[golden]

Yesterday’s post was pretty deep, so today I’m keeping it simple!  Just a little fall brilliance from our camping trip last weekend…

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  [Psalm 118:24]

[joy…gratitude…perspective]

 

It’s true – gratitude does change my perspective.  For a few days last week, I forgot.  I’m hoping to not make that same mistake this week…

#2537 – the sweet, kissable cheeks of my fourteen year old

#2538 – the teen boy whose love language is physical touch which thus far has prevented him from shirking away from the affections of his Momma

#2539 – the smell of the freshly shampooed hair on the twelve year old boy this morning

#2540 – dirty rugs washed clean after a weekend of camping fun

#2541 – a sweet time of fellowship with a friend last night

#2542 – opening our hearts to each other

#2543 – learning how to be brave

#2544 – homemade granola fresh from the oven

#2545 – a phone call from my Dad this morning just to see how our weekend was

#2546 – the reds, oranges, yellows & greens I see on the trees outside my window

#2547 – perfect weather for fall camping

#2548 – the anticipation of a weekend away with my Love

#2549 – cousins who truly enjoy each other’s company

#2550 – prayer in the van before the three head off to school

*My journey towards being a more grateful person started on March 2, 2011 when I picked up a pen and a brand new journal and began counting gifts.  A year and a half later, I have 2,550 gifts counted!

That’s a whole lot of joy!

Celebrating Green!

A few weeks ago as I was – yet again – watering my outdoor plants, I found myself beginning to inwardly grumble and complain at how dry everything was.  After weeks and weeks with little to no rain, the grass had gone dormant and the only thing keeping many of my plants from dying were my once or twice a day waterings.  And, quite frankly, I was tired of it.  Tired of watering, tired of looking at dead grass and tired of the dryness all around me.

And then for some unknown reason, I began to really look around.  You know what I saw?  Green!  When I saw my world with different eyes, things didn’t look as bad anymore.

Once my watering was finished I grabbed my camera and went in search of as much green as I could find.  I looked for different textures and shades … different plants and trees.  If it was green, I took a picture of it.  Here is a sampling of what I found…

Growth in the midst of dryness!  Praise Jesus!

Psalm 23:2 … He lets me rest in GREEN meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.

creativity

One of my very favorite blogs is Ann Voskamp’s A Holy Experience.  I love it mostly because I always learn something, am always encouraged, and am often challenged to see things in a different way.  Yesterday she shared a post about how to foster creativity, which was wonderful and comes highly recommended by yours truly.

I’ve always considered myself a creative person.  When I was a girl I was constantly creating cards or notes for my parents and one of my favorite activities was to cut pictures out of magazines, glue them onto paper and create my own magazine.  I’d write stories and advertisements and then staple all the papers together for my very own “publication.” 

One of my very favorite memories from childhood is of spending the night at a friend’s house when I was twelve years old.  We had recently experienced a death in our family and I was struggling with it.  I couldn’t sleep that night and so my friend and I sat up in the middle of the night and wrote songs based on verses in the book Psalms.  That act of creativity calmed me and helped me get through a difficult childhood experience.

Perhaps that’s why I fell in love with photography.  It taps into the creative side of my personality that can easily be shoved to the back burner in order to make room for all the responsibilities and duties that come with being a wife and mom and it also calms my heart and can many times encourage me when I’m feeling down about a particular circumstance.

I love creating, not only with my camera but in the editing process as well.  One of my favorite things to do is to take an ordinary picture and turn into a work of art.  I can’t explain the joy that brings me.  It’s just part of who I am.

But there can also be fear associated with creativity.  What if no one likes what I’ve created?  What if it’s not ‘good enough?’  What if someone criticizes my work?  These are all questions that play out in my mind when I’m feeling my most vulnerable.

Ann shared some thoughts on being creative in her post yesterday that encouraged me … maybe they’ll encourage you as well …

“Creativity, it’s good theology; it’s what God did in the beginning.”

“The essence of creativity is essentially risk, believing enough to leap into the yet unseen.  The theological term for this is faith.”

“When we stop fearing failure, we start being artists.”

“The only trees that ever grow tall keep relentlessly stretching into unknown territory.”

“Bury your fear in faith.  Otherwise you bury your talents.”

One frosty, foggy morning…

This past Sunday we awoke to the most amazing sight … ice fog that had everything covered in thick, sparkly frost.  I tried to capture the beauty but I don’t think these pictures do that morning justice.
As we drove to church there were actually places where the sun was shining down into the fog that made it look like glitter was floating through the air.  It was stunning!  I even brought my camera in the car hoping to capture the fog and ice in a more open setting than our woods, but didn’t end up finding the right setting.  I’m thankful for these pictures, but even more thankful for the images my mind captured.










Winter may not be my favorite time of the year, but it sure can be beautiful so I wouldn’t want to miss it!
[Linking up with Deb at This or That Thursday]

Frosty Macro

Earlier in the week we woke up to a crisp, clear, cold morning in which everything was covered in a layer of frost.  It was gorgeous!  So I decided to brave the cold and take a photo walk around my yard to see what I could find.

Typically right now everything in my yard looks dead and ugly.  But, I love the way the delicate frost gives everything new life.  Even a dead, brown leaf looks kind of pretty with a layer of frost covering it.  And bare tree branches sparkle in the morning sun when dressed in little ice crystals.  Winter where I live requires me to search a little harder for beauty.  But it’s there.  All I have to do is see.

