365 Project - Day 250

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for power equal to your tasks." Phillip Brooks

I am exhausted.

I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but I suddenly have found myself oversubscribed and pressed. Somehow, there's too much to do and far too little time. And the work at hand gets more and more complicated.

That being said, I had promised my husband a break this afternoon since the boys were in the city were their theatre group. My husband and I went to see "Spy". It was a delightful, laugh-outloud movie. I was stunned I stayed awake because my husband told me I fell asleep in the middle of our conversation on the way to lunch near the theater. Melissa McCarthy's character fully embodies the quote above throughout the movie. I loved seeing her character rise above.

So as I think about all that I have to do, I could want for less and/or for easier tasks. But what's the fun in that? I believe that too often we give up on ourselves too early and toss the tasks we decide we are incapable of fulfilling. Instead, I am going to pray for the talents, skills and resources necessary to excel and rise above every one. I will be grateful that I am more than enough and also get ready for the next wave of complex (and exciting) tasks ahead.

Along the way, I will reenergize by stopping to smell the flowers, like these fantastic purple and white daisies!

Best wishes!

Today's Photo: Show-Stoppers

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13







EXIF: Nikon 3200
ISO 800
50mm
f13
1/5s

365 Project - Day 243

"God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain and into the most holy place. Jesus has gone there ahead of us, and he is our high priest forever" Hebrews 6:18-20

As I photographed and processed this Gerbera Daisy, my mind fixated on "clarity." I was surprised, but I seemed drawn by this somewhat imperfect, yet crisp, flower to center my thoughts on getting to a degree of clarity that would yield sense of calm. I felt that once I cleared out the cobwebs and settled in, I could shift to "trust." An interesting series of thoughts, right? I simply pulled this singular daisy from a bouquet and felt a bit transformed as I worked through my photographic process. However brief, it's always nice to have that moment absent of fear, anxiety and worry. A moment filled only with hope.

Sometimes, those moments of clarity | trust | hope are more than enough.

Best wishes.

Today's Photo: Hope Secured

"Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all." Emily Dickinson

"Fear betrays our ability to help ourselves by thinking clearly." Wisdom of Solomon 17:12






EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 200
50mm
f13
4s

365 Project - Day 242

"After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, the one who called you into his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will himself restore, empower, strengthen, and establish you." 1Peter 5:10

It seemed the line of cars ahead of me was never-ending. I could not fathom where all of these people needed to be in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. I had just dropped my parents off at JFK Airport and the traffic home was crawling when it moved. We were moving so slowly that I took iPhone photos as my planned 365 Project for the day. I was not in a hurry, but did have a party to go to that evening. And I grew so very tired that sitting in traffic was threatening my ability to remain wide wake!

Very late that evening, I took a new set of daily photos. I had a choice to make: Focus on the afternoon's unpleasant traffic jam or find something I enjoyed far more. Anxieties and disappointments are simply, facts of life. As such, we choose how we react.

We can choose to dwell on our difficulties or we can choose to change our attitude. And while it is not always possible to "snap out of" a bad situation, when we can, we must. When we can't, adapting our perspective to an attitude of gratitude will set us on the course of change.

Just allowing ourselves the freedom to choose to focus on positive things can alter our outlook and shift our entire countenance. Lucky for me, I have a house full of flowers at the moment. Since daisies are absolutely the opposite of bad stuff, changing my attitude came easily. As Thomas Jefferson said, "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; Nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."

Best wishes!

Today's Photo: Positive Vibes

EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 400
50mm
f2.8
1/20s