“A click of the shutter, a crank of the film, and you’ve caught forever a significant bit of life.”-Willis Peterson

Every reminder-of-grace-moment I find to capture is significant. A flower, a sunset, time alone, and even a dog can add to the value of a day. My son and I used to play a computer game called, “Diner Dash”. The player was the waitress/waiter and each level grew more difficult as did the customers and the demands. The player was to deliver drinks, appetizers, food, and dessert to multiple tables. And refills on drinks. A good waitress will notice when to refill drinks, right? Each table had four hearts that started out filled or all red. If a guest table grew impatient for one reason or another, the player would ‘lose’ a heart. The heart would refill as a new drink was brought or food delivered quickly. If the guests were all fed, the hearts were all filled and the people happy. They also left a good tip. Now Jonathan and I have this saying when something brings a smile, “That made my hearts go up.” I think of this as I see different things throughout the day for my #straygifts posts on Facebook and Instagram. Catching significant bits of life does make one’s “hearts go up”. Did anything refill your heart this week? Here is this week’s collage of stray gifts:

Top Row (from left to right): “Pretty in pink” is the theme for the first two photos. The flower on the left is at the end of a very long stem. The seed came from a wildflower packet. My roses haven’t been doing too well due to the heat, but I saw this one the other day. On the right: For some reason, I can’t ever seem to keep mint alive. These few little stray gifts of leaves are hanging on, though.

Bottom Row: It’s rare for us girls to have some alone time together. The temps have only been in the 90’s with cloudy days and breezes. I spent some time sitting outside this past week talking to the dog and enjoying the peaceful day.  Next is a photo of me on the 4th of July. I finally found a t-shirt I like that isn’t paper thin, one that doesn’t need another layer under it for modesty, and one that was soft to the touch and not ‘scratchy’. JCPenney. Five dollars. …that’s a #straygift to me! I did not go in there to look for a patriotic shirt, but it jumped out at me (true story).  Later that day, my husband, son, and I could be found on the truck bed in the front yard, swinging our legs watching fireworks glow like stars. Our neighborhood puts on a nice display every year. Lastly, my husband had an exam in class on Friday and was done early. He called to tell me he was coming home to take me to lunch. During our time out he said he had a bit of a headache but actually felt “good”. He hasn’t said that in a long time. He has been taking new pain medication which takes time to adjust. He has had a lot of blood work lately, tests run, and some more to come for different health issues. A rare lunch out just the two of us and a “good” report… both unexpected, both made my “hearts go up.”