In the Blink of an Eye

I don't yet have children of my own but luckily I have three adorable nephews to help me get my kid fix.  I spoil them rotten and love every minute of it.  My oldest and middle nephews both have birthday's in August and as I sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to them this time around, I kept thinking there's no way that many years have already passed by.

I remember the day the first one was born.  I was so excited to be an aunt and I never knew I'd be capable of loving something so little so much.  We would nap in the big chair, cuddle and make faces at each other.

I also remember when the second one was born.  I'd been at my brother and sister-in-law's house "helping" occupy the first nephew.  My upcoming assignment was to take care of nephew number one whenever number two decided to make his appearance into this world.

As I left that evening to make the forty-five minute drive home, I joked that they better not call me in the middle of the night to come back down.  About seven hours later, also known as two o'clock in the morning, my phone range and I dashed back to their house only speeding a little.

I wasn't sure if I'd have any love left for number three.  How could it be humanly possible to add another one to the list of loving without taking some away from the first ones.  I can't explain it but you just can.

In a blink of an eye these nephews went from tiny babies to little boys.  Their teasing from innocent to a little more malicious.  Luckily I've had my camera all along the way.  With a simple click of the shutter I can capture the memories that fade in the blink of an eye.  And hopefully as the years go by the photos will keep getting better and better.

The Hidden Things

So often in life I am amazed at the things that I just don't notice.  I get so used to my surroundings that I start to miss some of the most beautiful hidden aspects of every day life.  It's easy to get busy and not notice the unique beauty that is hiding right in front of our eyes.  I'm reminded of the old adage "if it would have been a snake it would have bitten you."

The pictures to follow all have something hidden in them.  Something that at first might not be noticed.  Our eyes may glance over it, unsure of what they are missing.  So can you spy with your little eye?  I'd be curious to hear about what you find!

Lady Bug My Love

I don't like bugs.  I especially when they decide to explore me.  Their little legs tickle and it's hard to shake the feeling that something's crawling on me even after they have been swatted away.

For some reason though I get a kick out of lady bugs.  Their bright red colors with the dark black spots seem to give them a more lovable aspect than other bugs.  It seems as if they are there to protect my garden from other leaf eating intruders and I don't mind if occasionally the decide to crawl on my hand.

Consider the Lilies

I have mixed feelings about lilies.  They are such gorgeous flowers with an amazingly powerful fragrance.  I marvel at their intricate design, beautiful colors and graceful presence.  You may be wondering why I would have mixed feelings about something so wonderful.

I once received an Easter Lily plant from my Mom as a spring present.  I was so excited that I'd get to have a plant of my own in my room, especially one that was so beautiful.  Every morning I would wake up sneezing, my eyes watering and my nose stuffy.  I knew what was causing my symptoms but there was absolutely no way that I was giving up that beautiful plant that made my room smell like the Garden of Eden.

Eventually the allergy symptoms won and it was decided that the lily could no longer reside in my room.  I still love lilies and I think part of that love comes from the inspiration they bring me.

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin."

~Matthew 6:28~

Little Bee

How doth does the little busy bee

Improve each shining hour,

And gather honey all the day

from each and every flower

~Isaac Watts, poet & hymn writer (1674-1748)~

Step into My Garden

I have always loved plants and gardening.  I anxiously look forward to the few moments every day that I get to spend watering and tending my garden.  Well, if you can call it a garden.

Right now, my yard consists of a slab of concrete approximately 8 feet long by maybe 12 feet wide.  To most it would be considered a porch.  But to me it's a garden.  My vegetables are in buckets and my flowers are in pots.  Everything is crowded and probably needs more dirt.  To the casual observer it may be a jungle of a mess.  But to me it's a garden.  I look forward to the time in life when I can have a real garden.  One with planter boxes, rich soil and tons of room for everything to grow.  But for now, I'm thankful for my little garden.

Sitting among my plants and just watching things grow is a calming experience for me.  It never ceases to amaze me that something so amazing and magnificent can come from such a tiny seed.  I love smelling the scent of the freshly blooming flowers mixed with the smell of the tomato and pepper plants.  And I love having my own flowers to practice taking photos of.

