Many of us carry a world on our shoulders. We convinced ourselves that we must strive alone, that to ask for help in bearing the day-to-day struggles and everyday slights is a sign of weakness. In the mad, mad, madness of life, we forget that we are human, that we were not designed to shoulder so much weight. We were designed for community, for gathering, for singing, dancing, praying, and lifting together.
When I crafted the autumn flower above for Sheila D’s 30-Day Creative Gathering (Day 24), I sent it to a friend and told her this one might be a little “too much,” so I decided not to use it. Unwilling to leave her in the heap of “never-to-be-seen-again” photo projects, I worked on her a little more.
I tried to mute her brilliance, but no matter what I did, her radiance seeped out. After looking at all the renditions, I looked at her again, and decided…too much is actually okay.
So…
This one is for all of you who have ever felt the need to douse your light or mute your shine to make others comfortable.
This one is for all of you who can tell from the side-eyes, rolled eyes, wide eyes, and blank stares that people just don’t know what to make of you.
This one is for all of you who have been told at one time or another you’re too silly, too loud, too dramatic, too “extra,” too smart, too colorful, too difficult, too much this or too much that.
This one’s for you.
In spite of all those eyes and all those voices that don’t yet appreciate the grandeur of your extraordinary—your “too much”—keep being you.
You might as well. There’s absolutely nothing you can do to subdue your light. Besides, the rest of us love you, and for us, your “too much” is actually okay!
My favorite season has begun! Let’s celebrate with gumbo and [despite what some of my NOLA folk say] pumpkin spice everything!
It is Agape Day, an annual day of service at my University, so the campus was quiet and virtually empty this morning. Since my service activity was scheduled for the afternoon, I took advantage of the solitude and took a nice walk through campus. I knew there would be photo-worthy scenes, but I intentionally left my camera behind. I wanted to just be without fiddling with camera settings and composition.
My soul exhaled.
It had been far too long since my last “unhurried” tree walk. I stood in awe as the wind gently shook the leaves from trees and giggled inwardly as the shadows danced at my feet.
I know what’s coming.
In the midst of the busy, the chaotic, the clamoring of all the things for time, attention, and energy, there is a subtle movement toward order, leisure, and rest.
I’m looking forward to the kinder pace that autumn brings and to that space of time when the days are short and the nights are long.
Time for my soul to exhale.
About the Image: This is my autumn fractal, entitled “Falling Leaves.” It represents all the things I felt today as I walked through the trees and watched the leaves dance and play all the way to the ground. I am joining Parul Thakur for #ThursdayTreeLove every second and fourth Thursday of the month. If you would like to play along, post a picture of a tree on your blog and link it back to her latest #treelove post.
Right now, I am sitting in the silence of this moment. In one of my favorite “just be” places. It is not my favorite hour of the evening. There is still the lingering hustle and bustle of the day–a load of laundry running, dishes waiting to be washed, son studying, hubby recuperating from surgery forcing himself to be still, and I’m trying to stop myself from ticking off in my brain all the things yet undone. Thankful that dinner for tomorrow is already prepared and we are one day closer to weekend. Right now is divine as I pause to put pen to page—fingers to keyboard—and find meaning in the mundane. The laundry. The dishes. The everyday rhythms of a household, of a life. It is all meaningful. It is all sacred. Gift and grace. So, as I survey the “yet to be done” landscape, I sigh with gratitude for the mundane, for the unremarkable, for the extraordinary sacredness of this ordinary moment.
Are you a Bible reader? I love the many translations of the Holy Writ and the many different approaches to scripture available. Thomas Nelson’s latest presentation has just been placed on my favorites list.
The NET Eternity Now New Testament Series is a wonderful little collection of books which feature the New Testament presented in a unique way. Instead of book, chapter, and verse, the series presents the books of the Bible in “story form,” like paperback novels—with paragraphs and chapters and written in a style that appeals to the most readers.
The series is divided into five paperbacks of about 80-200 pages each. This means, instead of lugging a 2000-page volume in your purse, you can tuck one small volume into your purse, backpack, or even a medium-sized pocket! If you want to carry them all at once, they’re not as heavy or as cumbersome as a traditional study Bible.
Oh, and here’s the part I love: Instead of reading the 27 books of the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation, the Eternity Now set is organized by the themes listed below (descriptions adapted from the back covers of each volume).
