365 Project - Days 284, 285

“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.” Mary Sarton

Today, we began the long goodbye. The next weeks will be difficult, but as my son journeys on to his next stage of life he will be buoyed by the experiences and relationships he has built here and challenged to begin new friendships. That challenge will surely be a difficult one. A small town's close-knit, sheltered community is a far cry from the mass of one of the world's largest cities. Staying truly authentic, beautifully uniquely himself will be a regular, if not constant, battle.

While I am excited and hopeful about his future, every once in a while I worry about his ability to stay poised. It can be difficult both on his own and while mired in the muck. But what I want for him is much more than posture and survival - I want the kind of brilliance than changes the world and makes it a better place in real, tangible ways. To do that, he will need strength and the ever-present guidance of the Holy Spirit. Then, he will be reminded that he was designed for much more than he can dream.

Best wishes!

Today's Photos: Poise: Roses and Water Lilies

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be overwhelmed often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." Friedrich Nietzsche

365 Project - Day 276, 277

"You can complain because rose bushes have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses. It's all in how you look at it." Unknown

I have been putting off writing this blog all day. It was easy, though. My house was filled with the shouts and laughter of teenage boys most of the day. So between cooking for them and cleaning up after them, there was hardly enough time to anguish over today's blog. I am not happy with the photos, perhaps more so than any other day in the past 275.

It's almost comical that a photo of something so beautiful as a rose could upset me so much. And something as awkward as a home filled with teenage boys could bring such joy and gratitude. Interesting day.

I have learned valuable lessons today. The reality is I have to own the fact that late one night, I chose to tempt fate and pop up the flash on my camera to light and shoot the first photo. A poor choice, but now I certainly know better! Simultaneously, there was a time when the boys could make too much noise at 2AM. Yet, soon, when my son leaves for college, the silence will be deafening.

The shouts, louder than ever in the past 18 years, were somehow soothing today. There was not one thing annoying about the noise. It was more beautiful than a rose on a summer day.

Blessings!

Today's Photo: Thorns and Roses

"To emphasize only the beautiful seems to me to be like a mathematical system that only concerns itself with positive numbers." Paul Klee

365 Project - Day 272

"Don't magnify your problems; magnify your God." Joel Osteen

I enjoy unusual flowers. Roses do not fall into that category, but I decided to play with this one. This adaptation made me smile.

Just a thought ... what if, we could be happy despite our circumstances? Said differently, what if being happy makes us happy? We know that being negative or being around negative people and bad influences makes us negative. Surely the opposite is true as well, right?

Try this on: Make the decision to be happy. To let God takeover and manage our troubles. To envelop yourself in positive experiences, friends and acquaintances. And, soon you will be happy. Nah - it cannot be that easy, right? There's no way the difficulties we face each day could be overcome by relaxing in the comforting knowledge that He's in control. It makes far more sense to wallow in grief, sadness and our view that nothing good ever comes our way!

I believe that we get hung up on "what makes us happy" and then disappointed when those things or persons do not come through. Leading a life based on faith, shifts our focus: God is in control, therefore, why not be happy? Is that difficult? Absolutely! Here's where we might dig in and avail ourselves of the adage, "fake it till you make it."

We do not know how a distraction, delay or disappointment is being orchestrated into our grand plan or how our diversion may help another. So, we could choose to be content. From where I sit, I prefer that over sadness, despair and depression, particularly given the promises of God. Getting to contentment, though, does require less me, more Him.

Blessings.

Today's Photo: Contented Rose

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1Thessalonians 5:16-18








EXIF: Nikon D810
ISO 800
50mm
f8
1/6s

365 Project - Day 13

Happy Birthday to me ... I enjoyed a fantastic birthday today. I experienced both more pain than I would have hoped and more joy than I likely deserve. Fortunate am I that I should be remembered and offered good wishes by so many. I am full!

On several separate occasions this summer, I have photographed our "double knock-out roses", but haven't been satisfied with any of the photographs. I decided that I would force myself out to take more in celebration of my birthday and then force a "best of the day" selection to post for today's project. Of course, I was limited in the amount of time I could spend taking pictures. The bushes are also tiring of blooming, as they seem ready to give way to rest for the winter. Most of the few remaining roses look quite spent, but they are still enjoyable.

Today's photo: "Celebrate"

This just made me laugh so hard:
"I kept a diary right after I was born. Day 1: Tired from the move. Day 2: Everyone thinks I'm an idiot." - Steven Wright