“It’s not just art, it’s a memory, it’s our life” – Mrs. Bond. 

We were met at the Bond home with a whirlwind of smiles and activity. When Mrs. Bond came out of the house to see the barrel for the first time, she gasped and immediately reached out to hug the nearest person. With their young grandchildren and new puppy running around their manicured garden, which, may I note, included a fairy garden that ran on both solar power and wind power from a sparkly pinwheel, we began our installation. The Bond family had received a barrel from us previously, painted with flowers, but they loved their barrel so much they decided to get a second and because they were gracious enough to sponsor the cost of materials for another barrel in the community, they were able to commision a painting of their choice on their second barrel. It started out by being simply nautically themed because Mr. Bond served in the coast guard, but once our board member and resident artist extraordinaire, Rebecca Madura, heard some of his stories she took the idea and ran. The end product was a barrel painted with an exact replica of the boat Mr. Bond worked on, coming home to the lighthouse on the coast where Mrs. Bond and their family would await his return when he was out at sea. Being able to merge art and sustainability with life and family is an intersection we are so lucky to work at because it ends up meaning so much to everyone involved. During the installation, we all shared stories of life, laughed, talking about everything from tiny towns in Northern Michigan that we, oddly enough, had both spent quite a bit of time in, to how individuals can work together to make a difference in all aspects of our lives, particularly environmentally. Towards the end of our installation, Mrs. Bond took a picture of the Green Light representatives who came to do the installation and said she would always remember the people who came to give them this rain barrel just as she remembers the young man who came to do her previous one. We at Green Light will always remember the incredibly kind Bond family and their beautiful barrel with an even more beautiful story!