Each of our lives begin as a giant canvas covered with a flawless coat of white primer. At birth, it awaits us on an easel in a fine studio. A new set of sable brushes, thinners, and an assortment of the most glorious pigments are waiting for us on that first day of life. Several palettes allow us to mix our colors and explore our creativity. We spend years learning how to paint life: form, color, tension, texture. We get ever better - landscape, seascape, cityscape, still life, abstract. We find the distinctive forms of expression God has put into each of our lives. Time, experience, challenge, gain, loss, pain, disappointment, elation. These all add color and contrast to our ever- growing composition. We run out of some colors; we find we have more than enough of another. We compensate, mix, and adjust. Some days I have little or nothing to put on canvas. Some days are spectacular, brilliant luminous experiences inspiring me to use up a lot of paint; I use a lot of brilliant colors on those days. Some days are singed with deep eviscerating pain: loss of dear friends, health challenges, the loss of serenity when our lives face complete disruption. I use dark colors on those days. Each of our lives is an epic painting in the making. The most satisfying experience I have is seeing people embrace God's plan for them, to see something beautiful emerging from the seemingly harsh disconnected strokes and streaks of paint on their canvases. I've collected a few of my life strokes and streaks here, these small pieces of my life are becoming part of the larger canvas of my life. Some dark. Some brilliant. I trust all will become something beautiful in the end.