Spring is finally here! I am so excited to spend more time outdoors and begin to watch the flowers bloom and the foliage appear in the trees. I find the vibrant colors of Spring to be very inspiring; and as I reflect on how different yet beautiful the flowers are, I am reminded  of how unique we all are.

 A few weeks ago, I hosted a virtual sip and paint youth event and although it served as a fun learning experience for them, they were the ones who taught me a lesson about colors and creating something unique. As I reflect, there was a little girl who asked if she could paint whatever she wanted? I was caught off guard because we had a professional artist to lead the session. My response to her was, “sure you can paint whatever you want but it would be nice if you follow along because we have an instructor”. As we began painting, some of the children expressed that they didn’t have the same colors the artist was using and they wanted to know if it was ok to use what they had instead. Both the artist and I responded, “yes absolutely”. Skipping to the end of the event everyone showed their artwork and all of them looked completely different. As we know, art is up for interpretation and some of the paintings were a version of what the instructor painted while others were images of something completely different. Nonetheless, they were all beautiful because everyone used the colors they had to create something unique. I went into the event expecting to learn something from the artist, and tried my best to follow along by using the same colors and techniques. In the end, the lesson I learned was found in the colorful and creative freedom of the children.

I admire that little girl who asked if she could paint whatever she wanted because at that moment she knew what her strengths were. Having the freedom to express her creativity would ultimately bring her to embrace the finished product. God gives us all a blank canvas and a unique set of colors and brushes, it is up to us to use what we have to create something unique and beautiful so that we can embrace the finished product.