This essay/memoir is about a special moment in life that my sister’s painting evoked. To see “Beginnings” and more of her work, visit https://www.juliewileman.com/

Many of Julie Wileman’s works are for sale (hint hint), and she sometimes takes commissions.

“It was a breathtaking scene. One worth remembering.”

It was a slow spring day in 1971. I was aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga as she steamed west toward the Sunda Strait. Over the last few weeks, our task force worked hard sniffing out and chasing away Soviet submarines in the South China Sea. In a few days, we’d be engaged in war games with elements of the Australian Navy in the Indian Ocean.

For the time being, however, there was not much for the aircrews and support to do. So, taking some time to hang out and enjoy the view with friends in a gun tub seemed like a good idea. On that clear day, the Java Sea, relatively shallow and sandy, blessed us with a gorgeous turquoise color.

A low haze hung off to the west, possibly created by burning fields or the smoky drift from Indonesian volcanoes. As the late afternoon sun dropped into the haze, the entire western sky turned a fiery blood orange.

Beautiful, but it was just a preamble to the big show. Moments later, when the sun dipped below the horizon, the seawater deepened into beautiful, rich indigo.

It was a breathtaking scene. One worth remembering.

As we admired it, one of my mates said it was times like this that made our efforts and separation from loved ones worth it. Transfixed, I could only nod in agreement.

The sun sets quickly on the equator, and all too soon we sailed on in empty darkness. Once more, on our 28,000-mile voyage, we were left with the bittersweet knowledge that we’d never be graced with that specific sight again.

Forty-seven years later, Julie Wileman, my sister and accomplished painter and teacher, finished one of her earliest abstracts. She called it “Beginnings.” Yet, upon seeing it, I was transported to that lovely moment so many decades gone. 

I couldn’t speak. The blazing sky and the reflective ripples on the deep blue sea from that evening were unexpectedly right there in front of me.

Waking from my reverie, I reacted as a professional artist. I complimented her brushwork, composition, and juxtaposition of color. Then, well aware that what I saw was not her intent, I mentioned how her painting reminded me of a precious memory from long ago.

I told her the story of that Java Sea sunset.

Unexpectedly on my 70th birthday, two years after I first saw her painting, she gave it to me. I was, and am, overcome with gratitude.

My wife and I hung “Beginnings” in a place of honor in our living room. We lit it well. Now, with every glimpse, I am reminded of the glorious gift of witnessing the beauty of nature around the world, the warm gift of fond memories with friends, and the inestimable gift of a loving and talented sister.