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365 Project Day 296: Well Chosen
Posted on 24. Oct, 2011 by maryanne.
Apples of Gold
Canon 5D Mark ll, 100 2.8 macro, 4.0 aperture, 1/160 shutter, 100 ISO, Alien B800 at 1/16 power and a 60 inch shoot through umbrella above subject.
Every time we open our mouths to speak, we are making a decision for ourselves and for others. We have the ability to bless or curse, to speak life or death. (Proverbs 18:21) Sometimes I wonder if we really knew the power that we hold, would we make other choices when we speak? We are created in the image of God Himself, who by the power of his words, created the world in six days. He spoke it into being.
My heart shudders at the thought of lives that I could have impacted for the better had I chosen to bless instead of curse. Each time I open my mouth, whether in the presence or absence of the one I am speaking about, I am impacting them and myself in some way. Am I imparting life or just the opposite?
I want to bless.
Lord, help me to bless! I envision those I am speaking about coming to life as I speak words of blessing before the Father and to others about them. I will choose (Lord help me choose!) to bless, to always bless, and forgive me for the times I have not. Forgive me for the furrowed brow and the bitter tongue. Forgive my debts as I forgive my debtors.
Choosing our words wisely is like choosing the best fruit from the tree. I hope to choose well today.
Proverbs 25:11 ~”Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances.”
Blessings
For You
Golden Reward
Romans 12:14 ~”Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
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365 Project Day 295: Katie in Carolina
Posted on 23. Oct, 2011 by maryanne.
Cutie on Campus
Canon 5D Mark ll, 70-200 2.8L, 95 mm focal length, 4.0 aperture, 1/125 shutter, 100 ISO
My favorite part of today was spending the afternoon with Katie on the campus of Wake Forest University where she is a graduate student. I am so proud of her. It was a perfect day to meander around and take photos of my lovely Katie. She is my quality-time girl. She just likes to spend time with the people she loves, and I soaked up every moment. The leaves are just beginning to change color and we had fun playing in the ones that had fallen. I miss her so much, but it was good for this mother’s heart to walk the earth where she is spending so many hours right now. I can envision her there now when I think about her and pray for her, seeing her walk the paths we walked today. How I love my Katie girl. I pray she enjoys her season at Wake Forest.
Here are a few more of our time together today.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 ~”For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”
Making a Memory
All the Colors
So Much Like Me
Spreading Joy
Free Spirit
Elegant Katie
Campus Magnolia
At Reynold Gardens
Classic Beauty
Love this Face
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365 Project Day 294: A Dog Named Daisy
Posted on 21. Oct, 2011 by maryanne.
Camera Shy
Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 1.2 aperture, 1/125 shutter, 100 ISO
This is Daisy, a Boston bulldog who happens to be my dad’s constant companion and best friend. She is a little camera shy, as you can see in these photos, but she is full of personality and open with her affection. Those soulful eyes can convince anyone to stay just a bit longer to stroke her head or take her on a walk. Whatever she wants, really.
In the pictures I have seen of my dad when he was a little boy, he often had a dog by his side. They were part of his growing up years, and mine as well. We raised miniature poodles when I small, and I remember how excited I felt when the puppies were born. Dad has always wanted a Boston bulldog and finally realized this dream when he got Daisy. I am so glad he has her. She has stayed by his side through many health issues in her lifetime. He says she is “good company” and indeed she is. I know how much my own dogs mean to me, and I have no doubt that Daisy’s companionship has contributed greatly to his health and well-being. This is priceless to a daughter who lives so far away.
I am grateful for Daisy. The two of them make quite a pair, don’t they?
James 1:17 ~”Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Sweet Daisy
Good Company
Are You Done?
Friendship
A Man and His Dog
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365 Project Day 293: For This Moment
Posted on 21. Oct, 2011 by maryanne.
Shining Moment
Canon 5D Mark ll, 16-35 2.8 L, focal length 24 mm, 7.1 aperture, 1/125 shutter, 100 ISO
I had two goals today: to visit with my dad and find something beautiful to photograph unique to Virginia. I believe I accomplished them both fully. When we discussed our plans for the day, I asked him if we could make sure we were in a prime location to view the the sunset. A fellow lover of sunsets, he knew exactly where to go, and what time to be there. That’s my dad. He loves beauty in nature also, but uses paint and canvas to capture it rather than a camera. Over the years he has developed an astute ability to know where to look for beauty. I love that about him. I hope to see the world as he does.
We had a wonderful day together, as he and my stepmom gave me a tour of the area in which I grew up. It has changed much, but it still just as lovely as I remember. But, and I love this part, we kept an eye on the time all day, knowing where we wanted to be for the sunset. They were speaking my love language, honoring something I valued. He chose the Lion’s Bridge , which borders the James River in Newport News.
