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365 Project Day 320: Reflective Perspective
Posted on 16. Nov, 2011 by maryanne.
Separated
Canon 5D Mark ll, 100mm 2.8 macro, 4.0 aperture, 1/160 shutter, 400 ISO
My perspective can be so limited. I can feel alone, like this little leaf, reflecting in its singularity blown here by the storm. But if I change my viewpoint just a bit, open it a little wider, I can see the bigger picture.
The little leaf is overshadowed, watched over, by the mighty oak just over there.
The Bigger Picture
My God is watching over me. Tomorrow I embark on an adventure. I go to England to see my Annie. I have fought fear, held my husband so tight in the middle of the night that he could barely breathe. Tonight I breathe deeply and feel God’s peace. I am grateful for this perspective shift that the Lord so graciously gave me today through these images. He is good and knows just what a timid adventurer needs. I am grateful.
Psalm 139:5 ~”You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.”
Adventure and Beauty Await
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Project 365 Day 319: The Dog with Three Names
Posted on 15. Nov, 2011 by maryanne.
Intelligent and Gentle
Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 2.2 aperture, 1/160 shutter, 250 ISO
When my kids were small, we read the book Three Names by Patricia MacLachlan. It is a story of a well- loved dog who is actually named Three Names. It is told in the voice of the author describing her great-grandfather and his dog. It is a sweet and peaceful story with wonderful imagery. Patricia MacLachlan continues to be one of Annie’s favorite authors.
This is our beloved Indiana, a dog whose eyes seem as if they are reading the title page of your soul when she looks at you. Intelligent and wise Indiana. She came into our lives as a scruffy little mixed breed puppy five years ago. We had recently lost our dog of 12 years, Taylor. She was an amazingly loyal and beautiful English springer spaniel. Cowboy was lonely and needed a friend. (Okay, I wanted another dog.) We bought her from a fellow home school family. She was a mix of terrier and Welsh corgi. When we arrived, her mother, an orange (also scruffy) dog named Pumpkin, was perched on the front porch steps taking in the view of all of her puppies in the yard. Laid back but attentive , (a foreshadowing of what Indie would become). Indiana was the only female left in the litter and also the only tricolored puppy they had. I fell in love with her. I scooped her up, paid a small fee for her and placed her in my lap for the car ride home. I knew she was a perfect fit for us. When we got home, Cowboy came scampering out of the house to meet us. Happy and naive Cowboy. That is when Indiana showed her true colors. All of her hair stood straight up as she barked Cowboy back into the garage. He was 20 times her size. It Then she promptly hid under the car shaking. Chris loved her for this from the beginning. She was a dog who showed great courage even though she was terrified.
Annie was the first to name her. She called her Independent Sunshine, two names which seemed to suit her. She was content to do her own thing. Chris then got into the name game and called her Indiana Appleseed, as only my husband would. The name Indiana stuck. Now we just call her Indie.
Hand over the Squeaky
When Indie was only 6 or 7 months old, she became pregnant with a litter of puppies. We had no idea she was even ready for that. I can’t remember how many there were, but I do remember it was too many for her to carry. She had to have an emergency cesarean section. I got to watch them all be born, with our Ellie being the runt of the litter. When it came time to find homes for her puppies, several of our friends wanted one. To this day, we get to hear weekly reports on at least three of them. They are all great dogs. There was Buster, Judah, Ellie, Tootles, Ella, and several others that my kids could probably remember. I loved having puppies and cried when each one left. It reminded me of my childhood. We raised miniature poodles when I was little. The smell of puppy breath is hard to beat. So sweet!
Independent Sunshine, Indiana Appleseed, or just Indie, it doesn’t matter. She is ours and she is one of a kind. I am so glad we found her.
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365 Project Day 318: My Worship Path
Posted on 15. Nov, 2011 by maryanne.
Finding My Way
Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 3.2 aperture, 1/160 shutter, 400 ISO
We are all so unique, and God speaks to us in different ways. In my walk with God, He seems the most accessible to me when I move my feet to the outdoors. The threads of busyness and worry loosen as I open my heart and delight in the goodness of God. I imagine Him walking with me, listening to me chatter on about the beauty. I like to think He loves to hear it, as any artist does, when I tell Him again and again how I love the richness of His earth. I do not feel silly when I am with Him, enthralled in the glory He has made, as I do sometimes with others. He does not seem to mind that I forget about time when I am with Him. He made it for us, and when He did, He said it was good. Yes, it is good, Lord.
