This poor space….the blog. It is such a gift to me—to have a place to write and reflect and remember and process. But then there is the part of life that calls and feels so urgent. Work. Teaching. Boys under our own roof that need constant refereeing. There is so much to catch up on. Too much. A surprise trip to LEGOland.
There was Halloween….
And first days of school and leaves changing color…
A quick beach adventure to Newport at the coast while my parents were vacationing…
It has all been a whirlwind. As much as we try and center ourselves and calm down the speeding train that is two boys, ages 4 and 7, it just goes fast. Not even sure Melatonin or Peace & Calming essential oils would be effective.
As always, my camera is always at my side. More and more, these days, it’s my camera phone. But it is there. Documenting as much as possible. The picture above, though, while APPEARING serene was quite the opposite. Drew was upset by the intensity of the waves. Alex almost got overtaken by one. We had had a rough night getting the kids to bed. I am sure you could “fill in the blanks” for all the other words that were on the tip of my tongue besides “bliss”.
But all that reality aside, taking pictures helps me see something “bigger” despite the harder parts which press in. There is beauty to be found. There is life to be “memorialized”. There is more than meets the eye.
So as December begins tomorrow, I am so grateful for the gift of a ritual. Each year the December Photo Project is an anchor in the middle of the busyness of the season. Advent weaves its way in the middle of it all and being on the lookout for God through my lens, grounds me.
I could complain about the two persistent spots that show up on all of my pictures these days. The smudges that cloud my iphone pics. The lack of time I have to reflect and write and post with teaching on my plate. But, I hope, in spite of all the opportunities to say “no” I can say “yes” instead. Maybe you might say yes too. I promise you won’t regret it. Details are {here}. Do it!
These Stones 