Brianna asked Henry for names of former residents who were not as successful as those she had previously interviewed. She wanted to understand the challenges so she could help residents deal with them. The first name given to her was Marietta.
Marietta came from a family of abusive relationships. She didn’t help herself by dating guys who were abusive as well. When she came to Henry’s foundation, she was suspicious and stand-offish. Her body was covered with markings of abuse.
To cope, Marietta disappeared each day but always reappeared for the evening meal. No one knew where she went until one day Greg decided to follow her. He saw Marietta picking through discard piles at construction sites in the area. She would collect pieces of junk that had been thrown away as buildings were being gentrified. She put these in a pile and eventually she would carry them back to the foundation. Greg couldn’t stand by to watch Marietta struggle trying to carry her stash. He helped her, and was the beginning of a bond that would eventually lead to marriage.
Marietta was using the items she found to create sculptures. No one knew that Marietta had such a talent. It took a lot of effort, but Greg finally persuaded Marietta to show Henry what she had created. From that moment on, Marietta’s sculptures became a living vision of what Henry wanted to accomplish in his foundation: discovery and developing talent.
When Marietta became of age, she went to college to study civil engineering. It was her fascination with buildings that lead to her search for found treasures. She became a project manager for construction sites and continued her search for discarded treasures.
She continued to do her sculptures, but refused to have a showing of her work. Her shyness plagued her all her life, and the thought of putting on a show was just too much. She would often give away her sculptures to close friends and family. In spite of her husband Greg’s urging, she refused to sell the pieces even though they could be quite valuable.
For Marietta, the sculptures were a way to escape social interaction. While her job required that she work with others, she came home each day exhausted and wanted to be alone. Her talent for sculpturing gave her the solace that she needed.
Brianna was really torn when she wrote Marietta’s story. Her interviews with Marietta were at first painful, but gradually she opened up. She was aware of her talent, and it didn’t seem to trouble her that she refused to share that talent with anyone other than those she was close to. Was Marietta really a disappointment as Henry had suggested.
Brianna began to wonder about the motivations of those who chose to keep their talent hidden from a broader public audience. This was a new dimension of talent she needed to explore.
* * *
“Finding solace in one’s life is a talent. Using that solace to create visions for others is a true calling.” – Anonymous