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Everybody’s Talking About…Wicked Good People (Special People We Know and Love)

Portrait of Michelangelo by Jacopino del Conte

By Joanne Lewis

I have never met Michelangelo Buonarroti. I have never had a conversation with him nor heard his voice. I have learned about his life from his artwork, his poetry and his letters. I feel as if I know him better than I know many of my closest friends.

As a writer, I yearn for creative talent to equal his. As a student of the Italian renaissance, I am fascinated by one of its geniuses. From a spiritual perspective, there is a deep connection between Michelangelo and me.

Why? When I look at David, his famous sculpture, I feel powerful. When I see his Pieta, the sculpture of Mary mourning the loss of her son, I know unconditional love. And when I look at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, his magnificent portrayal of life’s creation, I am certain his gift of creativity comes from a higher power. And therein lies the origin of my obsession. He is not of this earth. There is no equal to his creative prowess. That he can continue to touch me and others after 500 years is nothing short of amazing.

Although I can only admire him through his works and through the ages, his power of creativity motivates me every day.


By Amy Lewis Faircloth

I have been thinking about this for days. It shouldn’t be this hard for me to write of someone I admire. Frankly, there are a lot of people I admire; a lot of sincere souls who make the difficult choices on a daily basis. There are friends and family and teachers and co-workers whom I admire. How can I pick just one? I can’t. For that reason I will write about a group of folks I admire.

To the parents of special needs children. This isn’t what you expected. This wasn’t your dream, but you adjusted. You learned and you listened and you loved. And while learning and listening and loving, you cried and you fought for your child and you went without sleep. You have lost friends, spouses and jobs. But you keep learning and listening and loving. This is what you do. I hope you take the time to laugh. To the parents of special needs children. I wish you a lifetime of learning, listening, loving and laughter.


Joanne Lewis and Amy Lewis Faircloth’s award winning debut novel Wicked Good was released on August 7, 2011 by Telemachus Press, LLC. Their essays above are part of a very speci

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