Yesterday when I got home from work the sky was cloudy and it had just rained a bit - perfect lighting for snapping a few practice photos and perhaps one of the most enjoyable parts of my whole day.  I couldn't decide which ones to share with you, so today you get a whole string of photos to enjoy.

God made a beauteous garden

With lovely flowers strewn,

But one straight, narrow pathway

That was not overgrown.

And to this beauteous garden

He brought mankind to live,

And said: "To you, my children,

These lovely flowers I give."

~Robert Frost, God's Garden~

Here Comes the Sun

One of the reasons why I love summer is because when I attempt to wake up at five o'clock every morning, the sun is shining and the birds are singing.  It seems to be a little easier to get up knowing that the world around me is also waking up.

Due to the craziness of life the past month, I have been a little unsuccessful with getting up so early in the morning.  Last night, as I planned out my day, I was ready to get back on track.  As soon as the five o'clock alarm went off I was going to get up, take care of some things in my "garden," go on a walk and just enjoy the slower pace of having extra time to get ready.

You can only imagine my disappointment this morning when my alarm went off and I popped out of bed only to find that it was still dark outside.  I stared at my clock and thought something must be wrong.  But after checking several other clocks I realized that my early morning sunshine had vanished until next summer.

I plopped back down in bed and bitterly imagined how I would have felt with the warm sun on my face cutting through the brisk morning air.  And then I slowly drifted back to sleep hoping that the next time I woke it would be a little less dark, a little less dreary and a lot more cheery.

When I did eventually wake back up the sun was up, the birds were singing and everything seemed to be right in the world.  This all got me thinking about how important the sun is.  It lights our world, it helps things grow, and it provides us with the vital vitamin D.  No matter what storms come our way and regardless of how violent they may be, the darkness and despair will always be driven away by the sun.  It will always come back to us to light our way.

I love how in the English language sun and son sound the same.  Much like the sun gives me comfort, hope and reassurance of a new day, the Son brings me so much more comfort, more hope and more reassurance of a new day.  The sun is a constant reminder to me of the Son, who without none of us could truly live.  Even when the sun fails to shine on me, I will always have the light of the Son to lift and carry me.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

~Revelations 21:4~

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Every morning on my way to work this little flower greets me.  It's bright sunny face is a welcome sight and puts a smile on my face.

What really impresses me about this flower is what all it has withstood.  It gets whipped in the wind by every passing car, I've seen multiple trucks almost run it over and and its little roots don't have much space to grow.  Yet every morning it is there, bright and sunny.

It has made me wonder about my own life.  When things are tough do I continue to smile?  Or do I let the cars, trucks and winds whip me down.  I hope that despite whatever life may bring me, I'll be able to still put a smile on someone else's face.  I hope that I'll still be able to be a bright and sunny beacon to those who pass by.  I hope that despite any circumstance I may come across, I'll be able to make the best of it.  I hope that I will be able to bloom wherever I may be planted.

Finding Success Among the Failures

I love flowers and I love trying to capture their beauty.  It never ceases to amaze me how many colors, shapes and designs these amazing creations come in.  Each one is unique, elegant and just down right beautiful.

I never realized how different each kind of flower is until I started trying to capture them up close.  My first adventure in photographing flowers was in my mid-teens and I used a digital camera that most people would laugh at now days.  I took hundreds of pictures, many of which were out of focus, crooked and honestly just not very good pictures.

After returning home, I anxiously downloaded my pictures onto a computer which was as equally clunky as the camera I'd just used.  After looking through about half of the photos, I was a little disappointed because in my mind I thought I was taking amazing photos.  As discouragement started to set in, I stumbled across this gem.

To this day, I think this is one of my most favorite flower photos that I've taken (and I've taken a lot!).  I learned that day that despite all of my crummy photos, I was able to take good ones.  With practice, learning  and patience I could capture something beautiful.

I think the same is true in many aspects of life.  We get frustrated and give up without finishing.  What would have happened if I would have followed my discouraged temptation just to delete the first round of pictures when half way through I thought I didn't have anything worthwhile?  I would have lost something beautiful.