Before the Tempest by John Weiss ~ Strength, comfort and encouragement are always within reach is the message behind John Weiss’ Facing the Storms series. We may not always be aware of the form in which they present themselves, but the means by which we confront life’s challenges are all around us. John, who leads grief support groups when he is not painting, believes that dogs are not the only beings capable of giving so much for seemingly so little in return. He often chooses to represent family, friends and faith in the simple form of man’s best friend. With this painting he is saying that we don’t have to be in the midst of great turmoil to realize that we are not alone. The key lay in recognizing the wag of a tail for what it is.