Size: 26x14 framed

Medium: Watercolor & Acrylic gouache

"Welcome to Holland" is inspired by Jaimin's mother's journey through motherhood and how she felt it was so perfectly captured by Emily Perl Kingsley's famous essay, "Welcome to Holland." Jaimin's mother, Rachel, and Kingley's essay both describe the process of ambiguous loss that accompanies being a parent to a child with special needs.

The essay "Welcome to Holland" illustrates this process with planning and anticipating a trip to Italy, only instead finding yourself in Holland. Upon arrival to Holland, you would experience sadness for the loss of the trip you planned and longed for. But once you start to experience and live in Holland, you begin to find beauty and joy everywhere you look. Jaimin's mother experienced grief in losing the anticipated moments of motherhood but in the process of accepting, she found purpose and joy in becoming not just a mother, but also a therapist, advocate, dietician, nurse and provider to her son. Rachel's acceptance, advocacy and love for Jaimin has enabled her to help him achieve the highest quality of life and exceed the expectations of many of his healthcare providers every day. By not only learning to live in "Holland," but also choosing to see the meaning and joy that surrounded her there, Rachel, like Kingsley, found that Holland is actually a beautiful place to be.

The painting "Welcome to Holland" depicts a mother and son embracing each other in a new country they knew nothing about and had no plans on visiting, but looking around to find beauty, joy and love surrounding them right where they were meant to be- together building a life with new expectations and dreams in Holland.