Tom Foty’s Story
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a wonderful memory to share.
I have lots of memories from past summers, a lot of them from our Joni and Friends Family Retreats. I was with Ken up at our Minnesota Family Retreat; it was the last one of the season, in late August. Anyway, I was down by the lake; it was so quiet and beautiful. A loon out on the water was singing that haunting call. My eyes wandered along the edge of the lake and there, not too far away, I saw a man standing in the shallow part with his wooden art easel. Actually, the easel was in the water, too. And there he was, this painter with his brush and palette, standing ankle-deep in the water, painting the beautiful lily pads beyond his easel.
I looked closer and realized it was Tom Foty, the father of a daughter with cerebral palsy (Tom and his wife Wendy also serve as leaders for the Minnesota Family Retreat), but I had forgotten that he’s also an artist. Watching him made me think of those soothing, relaxing words from Psalm 23, “He leads me beside still waters and He restores my soul.” That afternoon God had led Tom by those still waters and not only was it obvious that his soul was being restored; mine was, too, just watching him among the lily pads.
Well, at Family Retreat moms and dads of special-needs kids find all sorts of ways to refresh their hearts, but never had I seen a special-needs dad bring his box of paints, palette and easel to camp, standing out there in the shallows and creating an original oil painting that quickly. I think that was a ‘first!’ Later that evening I got a chance to see Tom’s painting of beautiful lily pads. The colors were stunning: soft greens and aquamarine blues. And you’ll never guess what Tom did. When I arrived home from Family Retreat, there was a package from him. I opened it and, oh my goodness, he had given me the painting! What a gift! And it will forever remind me of how God restores my soul with the simplest of pleasures, like watching another artist at work. Hey, I posted the painting today on my radio page at joniandfriends.org, plus a photo of Tom with his jeans rolled up, standing in the shallows with his easel. So please stop by and see it. And while you are on my radio page, I want to send a gift of my artwork to you! It’s a beautiful collection of my favorite paintings that I’ve rendered over the years, and I’d love to give you a copy. Also, on my radio page, you can watch a TV episode that was filmed of me at my art easel. It’s a great story of how I learned to paint with my mouth. It’s all there for you at joniandfriends.org/radio.
And one more thing, please today take time to enjoy God’s simple pleasures. Take joy in some simple pursuit – maybe going for a walk in the woods or take your children to a local art museum. Pull on a sweater and go outside to watch the sunset or gaze at the stars tonight. How about finding that embroidery you haven’t worked on in a while or take time to flip through a book of paintings. And as you do, thank God that He delights (He enjoys) in restoring, refreshing, and renewing your soul. And I want to thank Tom Foty for that blessed reminder and the beautiful painting that he gave me. So please don’t forget to come by my radio page and see this artist and this awesome work of art. Plus, pick up your free gift of my artwork, and watch a great TV episode about my mouth painting. It’s all waiting for you at joniandfriends.org/radio. By the way, I would love to hear what you are praying about or a favorite Bible verse that you are memorizing. Tell me about it. Just go to my radio page today at joniandfriends.org or you can always write me at Joni and Friends, P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, California 91376.
© Joni and Friends
