Category: Photography

“You don’t need a camera all the time– the soul, the heart, the eyes, and spirit and all your other senses capture moments beautifully, too.” -Terri Guillemets

Every day for the last several months, I have been looking for the stray gifts. A stray gift is something that I come across casually while going about my day. It could be a new flower in the yard, a kindness shown, the happy sounds in the home or in the distance; anything that causes me to stop to notice using any or all of my senses. Sometimes, there is more than one thing or concept I could share on social media, but I try to stick to just a few and savor the rest quietly. There is no possible way to capture with a camera everything I observe as beautiful or meaningful, so it is an exercise of the heart, really, to take note of new mercies every day. Here are some of this week’s camera-captured moments:

1. Morning Glories now blooming on the side of the shed.
2. Setting sun seen through wooden slats. Since having the wall built higher, we haven’t been able to see the full sunset from back-of-the-house-windows as before. The other night, I noticed a bright orange glow through the blinds and went to look. I caught the sunset at the right moment for this shot. It’s my favorite photo of the week.
3. One day this rose was just a bud, the next, an open rose. It’s amazing what a difference a day can make.
4. 50% chance of rain said my weather app. It was looking darker by the minute and I was hoping the rain would not pass by. It did rain a little and brought some cooler weather.
5. I am waiting and watching for these trumpet vine flowers to bloom. Our yard is surrounded by rock wall and this vine is supposed to be able to cover it. I think the flowers will bloom in a scarlet color if I remember right. I see tiny little somethings growing on the ends, so I think this vine is going to make it.

“What we do see depends mainly on what we look for. … In the same field the farmer will notice the crop, the geologists the fossils, botanists the flowers, artists the colouring, sportsmen the cover for the game. Though we may all look at the same things, it does not all follow that we should see them.” ― John Lubbock, The Beauties of Nature and the Wonders of the World We Live In

Although John Lubbock was influenced by Charles Darwin and by his evolutionary worldview, I do like the quote. I love to see other posts on Facebook and Instagram of the different points of view from friends and family. People post what is important to them and what they notice, sometimes having a point of view I never thought of. Summer is a great time of year for people to post photos of their gardens and all things nature. This hunt for the “stray gifts” is a great way for me to record the graces…to see what I can see in a day in a different way. I get a lot of positive responses when I post these photos on social media. With so much heartache and trials I see, I would like to think that sharing a bit of beauty perhaps will make someone smile.  I may be having a bad day at times, but seeking out the day’s gifts helps me to at least take a moment outside of any problems I may be facing, to look for the good. Here are this week’s #straygifts.

1. Red roses blooming among Morning Glories
2. Stray gifts seen in moody blue skies
3. It’s the Year-of-the-Morning Glories! Here is an old tub we made into a garden bed filled with vines. A few purple blooms have been spotted here and there.
4. Birds chirping outside my kitchen window
5. Front yard roses suffering a bit this summer, but still blooming.
6. This was a mystery to me when it first started blooming. The seed came from a wildflower seed packet and the great unveiling showed a cheery sunflower. I like it so much, I want to plant some on purpose. I already have a spot picked out…now to figure out when is the best time to plant them.

“We see the world, not as it is, but as we are──or, as we are conditioned to see it.” -Stephen R. Covey

Glass half full? Or glass half empty? Which is it? “We see the world…as we are conditioned to see it”, wrote Stephen R. Covey author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. The way we see things has been conditioned, or ingrained in us, from early on. By our surroundings, our upbringing, the good and the bad things that have happened to us in life, we have based our worldview and our view of God. Looking for the #straygifts in a day is becoming a habit. I am on the lookout for something new or something I had not noticed the day before. My son will text me photos of something he saw to add to my growing collection of stray gifts. I am looking for ways to “fill the glass” thus conditioning myself to seek the good, the blessing, the beauty; to look beyond the circumstances of the day. It inspires me to live in this moment of time.

Here is this week’s stray gifts collection:

 (top left) I haven’t seen roses on my front yard bushes in awhile.

(top right) Rainbows in the desert…a rare thing indeed.

(bottom left) I wonder what this flower will look like once it blooms. I believe this came from a wildflower seed packet. A friend on Facebook thinks it looks like a sunflower. Another said maybe Bells of Ireland. I am watching it daily to see what it is.

(bottom small photo right) Pretty 4’oclock flowers in the desert heat. A friend commented on this photo on my A Record of Graces page, “When I was growing up (in Kansas) we had a big garden. At the end of the garden nearest the kitchen window, my mother had planted 4 o’clock’s. When they bloomed in the summer, I was fascinated by them, and always asked her how they knew when it was 4:00. She would just say, God tells them! Thanks for reminding me of this memory, which is truly, “a stray gift”.” I loved that she shared that sweet memory.

(larger photo of tree and sky) A walk in the park, the scent of pine on the breeze, the sound of church bells ringing in the distance. We had a guest with us last week and we took him on a tour of El Paso. Up on the mountain, there is a cute little park with a great view. The breeze was just right that day and with the pine scent, the Texas blue sky, and the church bells, all the senses were aware of what a beautiful day it was.

(larger photo of morning glories) These flowers are gorgeous! I have strategically planted these where we can see them out of one of the kitchen windows. We have quite a few morning glory vines growing so you may see them in more #straygifts posts. They climb up and over anything in their path and we are fascinated by each and every bloom.

“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.”