The set is written in the easy New English Translation (NET), which is not [in my opinion] as elegant as the King James English but is beautiful nonetheless and certainly more accessible to those who are not comfortable with reading like Shakespeare characters. 😉
For someone, like me, who loves reading the Bible as literature (as well as a sacred text) this is a wonderful little set. For those who are uncomfortable with traditional scripture formats, this little set is perfect!
Note: I received a complimentary copy of the NET Eternity Now New Testament Series as a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid. If you’d like to purchase your own set, you can find it at the Faith Gateway Store or at Amazon.
It’s my 10th Blogiversary, y’all! I’ve been managing this blog for 10 whole years!
When I started Pics and Posts a decade ago, I had little direction. I only knew that I needed a space to share some of the beauty and light I encounter daily. The blog was intended to be and has become my online “happy place” with a semi-captive audience for my photography, art, snail mail, and the random thoughts that cross my mind.
My goal was to craft a space that was free of the emotional weight of social ills and politics. Though I have sometimes been compelled to address certain social issues, I hope we have created a space together that calms rather than riles.
And here’s more great news: Once I hit “publish,” today’s post will mark another milestone–my 1000th blog post!
1000 posts! An average of 100 posts per year. Whew! A whole lot of blogging for the person who started posting whenever the mood hit or when time allowed.
In those early days of “blogging,” sometimes two or three months would pass between posts. Gasp! That’s hard to believe now that I make a point of posting two to three times per week.
Since I was nearing my 1000th post at the beginning of the month, my friend Cy gave me permission to “bow out” of the “blog-every-day-till-my-blogiversary challenge she issued. “We” decided it would be fitting for my 1000th post to be published on my 10th blogiversary.
I was going to keep going, even though I was insanely busy and pretty exhausted most days, but I was elated for the “reprieve.”
So here we are folks! 10 years in! How long will we keep traveling this bloggy road together? Should I take the blog in another direction? If so, which of the zillions of ideas should I pursue? Should I start over on another platform? So many questions. So many things to consider.
I’ll be mulling over these questions over the next few weeks. Until then…continue enjoying the ride with me!
One more thing: Thank YOU! I am ever grateful for your support, comments, likes, and reads!
Today is the fourth anniversary of my sister Lori’s passing, so, predictably, I woke up in the grips of sadness. I wanted to spend the day in quiet contemplation, perhaps, dreaming in purple, but Monday means necessary work. I was not exactly looking forward to a long “working meeting” day and wondered how in the world I would get through, but God reminded me that work is sacred and that as long as I continued “working for Him,” He would do His part in helping me feel safe, focused, and strong enough to get through.
After a gloomy weekend, the sun is shining brightly, an invitation for me to glow in the moment. I am thankful for this moment. Though grieving the loss, I am grateful for Lori’s beautiful life.
I crafted the sunflower in today’s post for the Week 36: Golden Hour prompt for 52Frames. Unable to find a good “golden hour” to shoot in, I spent a figurative golden hour with this sunflower. It is just the image I need to have in my mind–a sunny reminder to change my focus or #facethesun [the Son of God] when I encounter the unpleasant moments of life.
I couldn’t resist photographing the tree above as I walked to the science complex to meet with STEM leadership last Thursday. I also couldn’t resist transforming it to photo-art. 😀 I love how, as we are heading into the autumn season, the crepe myrtles are still holding on to color–not everywhere, of course, but certainly here in Northern Alabama. It was a little odd to see two earlier today sitting brightly next to a small oak which is already showing signs of autumn. Summer has been chaotic and far too busy. Though I am looking forward to the quieter, soul-settling days of autumn, I can appreciate the colors of the waning days of summer.
In case you have been following along and wondering why I broke my posting streak (34 days!) leading to my blogiversary, Cy (the friend who challenged me) modified the challenge and decided I should reach a different milestone on my blogiversary. 🙂 More on that next week…Until then, be sure to make room in your heart for the trees!
I am joining Parul Thakur for #ThursdayTreeLove every second and fourth Thursday of the month. If you would like to play along, post a picture of a tree on your blog and link it back to her latest #treelove post.
Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. It has given me something to live for. –Louis Armstrong
The weeping of the guitar
begins.
The goblets of dawn
are smashed.
The weeping of the guitar
begins.
Useless
to silence it.
Impossible
to silence it.
Frederico García Lorca, from The Guitar
Pics and Posts 