Wordless Wednesday

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Monday's Musings - What Filter do You Use in Life?

What filter do you use in life?

You may not realize it, but we all have a filter. It's affected by many things.

How we grew up, who our friends were, what pain we've suffered, what joys we've shared.

But one of the biggest filters we have is what we believe. About ourselves, others and God.

Problems arise though, when we have a broken filter. And worst yet, is that we may not even realize it.

As a photographer, I know that my filter choice makes a BIG difference in the quality of my shots.
Look at these.

Isn't the purple just cool?

 This orange tint makes the photo feel much warmer than the purple above.

Notice how the blue makes the photo feel cold. And, it's harder to tell if was taken during the day or night.
 





The wrong filter can make taking photos tough. And a broken filter can ruin a perfectly good shoot. How do I know this? Just look at this...





Yep. Only a week after I had bought a new lens and filter, I fell on some wet concrete during a shoot and my camera went flying. It even took a shot midair just to taunt me.

I picked up my camera and tried to photograph something to see if the lens still worked. I found out that it couldn't take a picture. The thick, broken filter confused the lens so it couldn't focus on anything. Life was a blur to the camera.

That's when it hit me. We walk around with broken filters, still trying to make sense of our lives. But we don't have a proper focus. Often times, the pain I've gone through has affected my outlook on life. Sometimes, it's fear that affects me. Maybe it's loss. Or heartache. Or disappointment.

But it doesn't matter exactly what the broken filter is, not if it's changing my outlook on life for the worse.

For me, the only answer for a broken filter is to go back to the Bible and God. What does He have to say about my life, my pain, my sorrow, my joys? Because I often let the hard stuff get my focus off God.

Do I really believe God is in control of all my life? That He can bring good out of every situation? That since He forgave me, that I need to forgive others? That He will give me the grace to forgive?

Those are the questions I wrestle with. Honestly, I don't jump toward forgiveness every time. I struggle to forgive, to let go of pain.

But God is gracious to love me anyway and won't let me go just because I'm struggling. No, He tries to show me that my filter is broken. That I need to trust Him for each day.

And let me tell you, it's awesome to get the broken filter off and put the right one on. Look at this blue sky. That's the power of the right filter...a beautiful, clean, intensely colored shot.

So, what filter in your life is broken? Ask God to give you one that brings more color and beauty and meaning to your life.


Grace and peace,
Mary

Photo Tip Friday

Today's Tip: Take your camera with you and use it!

While today's tip may be obvious, it needs to be said.

We think of taking pictures of landscapes, people and birthday parties. But what about your daily life?

You might think of what I'm suggesting as photo journalism. Or a sort of photo diary of your life.

So when can carrying your camera come in handy while out? I'm glad you asked.

This past Dec., my husband and I went to go pick up our son from his first semester of college. We arrived on campus after his final swimming workout. Since all the other students were gone and the cafeteria was closed, the university had arranged with a local eatery to feed the swimmers.

We didn't know when we arrived that the guys were ready for food. But when they told us of the arrangement, we headed in to get them some well earned breakfast.

Thankfully, I had my camera on hand. We had a great time with our son and another swimmer we were giving a ride to the airport. Just looking at the photos makes me smile. They had stacks of French toast, pancakes and lots of syrup.

Here, you can see the place radiated with an ambiance that comes from years of use and little updating.

Without a camera on hand, I couldn't have documented that morning in the diner with our son. Even seeing the pictures gives me that feeling of happiness that he has done well his first semester and was coming home for Christmas.






So, take your camera with you and document unexpected events that occur.

Do you have any special photos that bring you a smile when you see them? Please share if you do.

Hope this tip helps!

Keep on clicking!

Mary

Monday's Musings

I can make you a promise. 

You will encounter storms in life. No one's immune. We all go through them. 

The question is, how will you fare during them?

Right now, I'm in a stormy season of life. I can see the dark clouds looming. Both my parents and my husband's father are battling health issues. Some pretty serious ones. My father-in-law has lived longer than the doctors expected. We are so grateful. But the end is still coming. 

My mom is battling broken vertebrae and infections. My dad just had a seizure. He's never had one before. 

And I'm torn. 

I live 3 hours from my folks and just over 2 hours from my in-laws. I can't be at both places at once. 

And I have my kids to care for. To walk with through the valley of the shadow of death. This will be the first time they've lost someone close to them.

Sometimes the storms get old. We want a break. Relief. To come out on the other side. 

We will. But we don't know when. That's the hard part. We can begin to despair. To worry. To lose hope. To feel overwhelmed. 

I know. I've been there.

