Sun & Moon

As I was leaving out early this morning, I looked up to the sky and this is the beautiful gift I received.  I did not have my tripod with me so this is the best I could do. Then on my way home, the sky began to lighten with grays and pinks.  I drove to the lake and watched the sun push it's way up, a gorgeous backdrop to the lake in front of me. I perfect way to start my day.

"I had an inheritance from my father.  It was the moon and the sun.  And though I roam all over the world, the spending of it's never done." ~Ernest Hemingway

"When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad.  For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of it's audience still sleeps."~John Lennon

"See how nature- trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence....we need silence to be able to touch souls."~Mother Teresa

"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Daily Gifts

I woke up and I realized my alarm had not gone off, but it still seemed early,  my room was still dark. It should have been getting light according to the time on my clock.  I got up and looked out the window to see rain and gray skies. What a blessing! We need the rain.  I took my coffee to the back porch to enjoy the sight... sound... and smell of the rain.  Soft rain. Peaceful rain. A gift.

The rain wet the soil beneath the grass and brought the robins to forage for worms.  My tree was full of life this morning with cardinals, doves, blue-jays, finches, chick-a-dees, a downy woodpecker and my pesky squirrels. The hummingbirds were at the feeders. The rain was refreshing and welcomed by all.

Do you believe in miracles?  I do. When we speak of miracles what do we usually think of?  Big, unusual, unexpected, healing, water into wine, parting the Red Sea.  Right?  I do believe in those miracles, but I also believe in the small ones, the overlooked ones.   We look for and wait for the big miracles, but we overlook the small wonders in our lives.  They just pass by without a second glance.  We get so busy or lazy or just unaware that we fail to catch them as they flutter by or literally land right in front of us.

These little miracles, these small moments in time - these are gifts!  They are given to us daily. We are very often blessed with more than one.  We just have to recognize them.

What am I talking about?

Quiet time. Be still, empty your mind for a few minutes. Use your senses; look, listen, smell.  You will soon learn to find joy in the smallest things.  Just reach out and receive the offerings that come your way.  You will be blessed.  Your heart will sing and your soul will light up!


Start a list of your little miracles, your gifts, give gratitude for each and everyone.  My list is very long, but here are 15 things on my list:

1. morning's first light
2. silence
3. a spider web
4. a beautiful sunset
5. a hug
6. a kind word, given or received
7. cold watermelon in the summer
8. a child's laughter
9. an owl hooting in the dark
10. the smell of rain
11. the look of wonder on a child's face
12. a full moon
13. walking barefoot on damp grass
14. a stranger's smile
15. dew drops sparkling in the morning sun

Last night's gorgeous sunset

Yesterday's gifts,
a hummingbird and an anole lizard in the same photo!

Today's gift, rain.

I will leave you with a quote from Leo Tolstoy:

"If, then, I were asked for the most important advice I could give, that which I considered to be the most useful of the men of our century, I should simply say: in the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you."

The beginning

Life truly is a journey. It is about growing and changing.  It is taking the smooth roads and the rough roads and sometimes trotting down rabbit trails. It is about occasionally getting lost in order to discover something beautiful.  I have traveled through this life for 57 years and I have come to a crossroad. I am longing for a change, ready to take a different path.  I want to slow down, be thankful for what I have, enjoy the simple things that are right in front of me and feel peace in the present moment. I want to soak up all the wonder around me, to notice the smallest details; a leaf spinning on a strand of silk, a feather floating to the ground, the rustling of the cottonwood trees, the smell of the wet earth after a brief rain shower. I want to be in tune with nature, because this is where I find true peace.  This is where I feed my soul and heal my internal wounds.

I started journaling again, consistently, this past June.  I have journaled on and off my whole life, mostly off.  But I started a new ritual that is bringing great joy to my life.  I get up early,  pour my coffee, and I go outside.  I put out seed for the birds, water the plants and then enjoy the morning on my back porch. The morning begins to come alive, the pink sky turns blue and the birds begin to sing.  I sit there, looking at the same tree, the same yard.  It starts off as a blank canvas each day.  Every morning it becomes something new and different. Whether it is the way the light slips through the trees or the shadows play on the grass, slowly drifting clouds, wind, rain....the different birds that come to visit, their behavior, how they interact and communicate with each other. I may see a butterfly gliding by, a new flower that has bloomed, a bunny in the garden or dragonflies on my clothesline.  Even though the backdrop is the same, God adds details to it each day.  I just have to be still and watch for them.  I call them little gifts.

This is when I journal, read my devotional for the day and take pictures.  Sometimes I get up and walk to the pond or explore the pasture, taking my camera and capturing anything I find interesting, beautiful or unique.

My camera has become my constant companion.  I photograph everything that my eyes find to be beautiful.  And as I walk around and explore, I am constantly looking up and down and all around me.  I see things as though  my eyes are the camera's lens.

I wanted to start this blog so I would have a place to share my photography.  Maybe looking at some of my photos can bring a sense of peace to your soul.  Maybe they will inspire you to take a few moments to  look at what is around you, stand in awe and let your soul be nurtured.

And so it begins....