Rain Drops (Original)

I drew this after a camp for home-educating families — our first.

We'd been to plenty of groups where the children played together, but this was different. For a few days we lived alongside families who shared our values, and everyone came with an offering. Some were big: a women's circle, a men's circle, the dads keeping the children busy with games so the mums could go. Some were small: someone brought tea and stayed to talk. I sat and drew mandalas with a few of the adults, and when it rained I carried all my art things into the big yurt so the children had something to do. It felt like being held. I came home certain it was the start of something, and it was: the friends we made there are part of our lives now, and the ripples from that week are still spreading.

The rain came down in sheets on the last day, so water was on my mind. Each drop falls alone, and the rings spread out until they meet. That's what a camp full of people feels like.

White gel pen on 300gsm black watercolour paper. A4 (21 × 29.7 cm). Signed by me.