“…Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
Matthew 6:28b – 29
Nothing in life is ordinary. The theme of all of my writing and my photography. Why? Because a long time ago I learned that fungus growing on the side of a fallen tree can be beautiful. But it wasn’t until I slowed my walk, and looked side to side, that I was able to see the beauty in all of God’s creation.
My hubby and I raised four wonderful children. We often took them to the Smokey Mountains on vacation where we would hike trails back to beautiful waterfalls. We would splash in the rivers flowing down the side of the mountains and ride horses through Cades Cove. My focus was primarily on my children’s safety. If we saw a lone bear walking across the field, I would grab a child’s hand rather than a camera. Rather than slowing my shutter speed to capture the waterfall, I was walking beside the children to avoid going down the waterfall. But I took the moment to teach my children to see the beauty of God’s creation. To look beyond what they see with their eyes and align it with the heart. There was never a dull moment and our lives were filled with laughter and teasing as we enjoyed each other in our adventures.
Our children grew up and as they began standing on their own two feet on the trails, I was able to enhance my own adventure through the lens of my camera. I discovered colorful moss on the rocks, single red flowers in the midst of dead leaves, and trees that seem to reach all the way to Heaven. My husband and children started teasing me that fungus is my favorite subject. But have you ever noticed how many different shapes and colors God created in this simple biological wonder?
I’m still pretty busy. I write three blogs, provide stock photos through Shutterstock, and work a part – time project management consult. Yet, I hold true that “nothing in life is ordinary” and you may see just about anything through the lense of my camera. That is what I want you to get out of this writing. Don’t let the hustle and bustle of life get in the way of the wonders you live in each and every day. You don’t have to go to the mountains to see it, just open your heart and eyes wherever you are.
Our church is doing a sermon on “Someday – Code word for never” and I wish I had received this years ago. But I’ve got it now and I want to encourage you to take each moment as it comes and don’t put off taking that picture of the squirrel running down the tree. What will you do with it after you take the photo? Maybe nothing, but every time you look at it, you will smile. And they say that each smile adds to your life.
Heart Notes of Life 