Cradled in Tree Hands

Canon 5D Mark ll, 70-200 2.8L, 200mm focal length, 6.3 aperture, 1/320th shutter, 100 ISO

From the other side of the world, where she dances while we sleep, He beckons her to shine on us again. She obeys His bidding, morning after morning. She will not be held back. She will come, and she will rise. The trees endeavor to hold her with spindly fingers aching for her essence. She shines right through them, outlining elegant lines that reach toward heaven. How they long for the beginning, before they felt the ache. Before the pain. She comes and brings her morning. Joy. Hope. New mercies.

Glimmering through my sleepy house, I smile at her reflection, grateful. I cannot begin to understand the beauty that must radiate out of the One who makes her. He has given her a glint of His own glory and we marvel. We turn our faces to this sun, feel her warmth, soak in her light, and we wonder at the One who not only threw her into space with a word from His creator-lips, but who now choreographs her every movement. Every day.

I see you, Father. I see you in your sunrise. Thank you.

Hosea 6:3 ~”Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him As surely as the sun rises, he will appear;”

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.”

As Surely as the Sun Rises

Framed Warmth

Sleepy House Awaken

Sunshine on my Table

Canon 5D Mark ll, 100 2.8 macro, 3.2 aperture, 1/25 shutter, ISO 500, Canon 580EX ll on camera at 1/8th power bounced off ceiling

I feel it breezing in as my year comes to a close. A simpler season. Ahhh, there is so much joy to be found in the simple and the small. These lemons caught my eye in the store yesterday and I knew I had to bring their cheerful demeanor into my home. Their fresh smell, the way they tumble together and beam sunshine from a blue and white bowl, all sweetness to my soul. Simple and sweet.  It is time to clean closets, take care of the concerns of my own home, and throw out or give away the excess. I feel God calling me into simplicity and I gladly follow Him there.

Happy Monday. May you find joy in the simple today.

Acts 2:28 ~”You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”

Simple Joy

Blue and Yellow Cheer

Cheerful and Sweet

Tumbling Together

Hello Spring

Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 mm 1.2L, 2.0 aperture, 1/2000 shutter 100 ISO

Annie and I decided to explore a field of yellow flowers today in honor of the first day of Spring. I saw it yesterday on the way to church and knew I had to come back to it. It is one of the many joys of living in the country.  Annie makes a perfect spring day model. She looks like sunshine personified.

So glad Spring is officially here. Tomorrow Johnny celebrates his 18th birthday. Time moves so swiftly. Let us capture and breathe in these sweet moments while we can.

Here are a few more of my Annie Sunshine in the yellow flowers.

Dreaming in Flowers

She Knows a Secret

Remembering Sweetness

Blue Eyes on a Yellow Canvas

Joy

Elegance

Daddy Moment

Missing Someone Special

Breakfast Sunshine

Canon 5D Mark ll, 100mm macro 2.8,  4.0 aperture, 1/80 shutter, 100 ISO, flash used off camera at 1/8 power and bounced off ceiling for fill.

I was immediately enamored with with this brightly colored orange when I cut into it this morning. It is an unusually deep reddish-orange color on the inside. I wanted to photograph it right away. In a blue bowl. What I didn’t plan for was the lovely sunlight shining though my stained glass window onto my kitchen table. The stained glass is one my sister Dinah made for me.  It is all sunflowers, bringing gorgeous yellow light into my kitchen every day. The combination of the colors streaming onto the table and the colors in the bowl were magical to me. The daisy just added a little more contrast and cheerfulness. I love it. It makes my heart glad.

Everyday when I wake up, I thank God for another day, and ask Him to show me something beautiful. It has become my prayer throughout this project. If I am not careful, I will miss it. Taking time to breathe, open my eyes to the world around me, and pay attention to the details, are just a few gifts I have gleaned this last two months. I look forward to many more.

May He show you something beautiful today.

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.”

Daisy Shine

Laundry in the Sunshine

Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 1.6 aperture, 1/400 shutter, 100 ISO

God has been speaking to me today. Through laundry, through coffee with a friend, through twitter, through my daughter. Different sources, same message. Take joy in the small victories.

I heard Him whisper through the freshly folded laundry sitting in the sunlight. “ Well done.” How could I not to take a few moments to photograph the warm towels by the sunflowers, so cheerful and comforting? It was a moment worth savoring.

Then, when I warmed my coffee back up, I was surprised by how clean the microwave was. I had cleaned it a couple days before. I felt relieved and happy by this seemingly insignificant finding. So much so that I tweeted it. “At least the microwave is clean”, was my profound thought that I sent out to the world. I got an immediate response from a friend.  He said, “I tell my kids to celebrate the small victories, too. Or else they’ll never experience the feeling of winning.”  I really liked that. Seemed there was a theme going here. Little things matter.

My conversation with another friend circled around similar subjects. We talked about making our moments count, and living life with no regrets, focusing on the joys and not the mistakes. Powerful stuff.

This indeed is a great source of joy. What if we, every time we completed a task successfully, breathed in the moment and felt the satisfaction and the beauty of it? Life is made up of these mundane moments, and yet we only seem to focus on the big stuff. God Himself set the ultimate example for us while creating the earth. In the first chapter of Genesis, He takes time to take notice of His work to say that it is good seven times. He is enjoying His labor. How does this compare you say? Creating the world and doing laundry can hardly be compared! Maybe, but it is the way He does it. He works a little, then almost stands back and enjoys it, and then calls it “good.” Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

I think my favorite conversation of the day was that of the one I had with my daughter, Annie . I was feeling pretty discouraged about something, and she asked me if she could pray with me. In the prayers of my daughter, I was lifted out of my momentary self-loathing, and taken into the capable arms of my God. Through my daughter. A moment worth remembering. Wish I knew how to photograph that feeling.

May you find joy today in the small things.

“The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time”. ~ James Taylor

Psalm 90:12 ~ “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

If you follow my blog at all, you know I have two lovely daughters. It’s true. I don’t mind saying it. In fact, when I was pregnant with my second one, I was concerned about them comparing themselves to one another. So, I prayed. I asked God to allow my second to be equally as beautiful as her sister, but in her own unique way. Wow, did He answer my prayer. Katie’s features are dark and dramatic and Annie’s features are  fair and classic. Both beautiful. Both unique. Best of all, who they are outshines their physical beauty. Both of them care for people deeply and love their God. This they have in common.

The shoots below were  done on the same day, with the same roll of  hay in my pasture. You can see how different they are in these shoots. I let them choose their costumes (with a little artistic direction from me) and who they are shines through.  Annie will be heading to Liberia December 27th with the Water’s Edge Mission Team. Please pray for them  if you think about them. You can read about their adventures on that blog. Katie will be headed to Valencia, Spain, in January to study abroad. Please pray for her as well. Also, pray for this mother’s heart! I don’t know what I am going to do with myself. I am such a mom.

Johnny hid from my lens on this day, but hopefully I will capture him soon and post something on my boy in the near future!

Blessings~