Occasionally I am asked to write an icon and given free rein, meaning I am told to let the Holy Spirit inspire me and do whatever comes from it. The Mother Teresa icon was one of those times. I began by praying about what I could do. I knew I had to show Mother Teresa doing what she was famous for - feeding the poor and doing it with love, but how? The order Mother Teresa started, called the Missionaries of Charity, have communities all over the world beginning in Calcutta. So I embossed in her halo a map of the world, and placed a small blue stone marking Calcutta, where it all began. She cared for the poor and sick and fed the hungry with such unconditional love, so I painted her hands holding pieces of Indian flat bread. If you look at what she holds in her hands long enough, you will see the resemblance of a heart shaped by the bread.
I struggled when I was sketching the image, because for me hands are always hard. So I asked my actual mother to put her hands together as if she were holding bread to feed the hungry, and I then took a picture to refer to later as I worked on the image. Later I realized my mom was the best model for this because she was a stay-at-home mom, and her job was to care for her eight children. She took pride in feeding a family of 10 on a limited budget. She, like Mother Teresa. fed her family with great love.