I see Him there, His attention to detail, His joy in the color and warmth, His glory in the brilliance of the sunlight at magic hour, and His depth in the shades of twilight. Yes, this is the path He has given to me, and if I forsake it to get things done in front of a computer screen, then I am not caring for the needs of my own heart and spirit. He has given me this path as a blessing, a way to find intimacy with my Creator. I cannot compare my path with the paths of others.
This is my worship path. Have you found yours yet? It may be like mine, or something completely different. I would love to know what yours is.
Psalm 65:8 ~”The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.”
Worship Path
Where Evening Fades
Long Shadows of Fall
Equine Glory
Gathered Glories
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365 Project Day 317: Remarkable Rachel
Posted on 14. Nov, 2011 by maryanne.
Through and Through Beautiful
Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 1.8 aperture, 1/100 shutter/ 200 ISO
I had the joy of getting to know Rachel Moye when she recently assisted me in a family photo session. Katie met her a couple weeks ago during a corn maze adventure with friends, and she came home with rave reviews about a new friend named Rachel. I heard she loved photography, so I asked if she would help me on a shoot in Stone Mountain. She was the perfect match to assist me for the family I was photographing. I needed someone I could trust who was helpful to me and compassionate with my clients. She was all of these things.
She is a beam of light and love this girl, with just enough quirky humor to keep things snappy and fun. I loved her immediately. But that is not all that makes Rachel so remarkable. We had a long drive, so I got to ask her tons of questions and hear a bit of her story.
Elegant Rachel
Rachel has been wanting to share the Gospel of Christ since she was four years old, and told her mother so. She knew very early in life that she wanted to live a life of adventure, carrying the love of Jesus around the world. She says her life was forever changed when she was eleven, and was able to serve on a medical mission trip to Guatemala. It was there that she felt her heart truly break for people. She went back every summer for the next five years, finding a place of God’s peace and purpose there. “God was molding and shaping my heart for people of every income, every race and every nation”, she says earnestly.
She went on to study at Baylor University in Texas were she studied journalism: public relations, sociology and history. Since then she has been to the Netherlands to study abroad, then Tanzania, South Africa, and Liberia for more mission work. She has also worked with Compassion International in Colorado and is now working for the National Christian Foundation here in Georgia. She is so young to have all of this under her belt already. But saying yes to God and whatever He wants will take a person places. That is what she has done.
She is also a wonderful photographer. She is presently working on a book from her recent trip to Liberia that includes her photography and writing. I got to preview it the other night and it is fantastic. I am excited to see it printed!
Dreamy Light
And as if all this wasn’t enough, there is more. Rachel is incredibly funny. She had me laughing so hard at times, I could not hold my camera still. ( Several shots came out blurry.) We had mustache props left over from our family shoot, and well, let’s just say Rachel can work a mustache. Oh my goodness, so funny. I have to admire someone who can not only laugh, but laugh at themselves. A true sign of good character.
Take a look for yourself.
Surprise!
Sophisticated
Concerned (my favorite)
Yes, she is amazing. She reflects the light and goodness (and humor) of the God she serves and loves. I can’t wait to see where God will take her next!
Here is the verse she chose to use to describe her journey. Blessings, beautiful Rachel.
Psalm 16:5-8 ~”LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
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365 Project Day 316: Afraid
Posted on 13. Nov, 2011 by maryanne.
Untethered
Canon 5D Mark ll, 100 macro 2.8 , 2.8 aperture, 1/100 shutter, 200 ISO
So let me go like a leaf upon the water
Let me brave the wild currents flowing to the sea
And I will disappear into a deeper beauty
But for now just stay with me
God, for now just stay with me ~ Audrey Assad, Show Me
This lyric from Audrey Assad could not describe the way I am feeling these days any better. There is an undercurrent of fear that I cannot seem to control. It is with me always, it seems. I am in a fight to take new steps in my life, and the fear of the unknown is endeavoring to take me out of the game. I feel like this leaf, untethered from its former place of safety, now swirling in ever changing waters. I do not know what will happen next. It is colorful and beautiful, and frightening. My prayer is for God to take me where He wants, to do as He wishes, but please, just stay with me. He has promised to, I know, but my heart just needs to say it. I need that intimate connection with Him, to know that He is ever involved in everything. I can be so stubborn. I want to know that He will stay with me even then, when I bow up and pretend to have it all under control. Will He stay then?
