My painting is a time machine. If I had one I would go back to a certain date and everything in my life would be different. The yellow light means the machine is on, the white stripes symbolize purity, and the black machine is my real problem. This painting shows how much I really want to change.

In our last painting class in juvenile hall for this series, I overheard J. say, “Face it. If you are prostituting yourself, you are a prostitute. If you stole a car, you are a car thief. That’s just the way it is.”

At first I was glad to hear her say this because it sounds like taking responsibility for one’s actions. In retrospect, though, I would have liked to have talked more to her about this. Are we defined by what we do? If we are, can that definition change even though we can’t change the past?

Can we be redeemed, even if we seriously screw up?

Of course I believe in redemption or I wouldn’t do what I do. I think it is telling that last week our painting topic was ” who do you have to forgive and why?” and all the girls chose themselves. One thing I know for sure is that redemption may be possible, but it sure is not easy.