I missed my dad’s 80th birthday in July, because I got sick. My sisters flew up to see him but I had to stay at home. I was intensely disappointed and I find it interesting that I likened it to missing a beautiful sunset on day 190 of this blog. Tonight I did not miss the sunset or time with my dad. God is so kind to me and redeems things as only He can.
Beautifully and completely.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 ~ “ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Shimmering at my Feet
Golden Waves
Sun-Kissed River
How the Path Shines
By the Sea
Homesick for the Ocean
Last of Today's Glory
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365 Project Day 292: High Cotton
Posted on 20. Oct, 2011 by maryanne.
High Cotton
Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 2.5 aperture, 1/200 shutter, 100 ISO
My favorite moment of the day today was this one. It rained most of the day during my drive to Virginia, and I was beginning to wonder if I would be able to find anything inspiring to photograph. It was so dreary. Then suddenly the clouds broke, and I saw an amazing cotton field on the right side of the road. It it seemed to stretch on for miles and right in the center was an old barn, weathered and wonderful. I passed it but quickly did a U-turn and pulled in right next to it. Cars buzzed past me as I stepped softly in the sandy soil, sinking up to my ankles with a big smile on my face. My heart began to fill as I bent down to touch and photograph the fluffy tufts of cotton, still soaked from the rain.
View from the Center
Then I got another surprise. My phone rang, and Annie was calling from England. “Hi!” I answered excitedly, ” I’m in the middle of a cotton field!” Instant favorite moment of the day. Maybe the week. I was having an adventure of my own, and then it was if Annie dropped by to join me from across the ocean. I stood under a substantial oak tree, taking it all in. Happy moments were tumbling one into the other. The sound of my daughter’s voice, my sandy wet feet that reminded me I was alive, and the view of the fields, popping with color and texture. All so wonderful to me.
The phrase “high cotton” is often used to express that things are going very well. I was in high cotton today indeed.
I cannot wait to see what other adventures await me on this trip to Virginia.
Sandy Skippies
Guardian of the Path
Texture and Color
Surrounded in Cotton
Beautiful Crop
Sunset over Cotton Fields
Psalm 118:24 ~”This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
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365 Project Day 291: Built on Love
Posted on 19. Oct, 2011 by maryanne.
Happy Beginnings
Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 1.2 aperture, 1/160 shutter, 640 ISO
This is his beginning place, my husband’s home. He lived on the same street all of his years growing up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I stopped here for the night while on my way to visit my home in Virginia. The house resonates with the peace that my husband embodies with his life. He grew up in a house of love.
Sweet Face
Bow Ties were in Fashion
The first time he brought me here, I was 20 and he was 24. We were dancing around the edges of falling in love. I got lost in those dreamy eyes of his. We walked late at night on the road in front of his house, the traffic light glistening on the rainy pavement, just like it did tonight. I had to walk out there and take a photo tonight, barefoot in the rain, just like I was then. I can’t believe it has been 25 years since the warmth of that road moved up through our toes and into our hearts.
Rainy, Romantic Road
This is what he looked like when I met him. Any girl would have lost her heart to this handsome young musician. The band was called Chris o’ Mick and consisted of he and my brother-in-law, but that’s another blog. Still have some albums if anyone wants vintage Chris o’ Mick.
Working on the Album
My favorite part of this trip is that Katie is staying here now, in this house of love, while she attends graduate school at Wake Forest University. She is now reaping the benefits of love that spreads across generations. Chris’ parents are generous and kind people. I pretty much hit the jackpot when it comes to in-laws. They have always treated me as one of their own, right from the start, and Katie is now receiving the royal treatment as well. She has made her own place here, and it is good to see that in person. It helps my heart to rest a bit.
K for Katie Girl
Study Space
It is so good to be here in the home of my husband. There are so many memories here, and now Katie is making new ones to pass onto her future family.
Tomorrow I head to my home.:)
Psalm 126:1-3 ~” When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ’The LORD has done great things for them.’ The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”
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365 Project Day 290: Splitting Open
Posted on 18. Oct, 2011 by maryanne.
Undone
Canon 5D Mark ll, 100 2.8 macro, 2.8 aperture, 1/320 shutter, 100 ISO
She packs her things in her room and I hear it, a faint popping sound, like threads giving way, no longer able to hold their fabric together. I place my hand on my chest, and try to quiet my heart. “Shhh…” I say gently but firmly to the pressure that is building inside me. It is not just that she is leaving, my Katie who came home for the weekend from school. It is so much more. Grief is building and bulging at the seams of me, I can feel it and deny it no longer. Snap! Another thread loosens its grip on a patch I have endeavored to keep in place. A levee for the impending flood. A tear escapes and slides down my cheek. “Don’t cry, don’t cry!” I try to muscle my heart into submission. I am afraid I won’t be able to stop.
