What is life? (discussions with George Harrison)

life is a series of moments. some good, others not so much. and yet, in truth, i suppose no moment is really good or bad.

they are simply single strokes on the canvas of your life. they are a solitary splash of color that until the painting is complete - are elusive in their purpose and intent.

that bold, dark spot that now seems so ominous, may really be only a point of contrast - one necessary to more brilliantly display the bright yellow of sunshine that might be dulled without it.

and that one broad stroke that seems now out of place, is only so considered because you thought the painter to be painting a windmill instead of a forest.

no, it is more than simply premature to judge a moment or a day or a year in one's life. it is more foolish than hasty, more arrogant than misguided. because we do not know and we cannot - thankfully - know how a life will conclude.

we neither know when the final curtain will fall. will the play's most tragic character find redemption - or will the final soliloquy only remind us that the world is full of wasted potential?

or, as in the "Tale of Two Cities", will the supposed cad - concerned only with himself - shock us to our knees with one final act of sacrifice that will not only redeem a previously empty life, but also inspire and birth a much greater good than we could ever have imagined?

the truth is that, graciously, God shields our eyes from the details of eternity - just as he only allows us to see the future through clouded lenses. and even though we can feel or sense a path to our life, it is the mystery of the unfolding that keeps us meekly off balance.

because, if we listen, we can hear wisdom's whisper to us to meet the day with a humble greeting. but such doubt is not meant to prevent our action or paralyze us in fear. instead, the fog is meant to sharpen our vision - and quicken our hearing.

because life is not printed in bold-faced type. it is handwritten in script sometimes hard to read. the joy, the wonder of life is when - after much labor and attention - we are able to decipher a previously obscure passage. one that illuminates not only our lives, but also the lives of those we love most.

so, tend to the moment. consider quietly each stroke of your life's painting. only time can reveal the masterpiece that is you.

only patience can unveil your life's final work.