been painted before & told me how his mom was doing life in prison for murder & his dad never came around. It just broke my heart. I do a lot of volunteer work in that area (every Sunday)& never knew... He's so up beat & positive.

Community support means the world of difference to those who need it, doesn't it?

wow Goosebumps and tears from me how sad is that. poor little kid, i don't know how u managed to continue painting after that

She was handling the situation well. Must have been hard with so many other children with parents that did come home.

Last Christmas I was painting at a mall and a grown up man came and asked if I wanted to paint him when I was finished with the last kids. Sure I said - and asked what design he wanted. He told he had just been in war. It was really tough and he was an officer and had to make some not so nice decisions. Men was lost in combat on both sides. When he came back home his wife had left him, taking the kids with her. He wanted to be painted black in half his face to show how torn he was feeling inside. I was a little bit hesitant about it first, since a few years back we had a case with a man murdering his girlfriend and her child, cutting them up and put them in the rubbish dump - they was never found. In one video he had made and send to the news he had been painted that way to show that there is good and evil in all. But since his reasons was different and I could see how emotional he was, I agreed. When he looked in the mirror after he smiled a faint smile and said that now the world could see how he felt. I gave him a hug - not something I normally give strangers, but I have never seen on who needed it more - and hoped he wasn't going to go out and do something stupid.
It was hard all of the sudden going from just being happy happy Christmas girl, to dealing with so serious matters. How to respond properly. Just listen or try to help. I really think that that little bit of black facepaint did help him. Nothing I could have said would have helped anyway.

LW THAT was not face painting, THAT was Art Therapy. It was a wonderful thing you did for another human being. I am so proud of you.

Lone, what a great story! I agree with "Sparkling Lady" that you gave him some much needed therapy...and you are also right...responding properly isn't always easy.

The little girl was handling it well. Although inside the RBC center there was a stage were there were 7 pairs of boots, with the owner's gun and helmet on top, lined up for the ceremony, representing the men who "didn't come home". I wasn't able to go inside and watch, but the music was beautiful. and as I took a quick break and ran to the bathroom, that's when I let the tears flow.
How proud that little girl was of her Dad, and how wonderful that other soldier (his friend) had been to bring her to the ceremony.

Linda, what a story ... isn't this why we are all in it though? In my 'real' life I spend a LOT of time with bureaucrats that do nothing to bring immediate joy and comfort to the wounded. Your work brought her to you, hurting as she was inside, she looked around and found you, she looked to you for that stream in the desert, someone who could look into her face see her pain and SHIELD her; you provided a moment of sheer happiness and a mask to hide behind for the day.

Perfect.

I am leaving for my office now and I am so blessed to be a part of this group: YOU guys are all ABOUT Real Life.

TheSparklingLady wrote:Linda, what a story ... isn't this why we are all in it though? In my 'real' life I spend a LOT of time with bureaucrats that do nothing to bring immediate joy and comfort to the wounded. Your work brought her to you, hurting as she was inside, she looked around and found you, she looked to you for that stream in the desert, someone who could look into her face see her pain and SHIELD her; you provided a moment of sheer happiness and a mask to hide behind for the day.

Perfect.

I am leaving for my office now and I am so blessed to be a part of this group: YOU guys are all ABOUT Real Life.

You totally said that so well.

Thanks! I agree, when I hear a story about how face painting became MORE than a job it just makes my day! When people ask if face painting is what I do for a living & how much I must love it I say, "What better job! I get to hang w/ kids, make them smile, be creative & get paid for it! How cool is that!?!"