O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

Ever feel slow...I mean really slow, like no matter how hard you try you just can't move fast enough?

I know I do.  All the time.  So much to do, I can push, pull, force and frantically move, and I still can't seem to get what I wanted done in the amount of time I wanted it done in.  Often times the lack of ability to, speed up, get the job done, move quicker, has made me feel like I have failed in some way.  Then there is the Tortes.

Most people remember hearing the story of the tortes and the hair when they were children.  The hair was quick as quick could be, and left the poor tortes in the dust, but in the end, the meek, the mild, the slow, the steady one, is the one who crossed the finish line first.  Much to the hair's chagrin, his lowly friend bested him with the tenacity only a turtle could have.

I met a tortes one day, moving slowly along, crossing an empty parking lot. He had a goal, a purpose, and a destination.  It didn't matter that he was slow, all that mattered was that he kept moving. And, though I didn't have the time to watch the entire adventure take place, I am sure that he reached his destination, because he wouldn't stop.  Not even for a crazy girl with a camera in his face.  He just kept on moving.

Next time I feel like I am moving at turtle speed, I am going to think of that tortes, and remember as long as I keep going, have my goal in mind, and stop worrying about the when, I will reach my destination.

Isaiah 40:31
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

What does one do when faced with the unbounded beauty of the natural world, in all the grace and splendor which God created it.  Well, if you were my two year old daughter, you would throw a stick in it.

On a recent trip to my husbands home state of Colorado we decided to hike from Maroon Bells to Crater Lake.  A definite challenge, especially considering the snow on the ground, and my husband carrying our daughter on his back.  We finally get there, and well, I brake out the camera...snap, snap snapping away.  I was in awe off the whole landscape, it was awesome!!!  Autumn on the other hand decided to take a moment and truly experience nature, she picked up the nearest stick, and threw it in the lake...then again, then again.  And at that moment, I wonder if God gives a joyful chuckle.  Here he creates immense beauty that can hardly be described, cascading mountainsides, crystal clear water, bold blue sky, with soft white clouds. All of that, and the most amusing thing around is a small wooden stick, and the splash it makes in the water, again and again. Wow. I would bet that God delights in that simple pleasure of a little girl that he also created having a blast.

I marvel at the simplicity of it all. Maybe, next time, I will put down the camera and throw a few myself.

It's Huge. It's There. You can't hide it, sweep it under a rug, drape a nice linen table cloth over it.  No matter what you, or how hard you try and cover it up, the truth is it is a massive, stinking, giant of an animal, and it somehow squeezed it's way through its portal of choice into the room you find yourself.

So, what does one do when they find themselves in the presence of an elephant? Most people ignore it, thus the phrase is coined "Ignoring the Elephant In the Room".

I have been there.  An elephant standing in the room with me, and to be honest, I can't stand it.  I want the air to be clear of the presence of any pachyderms, no matter how difficult or embarrassing they might be. Because quite frankly, they stink. I believe we should embrace our elephants.  Talk about them openly.  Invite it to sit down on the couch with us and share our snack of choice.  How else will we ever convince them to leave. Only when we choose to openly discuss what is bothering us, causing us grief, or making us uncomfortable to we get the opportunity to tell the beast to get the heck out of our room.


It is not always easy, sometimes it takes some yelling, and often times tears, (especially from me, because I am a big sap)  But talking about the tusker is the ONLY WAY to convince it to hit the road, leaving the room open and free of over sized mammals.  Just remember though, if you ignore it, or dance around its massive legs, not only will it stick around, but it will also invite some friends to join the fun.

I don't know about all of the people who might read this, but the only place I want to see an elephant is at the zoo.  God Bless!

Ever take a look at a caterpillar.  They Are kind of freaky looking, some even down right gross.  Personally I would not want to be a creepy, crawly, worm like creature that had to move from place to place just hoping that there weren't any birds around to eat me, kids around to torture me, or adults with size ten shoes to accidentally step on me. It seams like it would be kind of a rough, un-fulfilling life.

But, all of that being said.  I would love to be a butterfly.  To flutter from place to place on the warm breezes of summer, be admired for the balance of strength, beauty, and delicate design. Visit every brightly colored flower in every garden I could find.  Now that would be the life.  But wait...oh darn it, If I want to ever be a butterfly, first I have to be, ugh, a caterpillar.  If I ever want to be all that God had intended for me to be I guess I have to get used to crawling on my belly for a while, because with out that, I would never grow the wings that I needed to fly.

A lot of times we feel that we are alone, broken, falling apart. When I saw this dock on the side of the road that is what came to mind. It also came to my attention how peaceful it looked, standing out there, the framework still resisting the elements almost as if to say, I still matter, I still exist, I am something real.

I believe that a photo truly can speak to us. I hope this one speaks to you, and reminds you even when you feel washed up, broken down, and like you are falling apart, as long as you are alive, you matter.