I am blessed with four wonderful children.  They are grown now, with families of their own, and each unique in almost every way.  They were raised as close to the same as humanly possible yet they are one of a kind. They are lovers and artists and poets and comics and singers and dreamers.  Each time I think about them my heart smiles.  Soon after they were born, a friend/relative ritual began.  "Who does he/she look like?" Dividing up the body parts and assigning them their identity is apparently required.  One such moment I recall with my first born when a distant relative looking long and hard announced, "I'm not sure of his facial features, but he's got Lewis feet."

Finding our true identity takes a bit longer, sometimes a lifetime.  Since retiring, watercolor is a big part of my identity.  I work on it every day. It keeps me close to God because I recognize where this gift came from and where the thanks goes to.  Being creative aligns my heart and mind with the Creator.  As an artist I am growing and that's creative!

A half a lifetime ago, Amy Grant sang a song that her first husband, Gary Chapman wrote, "She's Got Her Father's Eyes".  A snippet of it is, "

When people look inside my life, I want to hear them say She's got her father's eyes, her father's eyes..."  I want that as well.

When I paint water droplets on fallen leaves I want the world to say with me, "Hey, look at the cool thing God did!"  I enjoy hearing, "How'd you paint that?" But it's really, "How did God do that?!"