These are just a few images from this week.  They capture  moments in time in the span of a few days. As I looked at them I kept thinking of how amazing it is all that is packed in a moment, a day, a week, …a lifetime. I mean, when you think about it, it’s amazing what even one day can hold. My day began with some good books, coffee and this…

It’s been a full week. I’ve been on Fall break and have packed in lots and lots of things…some that I can check off a list, and others that just including being available and thankful for the folks in my world. As many beautiful images I’ve seen and sometimes captured through the lens of my camera of the world around me, well, there are so many more of the worlds within that can never be captured. Some of the sweetest and most encouraging moments of my week weren’t spent looking through a lens, they were spent seeing eye to eye with folks. Thankful for that.

One of my sons who is in college on the coast was unexpectedly home for the whole 3 week break due to a hurricane which hit really hard in Wilmington, NC.  Although it wasn’t great what brought him home, what was great was being able to spend a lot of time with him because I was on break as well. It’s cool when things coincide like that. Talk about good timing. So I got lots of eye to eye time for conversations and catching up and laughing and just down time with him and a few of my other kids. Thankful for that for sure. I had hoped to get to the coast to see my oldest son, but some unexpected things got in the way.  And my son in Manhattan had called and said, “Mom, you want to come on the 4th through the 8th?  I found some good rates and can fly ya up..” I wanted to jump on the plane right then. But sometimes life has other things than the ‘want tos” and so I didn’t get to do it this time. But I’m thinking that at just the right time I’ll be there…  Thankful for phones that bridge miles and the knowing that even if you’re not face to face, knowing that people are ‘doing their thing’ makes the voids fill up with gratitude.

I had lots of sweet early mornings. Even on days when I could sleep in I got up early, but instead of having to rush off to school, I was able to read lots, play guitar, drink my coffee slowly….and even take some sunrise shots. Gotta love mornings like that.Sleeping in is awesome some days, but I find myself wanting to get up to just remember what it feels like to not have to rush off to work or a commitment. Savoring those moments makes getting up early worth it to me for sure.

The days were also filled with lots of creating. My son would come home from work and go straight to his workshop to make some beautiful cutting boards, or paint. I ended up doing some beadwork to make some ‘for today’ bird feeders. Creativity has a way of being contagious at my house.   It didn’t stop with paintings and feeders and cutting boards… I tweaked a brownie recipe…and these peanut butter brownies were sooo good. There were some tough issues flying around our home at times, and somehow, putting energy into creating something good helped restore a sense of hope, of purpose.  And it is my firm belief that, well, chocolate can do a body good…

I had a long walk with friend. We caught up and laughed and she gave me a tutorial on photography and cameras and what histograms and ISOs and aperture are. As much as I love taking photos, well, it’s all been without ANY background knowledge of the HOW.  But the cool thing is, I can take photos even if I have NO clue about the how. It was funny though…after using her camera, my camera felt like a toy. Literally. I laughed out loud. Humility isn’t a bad thing and humor makes it a lot easier to swallow., that’s for sure!

So, on this Thankful Thursday (on an early Friday morning), I am really thankful for lenses…those that can capture moments, and for moments that aren’t captured in a photograph that capture me. Because eye to eye contact often leads to heart to heart connection. And just like with my camera…I might not have all the ins and outs or all-encompassing knowledge about how things work with cameras.and I definitely don’t have all encompassing knowledge with people in terms of motivations behind what is  said or done. But thank goodness, I don’t need to. I can click and shoot. And I can love and pursue and just be faithful with what I’m given at the time I have it. I have a sweet Nikon Cool pix in my hands these days that takes photos that are just fine.

Even though life is far from ‘perfect’, I’ve got a purpose and family and friends and a community that hopefully benefits a bit from me showing up. God is good at taking what we have and turning it into something beautiful. Just gotta make  sure we keep our lens set on things that are worthy of taking the shot…and our hearts focused on how to best use these minutes and days and weeks and lifetimes that fill up and pass so quickly. Take it from me, this three week break passed like an instant! But I’m thankful that I can look back and see how many amazing instants there were that filled the time. And I love how God is like this Master Photographer who orchestrates things in His time.  The scope of His view is a bit broader than mine, and He can move things as He will. He is Sovereign and even when what is coming through my lens might not be what I would ever choose, He can edit and change and make something beautiful. Might take a little time. Might take a bit of surrender. But I’m thinking the snapshots of my life placed in the arms of a Loving God will see and bring out things that  I never even knew were there. If I take photos with an idea of how things are supposed to look, I can miss the beauty of what’s there. I’m believing that God is the Master Editor and artist who can highlight and delete things in my little snapshots as He sees fit to make something beautiful. Knowing that, I don’t need to fear what comes into my view. Just gotta keep trusting Him to edit as He will. If He can form us from the dust, He is worthy of my trust. Thankful for that.

Blessings~

Heather

p.s. Enjoy the view ❤