A Masterpiece

I heard a message yesterday that impacted me. As I sit and ponder 'why?' about something there is just no figuring out, I realize, I was meant to hear this message. There are many reasons for funerals.  I believe one of them, is to help us reflect on the life before us. And here is a wonderful visual that will forever be in my mind.  


Imagine going in to an art gallery, and walking up to a beautiful piece of art.  You walk up to it, and you get closer and closer until your nose is almost touching. As you look at this art that is supposed to be so amazing, from this view all you see is maybe black...just smudges of black oil. And you are wondering, "why is this beautiful?"  But then you step back, and you start to make out other essences of the painting. And as you step back further and further, you begin to see the beauty and the wonder of this work of art.  


Some of us may only be seeing black right now.  There may be questions as to why things are happening to us, or the people we love and care about.  Some of us may be looking at the painting and not seeing anything at all.  I just want to encourage everyone to step back or forward or to the side a little, and look at it a little differently.  At some point, I hope you will see a masterpiece...a life that means something, that is something beautiful, no matter the size of the painting.  I learned this yesterday.  A young man's painting may seem way too small, but oh, the beauty of it...oh, the joy it created in the hearts of others.  


"Vulnerability to death is one of the given conditions of life.
We can't explain it any more than we can explain life itself.
We can't control it, or sometimes even postpone it.
All we can do is try to rise beyond the question,
"Why did it happen?"and begin to ask the question,"What do I do now that it has happened?"" 


What do I do now?  I continue to create my masterpiece...and I LOVE HARD!