Tag: Beauty

The Gift of 86,400 Seconds

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God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say “thank you”?

William Ward

It is quite challenging to have a theme each month – for study, for photo opportunities/stray gifts – and it’s only February! I have followed other challenges in the past, but felt God was leading me to create my own based on where He was guiding my studies and blog writing. For this month’s stray gifts theme, the words which came to mind were: admirable, kind, lovely, and sweet. For anyone who may be reading the term ‘stray gifts’ in my writing for the first time, it is based on a quote by William Wadsworth who wrote, “Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find”. I have been taking notes, snapping photos, and writing about noticing these ‘stray gifts’, but with the take on that God has His hand in everything. These gifts really are not strays, but handfuls of purpose in my path that He put there to bring my attention to Him. Here is what I have so far for February: (photos first this time, explanations below)

#1) “Lovely” – From our kitchen window this week, we watched this bird (I think a finch) eating away at the feeder. He had beautiful red and brown feathers.

#2) “Admirable” – Jonathan (my son) is a junior at UTEP and it is his first semester attending. In between classes or while waiting for my husband to be done with work, he has been walking all over campus to see what’s what. The theater, science buildings, the basketball stadium that was used in the 60’s. Track and field, football stadium, Geology building, Fine Arts building where he found himself beneath the stage…I say “admirable” because he was curious about something and went to explore. He could have looked at photos online and it would have been much easier. But he has been walking all around the campus lately because he was interested. He walked in cowboy boots, by the way. Because ..well…we’re in Texas. That’s what we do.

#3) “Sweet” – TWO lovely cards last week. What a fun surprise! The handmade card and envelope from my 11 yr old niece. I love it! The other card from a long time friend which made it all the more special.

#4) “Lovely” – Don Juan climbing red rose bush with baby leaves. I read that climbing roses need not be pruned right away, to wait until after the first bloom. I only planted this last year so I am looking forward to seeing how they do this year. #straygifts in lovely red roses wanting to wake up already.

#5) “Sweet” – My husband brought home these cookies for me knowing I love a chocolate and mint combination. Coincidentally, I was drinking mint tea that day because I was in the mood for it. (He didn’t know that.)

#6) “Kind” – My husband isn’t really known for being a “kid person”, yet somehow he has managed to have a collection of buddies in our church in Mexico. We are not sure when this game started of him getting their shoes and putting them just out of reach, but they are highly entertained by it. They pretty much hand him a shoe for him to toss. Sometimes, my tall son comes to the rescue with a ladder to get shoes off the roof. Stray gifts in surprising entertainment, kind adults who play with kids, and sweet play, too.

The Day’s Resolutions

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I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the year’s.

H. Moore

For me, it is difficult to resolve to do something for a whole year. I make plans to lose weight, but life gets busy and rough and sometimes, eating out is the simplest. I do not always make the wisest choices when eating out and on busy days, I tend to forget making time to exercise. My husband and I make plans to save money, but the truck breaks down, prescriptions need to be filled, shoes wear out, a loved one needs help, and the list could go on. A few months pass by in the new year and discouragement sets in.

What if I think in terms of the day’s resolutions instead? Thinking about maintaining a new habit for a whole year tends to feel overwhelming, but I believe I can manage one day at a time.

Today I will resolve to:

  • Summon the courage to face a problem so I won’t have to deal with it tomorrow.
  • Dedicate my thoughts to making one right decision at a time.
  • Live in grace when ‘productivity’ may be resting and not accomplishing tasks on a to-do list.
  • Look for the gifts in life and not focus on the grief.

Last year, I started looking more for the gifts in life. This treasure hunt every day helps me remember God’s involvement in even the smallest of details. I am continuing this search for the gifts because I believe it has helped me to notice His hand in my life more than ever. For January, I have a had a focus to look for four types of gifts: white, inspirational, heartfelt, and brand new.

Here are the latest photos in stray gifts.

Top Row: (Left) White alyssums still alive during the cold weather. (Right) Beautiful pine cones noticed on one of our walks. I love the contrast of white and brown.

Middle Row: (Left) I am not sure where this inspirational book of prayers came from, but I love a lot of the poems in here and share them on social media often. (Right) While out watering and checking on my plants, I was struck by the new growth of mum leaves.

