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....