Heartbreak
I manage to hug her and pray for her, pressing my nose into her soft cheek. She smiles at me through tears and gets into her car. I wink and blow her a kiss as the gravel mutters soft goodbyes under her tires as she leaves.
And with her gone, I finally let it go. The seam comes undone as I fall into a heap in the front yard. I pray and I weep. I am a mess of threads, tangled and torn. Nothing seems to go where it once did. The pain is physical now, the familiar elephant standing on my chest again. I ache. I ache because my children are scattered hither and yon. I ache because of the ones I have lost. I ache because I feel alone. I ache to find my place again. If I could I would pull this heart right out of me. It burns, as though it is tearing right open.
But don’t our hearts always burn when God is near? (Luke 24:32 ~ “They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’”)
And isn’t God near to the brokenhearted? (Psalm 34:18 ~”The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”)
So could it be that this burning I feel in my chest is what human flesh feels under the weight of the presence of God? Perhaps. I feel His comfort. I know He is near. There is grace for me in this pain.
Binding Wounds
All I can do is give my brokenness to Him. He seems to love putting things right. Once again I will entrust this heart of mine to it’s Maker. Only He, with His scarlet thread, can sew me into something more beautiful than I ever dreamed.
Scarlet Threads
Isaiah 53:5 ~”But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
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365 Project Day 289: It’s Always Nice to Share
Posted on 16. Oct, 2011 by maryanne.
Say Please...
Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 2.2 aperture, 1/800 shutter, 100 ISO
Chris really was intending to give him some of the apple. In fact, he went to the back to house while we were on our walk just to get it for him. However, I think he enjoyed Gunsmoke’s intensity and longing for this delectable treat, and so he made it last as long as possible. There were indeed things spoken such as “Oh, did you want this?” and “This apple is soooo good.” Well, you’ll be happy to know Gunsmoke finally got his apple, and Chris, well Chris got a horsey kiss. Just what he wanted!
Sometimes it’s just better to go ahead and share. 
You Mean This Apple?
So Good!
Getting Closer
Score!
And, If I hadn’t been laughing so hard, I would have gotten one with Gunsmoke smiling with the apple in his mouth, and Chris with slobber on his face.
Happy Monday, Everyone.
Proverbs 17:22 ~”A joyful heart is good medicine…”
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365 Project Day 288: Fighting to Stay Open
Posted on 16. Oct, 2011 by maryanne.
Heart in Shadow
Canon 5D Mark ll, 100 2.8 macro, 6.3 aperture, 1/125 shutter, 100 ISO. Alien B800 behind subject at 1/16 using 30 degree grid, Alien B800 used to left of subject for front lighting at 1/32 using 20 degree grid.
Compressed and under pressure, my heart feels as though a shadow has been cast over it. Is there an elephant standing on my chest? I feel like I cannot breathe.
This is how grief grips me in the month of October. I do not look for it, but it always seems to find me. Ten days from this one marks the anniversary of our baby’s death. I feel my heart curling into itself, trying to be so small it cannot feel the pain. I am fighting to stay open as I listen to this song, the words ringing right and true.
Compressed
I want to be present, to not allow the pain wash me away, to dissolve me. I feel it could. My chest hurts from not breathing, from holding back tears, from retracting my heart. It just hurts.
This is not who I am. Open and compassionate, full of life and love, this is who God made me to be. I feel lost all closed up like this. I have lost my footing in grief’s slippery slope downward.
Curling In
So bear with me. This is where I am. God is still here, and He will hold me until the storm passes. He will hold you too.
My heart, all of our hearts, ache for eternity, when all will be made right. Yes, all will be as it should be. Someday soon.
Revelation 21:3-5 ~” ‘I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.’ The Enthroned continued, ‘Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.’ ” (The Message Version)
All Things New
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365 Project Day 287: Hay Day
Posted on 15. Oct, 2011 by maryanne.
Lost in Hay
Canon 5D Mark ll, 24-70 2.8L, 35 mm focal length, 5.0 aperture, 1/80 shutter, 100 ISO
I love hay delivery day, and so do my horses. They recognize the truck as soon as it enters our long gravel drive, and being to call out to it, whinnying and running toward the gate. They love fresh hay, and I can hardly keep them from trampling the truck so we can roll it into the pasture. But once we do, all is well. They stand there in pure bliss, bite after bite, closing their eyes as they munch holes into the side of the roll. Chris says they make it look really good.
It is one of my favorite experiences, to be with horses eating fresh hay; the smell of the hay so sweet, and the consistent, peaceful sound of horses diligently eating every last straw. Reminds me of the many hours I have spent in barns all the years of my growing up. Time well spent.
How I love hay day.
James 1:17 ~ “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Digging In
Bliss
Gentle Eye
Quality Time
Hay under the Oak
Join Me for Lunch ?
