A woman travels home to help her elderly mother clean out her house and move into a senior apartment. Familial expectations clash with her dream of being an artist as she struggles to find her bearings during both her mother’s and her own transition.

SYNOPSIS:

Annabeth Richardson has just made a decision, one that will change her life, at least she hopes it will.But first she needs to help her mother move from her house into a retirement community.The task seems simple enough, until Annabeth realizes that Esther, her mother, has developed hoarding tendencies that are worsened by her increasing loss of short-term memory.

As Annabeth digs through the accumulated history in her mother’s home, she also digs through the expectations, beliefs, and fears she herself has accumulated, making some difficult decisions about what to keep and what to give up.

With her hard-nosed, big sister, Connie, the extreme practicalist on one side and the compassionate, Social Worker from the home, Tom, motivating her to follow her heart on the other side, Annabeth finds herself struggling to determine the path that’s right for her.

She thinks she has time to figure it all out, while also cleaning out her mother’s house for sale until Connie sets the date of the auction for less than a month away. A chance encounter with a handsome, self-assured landscaper helps Annabeth surface the dream she’s had since childhood to be an artist. But she soon discovers that having a dream and having the courage and self-belief to go for it are two different things.

When her mother has a mild stroke, the reality of Annabeth’s age and her unsecure future hits home.When Tom offers her a “safe” option to explore her artistry, which includes moving back home and spending more time with him, Annabeth considers it.

After a heated confrontation with Connie, Annabeth pushes aside her passion and focuses on the task of getting the house ready for sale. When she finds a photo of her aunt who had given up painting, it’s a powerful reminder of how important art is to her and how she can no longer deny that an artist is who she is meant to be.

In an act of both defiance and self-expression, Annabeth paints a stunning design around the fireplace in the house, a centerpiece even without her artwork. Connie is livid, but the buyers paying a higher than expected price for the property, and Annabeth now has both the accolades and the self-belief to follow her heart.

With her mother happily ensconced in life at the home, her brother motivated to take some time to enjoy his life, and even Connie acknowledging her bravery, Annabeth thanks Tom for his offer but explains that she can’t accept it.In her words, “I am slipping toward 50, but that doesn’t mean I’m too old, it only means I’ve waited too long to give this a shot. It’s now or never, and never’s not an option.”

Annabeth drives off into the sunset, only to pull to the side of the road, take out her sketchpad and supplies, and capture the image as only her artist’s eyes can.