Rahima’s Notes: When I first started this piece, I had no idea who it was for but the inspiration was exhilarating, especially when I first put down the gold next to the red. I was about halfway through when this excitement suddenly changed into something very difficult. In the mornings, when I would return to continue the work, I would become filled with excessive feelings of joy, anger, and sorrow. This developed into confusion. All I could do was sit and wait for Inspiration’s return. Then, just as suddenly as this difficulty came in, it left. It was as though Someone had flipped a light switch; the tension was gone and the flow of the work and prayer returned to its former ease. Soon I realized that this particular piece was a reflection of the life of a man I had never met. He was the father of my close friend, and the owner of the piece. At the start of the work, he had become acutely ill. By its completion, he had died. I remember as I worked on it that it seemed to come together in segments, like the periods of a lifetime. When I look at it today, I see that it all goes together; but, still, I see a patchwork.