Watercolor painting with cancer poem of “Beauty in Life” swirling around a meditative rainbow-colored center. The poem notes that cancer changes living, but we choose our own life. The “Feel Beauty” is meant to pay tribute when you see or feel something that moves you but you can’t really capture the feeling with words.
Beauty in Life ~ Feel My Beauty
By Laurel Latto
Cancer changes living but in my life
I choose to know my love.
I choose to believe in hope.
I choose to keep my faith.
I choose to welcome my peace.
I choose to build my friendships.
I choose to keep my sweet memories.
I choose to accept my grace.
I choose to embrace my courage.
I Choose My Life.
My Life, My Choice.
Love ~ Beauty.
In looking at the text of “What Cancer Cannot Do”, there were a lot of negative in the verbs like “kill, corrode, destroy” paired with positive nouns like “Beauty in Life Rounded Rainbow”. Laurel Latto decided to take the theme of this cancer prayer but only pair positive nouns and verbs together.
Part of her writing process was to visualize how the text would look when paired with a painting. The “Beauty in Life” is meant to pay tribute when you see or feel something that moves you but you can’t really capture the feeling with words. She looks forward to the opportunity to paint the text many times over in trying to capture the moment of feeling beauty.
This painting was donated in 2010 to the Mays Cancer Center located in San Antonio, Texas. It is part of the University of Texas (UT) Health System and the MD Anderson Cancer Center. At the time of donation, the cancer center previously known as the Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC).