I have to admit, though, in the midst of all this, I'm strangely peaceful. The bible says we can have peace that passes understanding. I think that's what's going on with me. It sure isn't me who's making me peaceful. I'm really good at worrying.

But my circumstances are so hard, that I just know God's up to something. He doesn't give us more than we can bear. Although there are times we may think He has. 

It's during the trials, the storms, the pain, that we can learn to go to God for comfort. To ask what He wants us to learn. To ask that we live strong for Him. 

Eventually, the clouds will break. The storm will subside. 

And if we can look up, we may see a gorgeous rainbow over our rain soaked lives. Seeing it by our self is wonderful. But how much more when many others can see the rainbow and exclaim in excitement about how beautiful it is. About how God has worked through the storm.

I may have to put up pictures of rainbows around my house. Why? Because I want out of the storm like most people. 

That's not happening right now. So I need to keep my focus on the end result. On God. On eternity. 

And for me, the rainbow tells me that God will bring good out of the pain, the suffering, the heartache and the headaches. 

So, what about you? Are you willing to ask God for strength to make it through your storms? Have you seen the rainbow of comfort? 

I'd love if you want to share about a current struggle you're having or about a rainbow you saw after the struggle was over. 

And most importantly, remember that God's love for you isn't determined by whether or not your life is trouble free. No, His love is always there. Just sometimes we miss it. 

Praying for you to find strength to face another day. Another battle. 

And for a rainbow or two to appear above your rain soaked life. 

Mary

 

Wordless Wednesday

Duke's first snow....

Thanks for dropping by! Link up and I'll head over to your site!

Monday's Musings

I'm sorry to those of you who follow my blog that I've been quiet recently. It's not that I haven't thought of you. I've missed visiting your blogs as well.

But I have a new assignment for a little while.

I have a wonderful father-in-law and mother-in-law.

They need my help.

You see, my father-in-law has pulmonary fibrosis. And it's in the late stages. So I'm here in their home spending time with them. Doing whatever I can to help out.

He doesn't have a lot of time left.

I'm not telling you about this to say how great I am. I'm not. I'm being blessed beyond measure.

My father-in-law is facing death with amazing grace. Sure, he has moments of being a little grumpy. He's entitled to that every so often as far as I'm concerned.

But he has peace. A peace that the bible describes as passing understanding. 

When he finds himself sad about things he can't do again, God whispers in his ear and says,
"Larry, be thankful for where you have been. You are blessed."

He told me that with deep emotion.

He's asked me to care for "his girl", his wife, after he's gone. We will.

I'm truly humbled to be here and witness this precious man face the end of his life. To make the most of every day. To be grateful for the smallest things. A good talk. Some tasty food. A good nap. A hospital bed delivered and set up.

God's using this time to in my life to help me see all of my life more clearly. I assume I have years ahead of me. But that's not promised.

But for now, I treasure the time spent here, learning from a man facing his maker, with peace. I'll have memories to carry me through the rough days ahead when I can't just pick up the phone and call him anymore. When my mother-in-law has a rough day; I'll be able to say, "Remember when..."

God has given me a wonderful gift. To walk with one of his faithful servants through the valley of the shadow of death.

I'll cry when he's gone for my sake because I'll miss him.

But I'll rejoice for him because he won't be suffering anymore. He'll be in the presence of God, in glory beyond what we can imagine.

So please accept my apologies for not posting regularly. I will get back to it. I do miss your blogs.

But I have an assignment. For a while. And I want to spend every moment I can right here. Smack in the center of God's will.

Tell anyone that you care about how much you love and appreciate them. You never know how long you or they have.

And if you want me to add you to my prayers, just leave me a comment. It will be my honor to pray for you as well.

Grace and peace,
Mary

Monday's Musings - A Bittersweet Christmas

Don't get me wrong.

I love Christmas. 

I love being with family.

I love giving gifts to our kids. 

Seeing their faces light up. 

I'm very grateful for loving memories from years past. My parents, especially my mom, listened to and watched us in the days before Christmas to figure out what we wanted. She used to look over my shoulder as I perused the jewelry section of the catalogue. If I lingered long on one style of ring, she would make a mental note and then secretly go buy it. They delighted and surprised us kids every year. 

Eventually, we all grew up and have moved on to have families of our own. Now my husband and I get to listen out for what our kids want for Christmas. We love bringing them joy. 

Again, I am grateful. 

But this year, my heart's a little heavy and Christmas is a little bittersweet. We've have probably had our last Christmas with one of our fathers. We're so thankful my husband's dad made it to Christmas since the doctors didn't give him this much time to live. But still, it's sad to think he probably won't be with us next year. However, we know where he's headed and he has peace galore. The hospice nurses have said he's the happiest dying man they've ever met. 

