When I was last in America I was stopping with Mark Giordano and his family. I sought him out because of enjoying his talks so much and admiring his way of living. So I asked if I could go and stay, to witness how his family and home functioned, to experience what it was that made the difference.
Incidentally I discovered he was a graphic designer by trade, working for high level companies. I was equally drawn to his artistic style – you know when someone’s art work just keeps hitting the spot for you . . . ? One day I asked if he could show me some of his work; I was captured. It was as he was skimming, at high speed through every logo he had ever designed that I suddenly exclaimed out loud! He turned to look at me wondering what was wrong! “Just go back, I don’t know what it was . . . Something just caught me, can you just go back?” I urged. Mark asked me what I had seen and bizarrely I had absolutely NO idea at all, I don’t know why I had called out to him to stop.
So we both watched the screen intrigued as he flicked back through several of his logos . . . And there it was . . . It’s difficult to put into words what happened. Without a word, I gasped; my eyes spontaneously filled with tears as I looked at this little square logo – the white jigsaw puzzle on the fresh turquoise background, with a puzzle piece missing – in the shape of a dove . . . And the phrase . . . that tender play on words “. . . THE MISSING PEACE”. This was the very phrase that so many clients have described feeling as they left following a therapy session with me. The logo resonated so deeply; this was the aim of my work for anyone who wanted to work with me.
And yet I knew this was someone else’s allocated logo for their own business. When I asked after the type of person and business that it was bought by, Mark just looked at me and said, nodding softly. I designed it for a Psychotherapist in our church – he has retired from practice now . . . He held my gaze . . . “I would like to gift this logo to you to use for your business”.
The tears flowed. An embrace sealed the deal.