Mauricio in the Light, 12-20-08
Another tribute
to the artist
and the spirit
that was
mauricio saravia.
He suffered his entire
life and ultimately was conquered
by an extremely rare illness -
McCune-Albright syndrome-
polyostotic fibrous dysplasia-
a bone disease which once was
called "The Elephant Man's disease".
He was an amazing and inspirational
artist - a man who embraced and celebrated
art in all directions,
with beautiful music
and paintings
and poetry
and film.
It was here on flickr that I learned
of his death - from Sanchez, one of the flickr family-
he told me in a caption to the photo
below that the spirit of Mauricio
left his body on December 12, eight nights ago.
And this connection -between us - between
any who see this and knew him or are
just getting to know him know, and
widening the circle,
makes me understand
that on some level he knew letting me
take his photo made sense.
I went to a memorial service for him today
at the kairos church in hollywood. It was beautiful-
he was an artist - and his art was all around us, his
paintings, his poetry, his music.
And there was a slide-show going with photos of
Mauricio - as a child, an adorable little boy before the
illness started pushing the bones out in his face
and his brain. And through his life as he grew up -
Mauricio being baptized in a bathtub,
Mauricio at an art opening of his art, smiling,
Mauricio with his family,
Mauricio with Hollywood stars, smiling
on the red carpets,
Mauricio in the sun, in the surf, smiling
Mauricio at the beach
Mauricio in the hospital, in his hospital gown.
And his mother was there, and spoke, and cried,
and said she taught him to walk and to eat and more,
but he taught her so much more.
And his three sisters spoke, and they cried, too -
and each said that he was a teacher - that though he
suffered so much in his life, he knew how to live, how to love
life, how to see beyond the outside appearance of a
person to see inside, to see the spirit.
And his friends spoke. And people who just knew him a little.
One man spoke who had a stutter, and it was obvious speaking
in front of a crowd was not something he wanted to do, but compared
to the life Mauricio had, he knew his stutter was a minor hurdle. And he
spoke beautifully.
We met months ago -
and had spoken on the phone -
and emailed - and I had wanted to get
over to his studio in Hollywood and see his
paintings. And the first time we had
set it up it didn't work out -
and I figured - so wrongly -
that there would be time, and it would happen-
and there was no urgency -
and I was wrong. His life ended.
And from that I have learned a lesson,
albeit a very sad one. That life can be so
brief, and there's no time to wait to see those
who touch us, and those we love, there's no time
to be wasted.
he wasted none. "I am never depressed," he said.
"I am always happy."
One man spoke today who said that he was sitting with Mauricio in a park
and a child was looking at him, a little scared. Then the child came up
and asked, "Are you an angel?"
I told his story to my angel today,
my beamish boy, my son,
and he said, "Was he an angel?"
and I said, "Yes."
"But he doesn't have any wings," Jonah said,
He does now.
Perhaps it was Providence
or God or whatever
guides us through these daily lives
caused our paths to cross
in front of the Chinese Theater in
Hollywood
there right on the fabled
forecourt of footprints-
where so many ghosts and
angels and saints and stars
have walked and still walk-
there on May 27, 2008
when i, a total stranger, stopped
him in a mass of people,
and asked for his photo-
without much explanation-
but I knew he knew why
and he handed me his card-
and we connected then
and forever.
And a heavy rain falls in
our hearts tonight
but after every rain
there is sun.
Mauricio in the Light, 12-20-08
Another tribute
to the artist
and the spirit
that was
mauricio saravia.
He suffered his entire
life and ultimately was conquered
by an extremely rare illness -
McCune-Albright syndrome-
polyostotic fibrous dysplasia-
a bone disease which once was
called "The Elephant Man's disease".
He was an amazing and inspirational
artist - a man who embraced and celebrated
art in all directions,
with beautiful music
and paintings
and poetry
and film.
It was here on flickr that I learned
of his death - from Sanchez, one of the flickr family-
he told me in a caption to the photo
below that the spirit of Mauricio
left his body on December 12, eight nights ago.
And this connection -between us - between
any who see this and knew him or are
just getting to know him know, and
widening the circle,
makes me understand
that on some level he knew letting me
take his photo made sense.
I went to a memorial service for him today
at the kairos church in hollywood. It was beautiful-
he was an artist - and his art was all around us, his
paintings, his poetry, his music.
And there was a slide-show going with photos of
Mauricio - as a child, an adorable little boy before the
illness started pushing the bones out in his face
and his brain. And through his life as he grew up -
Mauricio being baptized in a bathtub,
Mauricio at an art opening of his art, smiling,
Mauricio with his family,
Mauricio with Hollywood stars, smiling
on the red carpets,
Mauricio in the sun, in the surf, smiling
Mauricio at the beach
Mauricio in the hospital, in his hospital gown.
And his mother was there, and spoke, and cried,
and said she taught him to walk and to eat and more,
but he taught her so much more.
And his three sisters spoke, and they cried, too -
and each said that he was a teacher - that though he
suffered so much in his life, he knew how to live, how to love
life, how to see beyond the outside appearance of a
person to see inside, to see the spirit.
And his friends spoke. And people who just knew him a little.
One man spoke who had a stutter, and it was obvious speaking
in front of a crowd was not something he wanted to do, but compared
to the life Mauricio had, he knew his stutter was a minor hurdle. And he
spoke beautifully.
We met months ago -
and had spoken on the phone -
and emailed - and I had wanted to get
over to his studio in Hollywood and see his
paintings. And the first time we had
set it up it didn't work out -
and I figured - so wrongly -
that there would be time, and it would happen-
and there was no urgency -
and I was wrong. His life ended.
And from that I have learned a lesson,
albeit a very sad one. That life can be so
brief, and there's no time to wait to see those
who touch us, and those we love, there's no time
to be wasted.
he wasted none. "I am never depressed," he said.
"I am always happy."
One man spoke today who said that he was sitting with Mauricio in a park
and a child was looking at him, a little scared. Then the child came up
and asked, "Are you an angel?"
I told his story to my angel today,
my beamish boy, my son,
and he said, "Was he an angel?"
and I said, "Yes."
"But he doesn't have any wings," Jonah said,
He does now.
Perhaps it was Providence
or God or whatever
guides us through these daily lives
caused our paths to cross
in front of the Chinese Theater in
Hollywood
there right on the fabled
forecourt of footprints-
where so many ghosts and
angels and saints and stars
have walked and still walk-
there on May 27, 2008
when i, a total stranger, stopped
him in a mass of people,
and asked for his photo-
without much explanation-
but I knew he knew why
and he handed me his card-
and we connected then
and forever.
And a heavy rain falls in
our hearts tonight
but after every rain
there is sun.