It's because he knows God's in control. Because he knows he's forgiven. 

I've never seen a man with such a purpose as my father-in-law. He's been using his time left here on earth to express his love and gratitude to his friends. To encourage them. To love on them. To bless them. 

It's humbling to watch. 

He's the one dying. Yet, he's focused on blessing others. 

That's because of the birth of a small boy a couple of thousand years ago. A baby named Jesus. Who came to live among us. To give us hope. To give us love. To encourage us. To bless us. To forgive us. 

You see, we have a heavenly father. 

He created Christmas. 

He wanted to add to his family.

He wanted to give the ultimate gift to his new, adopted kids. 

The gift of forgiveness and eternal life with him.

For that, I am grateful. We may not have hubby's dad for much longer here on earth. But we have eternity ahead of us. One day we'll be joining him in worshiping our creator, our heavenly Daddy.

A Daddy who loves to give us good gifts. 

Merry Christmas!

Photo Tip Friday - Taking Pictures That Tell a Tale

Posing for a Christmas morning shot

Well, Christmas is almost here. And for most of us, that means we'll be around a lot of family. 

It also means it's a great time to take pictures and document, document, document! 

So, what makes a good photo during the holidays? Let's look at a few examples. 

People are very important. It's great if you can actually get your kids, nieces or nephews to sit still for a photo. A posed shot is wonderful. However, they usually aren't going to pose for long.

Boy in motion!

That means having your camera ready for live action shots. Here's a picture of my son, excited and in motion! This isn't necessarily a typical shot, but it does tell a story. It's Christmas morning because the presents are under the tree. The oxygen tank meant Grandpap was there. The television is playing a special on Christmas in Yellowstone. And my son is excited in his mismatched socks!

Let's move on to other shots that document special moments. Maybe they involve pets. Here is what I call a "mood" shot. We have one cat who loves sleeping under the tree. I got down on my stomach to take this picture. Isn't he so sweet? You can tell it's before the hustle and bustle of opening presents. This is a nice memory. 

And here's another pet photo. Yes, our cat is actually watching the television while we opened presents to the Nutcracker. :) 

And lastly, here are three of our cats interested in an electronic lightning bug in a jar.                                The picture may be a little cluttered, but it shows the cats looking at the jar in the middle of my son's Legos, which he started building immediately. When he's much older, this will be a reminder for me of the time when he was little. 

So, what shots have you taken that your proud of or that are special to you? 

Leave me your link and I'll be happy to head over to your blog and take a look. 

Hope this tip helps! 

Keep on clicking!

And Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukah!

Not so Wordless Wednesday

Today, I'm taking a break from Wordless Wednesday to participate in a blog hop about "the next big thing". . . it's telling you about the book I'm working on and then blog hopping to some other writers in two weeks to hear about their works in progress. 

For those of you who aren’t familiar with a blog hop, it’s a series of posts linked to each other across the web. I’d like to thank Edie Melson for tagging me to participate!

In this particular hop, I’m answering ten questions about my latest WIP (Work in Progress). Feel free to post questions and comments!

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:



What is the working title of your book?



The Cuff's Pawn

Where did the idea come from for the book?

It was a combination of a character in the book appearing in my mind and then an interesting tree that spawned the story line. 





What genre does your book fall under?

    

Medieval Fantasy

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

 

Good question. I haven't completely figured out who my teenage leads would be, a male and female lead, but I would want Sean Connery to play the part of Gammel. 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?



Usually the follower, can Lucas put aside his doubts long enough to save and return Avelina safely to her father?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m fortunate to be represented by Jonathan Clements from Wheelhouse Literary Group. 

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?



It took a couple of years for the first draft.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Actually, when I started this book, I specifically wanted it to be different than what was on the market for teenage boys. And I certainly didn't want to try and imitate the greats like Lewis and Tolkein. So there are no vampires, dragons or talking animals in my book. 

Who or What inspired you to write this book?



My critique group is who spurred me on to tell the story after they heard my small seed of an idea.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
 There is an element of power that grows with time and my main male character, Lucas, is finding his place in the world. 

Now I invite you to visit these next 5 blogs to meet more authors! They'll be posting their answers to the questions above on January 2nd. 

Alycia Morales

Cynthia Howerter

Dee Dee Parker

Lori Roeleveld

 Cathy Baker

Wordless Wednesday

Thanks for dropping by! Come back on Fridays for photo tips!