Flowers are a lot like people: beautiful, fragile, and at times, broken or withered. This painting is a visual representation of the self-sacrificing spirit that love often demands. To truly love others means embracing them in their entirety, even in their brokenness.

The figure in this painting represents my soul—vibrant and colorful, yet with an opening where hands emerge, stark white as if drained of life. The eyes, heavy and tired, reflect the exhaustion that comes from giving too much. The red phone box on the wall has the word “HELLO” at its center, yet its buttons are popping out on fragile springs, as if it’s struggling to function, to connect. The tangled, knotted phone cord suggests miscommunication or a love that is messy, complicated, and difficult to untangle.

And yet, from the phone’s openings, daffodils bloom which symbolize hope, renewal, and the beauty that can still emerge from hardship. But within the hands of the soul, one flower is broken. Sometimes in loving others, we give so much of ourselves that we begin to wither. Some of the broken ones take more than they give, draining us until our souls are weary. But despite the exhaustion, my soul still loves all the flowers. Because even when it’s heavy, love remains love.