[4/52:  Unexpected Perspective]

Jesus Calling: January 1, 2012

 

Come to Me with a teachable spirit, eager to be changed.  A close walk with Me is a life of continual newness.  Do not cling to old ways as you step into a new year.  Instead, seek My Face with an open mind, knowing that your journey with Me involves being transformed by the renewing of your mind.  As you focus your thoughts on Me, be aware that I am fully attentive to you.  I see you with a steady eye, because My attention span is infinite.  I know and understand you completely; My thoughts embrace you in everlasting Love.  I also know the plans I have for you:  plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Give yourself fully to this adventure of increasing attentiveness to My Presence.

Romans 12:2; Jeremiah 29:11

Jesus Calling:  January 1

What better way to start the New Year then by coming before the Lord with a teachable spirit and a willingness to rest in His presence?  I can’t wait to see God’s plans for my life and for those that I love unfold before us in His perfect timing!

Happy New Year!

Snow Beautiful!

Last week we got our first good snow of the winter – eight inches when it was said and done.  It’s all gone now but I can’t help but look at these pictures and be in awe of how beautiful our woods looked all covered in a fresh blanket of white.  From what I’ve heard, we’re predicted to get a decent amount of snow all winter, which I admit, kind of excites me!  I know it’s early and I’ll feel different in February, but for now all I can say is, “Wow, God!  Thank you for allowing me to enjoy your beautiful creation!”

[Today I’m linking up with Deb for This or That Thursday]

A lesson from a foggy morning…

I thought I’d share something that God taught me this past week:

Driving in thick fog can be a scary endeavor.  It’s never a comfortable feeling when you can’t see very far in front of you, when you’re crossing a lane of traffic and can’t see if anyone is coming in the other direction or when you don’t know what is in your path.  Driving a car in fog is a lot like flying an airplane through the clouds (or so I’ve been told!).  In either situation, you have to trust your instruments.

In an airplane, the pilot relies on a myriad of instruments to tell him if the plane is straight and level, if his speed is consistent and if he’s still on course.  Similarly, when driving a car through fog, the driver has to concentrate on things like the yellow stripes on the road, guardrails, even the side of the road where the pavement ends and the grass begins.

I’ve found that much of life is like flying through clouds or driving through fog – we can’t always see what lies ahead and that makes us uncomfortable and anxious.  And so we strive to control our world as much as possible because we don’t know how, or choose not, to trust our instruments.

Unlike the instruments in an airplane or car, however, that are capable of malfunction or user error, our instrument – the Lord, will never fail.  He will always lead us safely out of the fog to where we are supposed to go.  In fact, rather than think of the fog as an inconvenience or danger, we can be thankful for it because it forces us to trust God for the here and now as well as the future.

Keeping our focus on God’s presence in the present ensures that we not get so anxious about what we cannot see in our future.  Here is a recent example:

My oldest son has to be at the end of our driveway between 6:45 and 7:00 in the morning to catch his bus to school.  One day this week as we pulled out of the garage in the dark of the morning, we quickly realized that it was extremely foggy as well.  We proceeded down the driveway when all of a sudden through the dense fog, we realized that several large tree limbs and a large section of tree trunk had come down in the middle of the night and were now blocking our driveway.  Since it was almost time for the bus to arrive and my husband was still recovering from back surgery and was unable to lift anything, our only option was to try to move the tree sections ourselves.  After several attempts and with only minutes to spare before the bus arrived, we were able to move the limbs enough to get through.  We both got back in the van feeling rather exhilarated and proud about what we had just accomplished … we had encountered and obstacle in the darkness and fog and we had overcome it!

We talked about the situation several times throughout the day and into the evening, but I failed to see any powerful life application until the next morning when I opened my morning “Jesus Calling” devotional …

“As you look at the day before you, you see a twisted, complicated path, with branches going off in all directions.  You wonder how you can possibly find your way through that maze.  Then you remember the One who is with you always, holding you by your right hand.  You recall My promise to guide you with My counsel, and you begin to relax.  As you look again at the path ahead, you notice that a peaceful fog has settled over it, obscuring your view.  You can see only a few steps in front of you, so you turn your attention more fully to Me and begin to enjoy My presence.

The fog is a protection for you, calling you back into the present moment.  Although I inhabit all of space and time, you can communicate with Me only here and now.  Someday the fog will no longer be necessary, for you will have learned to keep your focus on Me and on the path just ahead of you.” (Jesus Calling, Sarah Young)

I had personally never before seen much good in fog – the real kind that shrouds my vision and makes getting around difficult or the kind that clouds the future and makes me uncertain and anxious.  But now I see that fog can be a blessing.

Had that particular morning not been foggy and I had been able to see the large section of tree blocking my driveway, I probably would’ve become anxious and upset about how we were going to get out.  But because the morning was thick with fog, the obstacle was not revealed any sooner than it needed to be.  And in that moment when I was able to get a glimpse of what lay before me, there wasn’t even time to become concerned.  Instead I was able to instantly respond to the situation and work together with my son to remove the obstacle from my path so we could proceed forward.

Having my future covered in fog produces the same outcome.  It allows me to be fully engaged in the present rather than worrying about what may or may not happen in the future.  And it reminds me to trust in my God who will burn off the fog with his radiant brightness only when His timing is perfect.

I don’t think I’ll ever look at a foggy day the same way.  From now on, when I’m faced with a foggy morning or a foggy future, I hope that I will take that opportunity to thank God for the fog because I know that He uses it to protect me and teach me to trust Him more.

[untitled]

 

Jesus Calling … November 7

Your sense of security  must not rest in your possessions or in things going your way.  I am training you to depend on Me alone, finding fulfillment in My Presence.  This entails being satisfied with much or with little, accepting either as My will for the moment.  Instead of grasping and controlling, you are learning to release and receive.  Cultivate this receptive stance by trusting Me in every situation.

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek:  that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.  Psalm 27:4