I am washed, nearly drowned in this current, with the brilliance of what it looks like to die to myself all around me. Dying to my own need to control opens up the doors of eternity to me. Every time I die to me, I live a little more to His life in me. And so I let the current pull me under, a little at a time. Just, please stay, God. I cannot do this alone.
Taken Under
This week I will step on a plane to go to England to see my sweet Annie. It is wonderful and frightening at the same time. It is part of this journey I am on. I have never been overseas, and I am so tied to my Chris. But God said yes, a very clear yes to go. I am going but I confess I am afraid of this too. Some will think I am crazy. That’s okay, it’s just where I am. I will go, even if I am afraid. As Joyce Meyer so eloquently says, I will “do it afraid”. Maybe that is real courage. Or so I hear, anyway. All I know is my heart tenses up just to type it out here.
I am like the little leaf. Loved by my Father, swirling in colors and life. It appears to be haphazard, this movement going this way then that. But I know. It is all well planned by my Father. He is staying with me.
If you have time give Audrey’s song “Show Me” a listen here. You will not be disappointed.
Isaiah 30:21 ~”Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Shining in the Current
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365 Project Day 315: Have You Thanked a Veteran Today?
Posted on 11. Nov, 2011 by maryanne.
Robert Lee
Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 3.5 aperture, 1/250 shutter, 125 ISO
I opened my door and the first thing he said was “Have you thanked a veteran today?” I smiled. I reached out to shake his hand and answered him, “Not until now. Thank you!” No, he wasn’t collecting donations for any organizations. He was bringing me hay for my horses. I have only talked with him couple times, but the conversation is always lively with Mr. Robert Lee. Yes, as in Robert E. Lee. He says his daddy was bent on naming him that, southern man that he was.
He says as a rebellious 17 year-old he left home and joined the army. He couldn’t be deployed until he was 18. That is when he went to Vietnam. He spent a year there. He was a Sergeant with the 52nd infantry from 1967-68. He says he went 9 months without getting a scratch on him. Then in May of 1968, a 122 mm rocket shell landed right next time him, leaving him unconscious and his back badly injured. His men thought he was dead. After some time, he woke up much to the surprise of his fellow soldiers. After 6 weeks in a hospital he was allowed to go home. He married his high school sweetheart, Sarah, in January of 1970. ” Almost 42 years,” he beams. He lights up when he speaks of her. I love that.
Farmer and Pastor
Now, Robert attends People’s Baptist Church in Flowery Branch, GA. He will talk to you about Jesus if you get him started. And I did. He’s a good man.
Have you thanked a Veteran today?
Psalm 1: 1-3 ~”Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”
The Real Deal
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365 Project Day 314: The Green Boots
Posted on 11. Nov, 2011 by maryanne.
Birthday Surprise
Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2 L, 2.0 aperture, 1/400 shutter, 100 ISO
I found these waiting for me at the end of a wonderful birthday this week. The green boots. I had been eyeing them in the window of our local Charming Charlie store that we pass when we go to dinner or a movie. I remember passing by them once or twice while Chris and I were on one of our dates and thinking how I loved their cheerfulness. They were just sitting there in the window, beaming sunshine, a not-so-easy task for a rain boot. I may have remarked that I liked them. It is typical of me to ooh and ahh out loud. At any rate, my sweet husband walked himself right into that store and bought them for me for my birthday. He remembered. He said in that one gesture, ” I see you, I hear you, and I value you.” That does a lot for a birthday girl’s heart.
Best of all, he left a note about something else he remembered. Something from the season when we were falling in love, when we walked and shared hearts in the rain.
Sunshine for my Feet
He wrote the line. You know, the line that nearly stopped my heart all those years ago when I was wearing those red skippies of mine? ( You can read our love story here.)
Rain still looks good on you.
I love my Carolina boy. Gonna keep him. How will I do without him when I splash in the puddles of England next week?
I do not know.
Wrapped in Red Ribbons
Sigh
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365 Project Day 313: For the Love of Sam
Posted on 10. Nov, 2011 by maryanne.
Home
Canon 5D Mark ll, 70-200 2.8L, 120mm focal length, 3.5 aperture, 1/160 shutter, 400 ISO
This Chinese baby boy will melt your heart. His name is Sam, or Samuel, which means “God has heard”. Erin and Andy let his name resonate to the bottom of their spirits every time they call him or hear it spoken. God did hear their cry for a child to love. They found him after much prayer and longing through Lifeline Children’s Services, a Christian adoption agency committed to placing children who need homes with loving families. Andy and Erin are that and so much more. They cannot take their eyes or hearts away from their treasure, their Samuel. They know that God has heard not only their cries, but the cries of a baby boy who needed a family of his own.
Happy
Three Make a Family
This is a treasured, happy little boy. He is deeply loved and cherished by his parents. You can hear it in his laughter. And beautiful, so beautiful, this boy. How could they not love him? His eyes sparkle when his daddy throws him in the air or when his mommy sneaks kisses from his cherubic skin. He is adored, grafted into a new heritage, a home woven and washed in the love of Christ. Sam is a blessed boy.
Isn’t this our story too? It is the Great Story. The one that runs through every amazing story we have ever heard. A great and noble King risks everything and fights a wicked nemesis to rescue those He loves. We are taken in, rescued from death, and given a new name. It is the stuff fairy-tales are made of. Rescued from hopelessness, we become the sons and daughters of a great King. We are brought in, given the finest robes, and a feast is set before us. We are honored, treasured, fought-for, loved. We are given a new bloodline, a royal heritage, and an eternal home that no one can take away from us.
Sam’s story is our story and it is beautiful.
Blessings to you, happy happy boy. You are esteemed and loved and we are glad.
Galations 4:6-7 ~”But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.”
Treasured
Wrapped in Love
Lifted
Embraced
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365 Project Day 312: Selah
Posted on 09. Nov, 2011 by maryanne.
Leading Lines
Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 1.2 aperture, 1/30 shutter, 2000 ISO
Selah, when spoken slowly, sounds like exhaling. It is often used in the Psalms, and is described as meaning, “stop and listen” or “pause and think of that” ~Wikipedia. I want to have more selah moments, to stop right on the tracks of my life and look in both directions as far as my eyes can see. Being grateful for what is and what has been is as important as dreaming about the future, and both will breath life into our sometimes task-driven existence.
Selah. Breathe.
Tonight you and I walk the tracks together. Balancing on luminous lines we laugh and let our minds untangle from the shards of worry. We remember how we walked these places as we fell in love. We count the mercies and pile up stones again to remember the miracles. Babies, jobs, dreams, songs, friendships, family, and dancing, always dancing. We breath out together. Selah.
Balancing
You ask me again what I want to be, to do. I ask you the same. The dreams change and grow. Our God has grown bigger too, more accessible as we have worn the paths of prayer and relationship. I smile as you describe Him to me again. I love to see Him through your eyes and heart. The God that makes you laugh out loud when you think about His goodness. My hands ache to hold Him when you speak. He is a good God. He is the God of my husband, and He is mine too. Selah.
Selah
I have perspective again. I am grateful for what is and has been and hopeful for what will be. I am held to the chest of my God while holding your hand. I can hear Him breathing and you laughing.
Selah.
Jeremiah 6:16 ~”This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Hopeful
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365 Project Day 311: Travis
Posted on 08. Nov, 2011 by maryanne.
Joy in his Calling
Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1,2L, 2.8 aperture, 1/100 shutter, 100 ISO
It was 5:00 and the sun was beginning her descent. I knew my time was short and I still needed an image for the day. I was in the neighborhood of my church so I headed over to 12 Stone to see who or what I could find. The first person to round the corner was this guy. Travis Woollard, who is one of the worship interns at our church, was surprised when I asked him if I could feature him on my blog for the day. But, fortunately for me, he readily agreed. Travis is such a wonderful and funny person, and so easy to be around. He smiled and said, ” Just let me grab my jacket!” and we headed outside for a quick session before the sun went down.
Sunset Serenade
Travis is originally from Vienna, West Virginia, but has been part of the internship at the church since August. The internship program is a great way for young leaders to get experience and dive into the culture at 12 Stone. When I asked him about his favorite part of his experience so far, he expressed gratitude for the community he has found here and a clearer sense of his calling. He talked about how God was restoring a vision He had given him earlier in his life, but that he temporarily lost due to a difficult experience. Finally, he shared how his relationship with God had deepened and how that tied everything else together for him during this season. He shared all of this with such a sense of peace and joy. It blessed me to hear his redemptive story and the gratitude he expressed. Gratitude is so beautiful.
One of my favorite things about this project is the excuse it gives me to meet and interview new people. I did not know Travis’ story before today and I am so glad he was the one who came around that corner when I was looking for someone to interview.
Blessings to you, Travis!
1 Thessalonians 2:13 ~”And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.”
Magic Hour Guitar
Kind Face
Handsome Travis
Going Places
Classic Intern Shoes