Bottom Row: (Left) On a walk last week, we saw bare trees, palm trees, and birds in trees. Art in nature is always inspirational. (Right) A brand new scent to the earth and all that is in it after a good rain.

Not pictured: Stray gifts “heartfelt” showed up in thanks around the table last week from my husband, my son, and my dad over mashed potatoes -which I don’t make too often. I think my dad had potatoes with a side of rotisserie chicken and broccoli! (Maybe I need to make mashed potatoes more often?) ‘Grateful for thankful hearts and food on the table. And for the aforementioned men who help clear the table and wash the dishes!


Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.
-William Wordsworth, 1806

Everything a Miracle

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“It was Einstein who said

either nothing is a miracle,

or everything is –

a jagged mountain range,

lilacs in bloom,

a peacock unfurled,

sun on your arm,

the touch of a stranger.

Take your pick: be surprised

by nothing at all,

or by everything that is.”

-Poem “Epiphany” by Maryanne Hannan

We were surprised by the beautiful snow falling last night and again this morning – a definite ‘stray gifts’ moment since snow is so rare in these parts. Here is a collage of photos I took in my backyard this morning.

And Happy New Year to you! May you find your very own stray gifts, miracles, and surprises in each new day of 2019.

Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find. -William Wordsworth, 1806

A Different Sort of Kingdom

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A while back, I read a thought-provoking web post on the topic, Consider the Lilies. In it, the author Jill Carattini wrote,  “..Beauty can offer healing; that paying attention, even to fleeting glimpses of the mere suggestion of new creation, is deeply restorative…It is quite possible to see and not really see, to hear and not really hear…When Jesus asks the world to consider the lilies, to consider beauty in the midst of all the ashes around us, his request is full of promise, for he is both the Source of beauty and its Subject.”

Luke 12:27, “Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” I cannot even imagine the opulence of King Solomon “in all his glory” – Our minds probably could not even comprehend what he possessed in his palace or storehouses. Yet, the lily is much more exquisite than anything Solomon owned. Jesus wants us to be aware of how the ravens are fed with very little effort on their part. And He wants us to examine the beauty of the lily and its Source.

“Paying attention to the ephemeral [or short-lived] is in and of itself restorative because it is paying attention to him. Here, both the anxiety-addicted and the attention-overloaded can find solace in a different sort of kingdom: one in which there is room for the paradox of a fleeting world with eternity in its heart.” (J. Carattini)

Ah, the world is filled with the anxiety addicted and the attention-overloaded, Christians not excluded. The remedy is finding solace in a different sort of kingdom, keeping in mind the Source of beauty around us, with eternity in our sites. Here is the latest in my little kingdom/#straygifts photos: (no pictures of ravens or lilies, I’m afraid, but still some of God’s wonders.)

Top Row (left to right):
-$4.00 Mums on the Clearance shelves. These yellow ones look a bit frazzled, but the leaves look healthy. The brightest and best were near $15.00, but I knew this one would be o.k. after some trimming. (For the record, I also bought white, purple, orange, and red Mums as well on the Clearance shelves!)
-Yellow roses on the rose bushes out front.
-Tiny little Red Salvia blooms…a new plant for me this year. I didn’t know if they would bloom again.
-For weekends, for rest, I’m thankful. For a bird feeder- a gift from a young friend years ago, for yellow trumpet flowers, and southwestern sunsets, thank you, Lord.

Bottom Row:
-Most of my roses are all withering at the moment, but the honeysuckle blooms have decided to make an appearance.
-Regularly $20.00, I bought these packs of Fall paper for $6.00 each. I have been trying to get back into card making/sending notes lately.
-Gentle rain on roses
-I was pruning the front yard roses one morning as my husband was pulling out of the driveway. He stopped to show me the reflection of the sunrise in the front windows.

 

 

Even A Blade of Grass

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“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself”. -H. Miller

This is the whole point of A Record of Graces; paying close attention to and appreciating what has been given.  This #straygifts journey keeps me looking for the good in the day and seeing the mystery in an object, or the magnificence of simple ordinary everyday life. Here is my mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world; the latest in “stray gifts” photos:

  1. Roses blooming nearly every day now.
  2. Brunch in a time warp restaurant with a favorite aunt who was visiting, oldies music filtered through loudspeakers, steaming cups of coffee.
  3. Pink Oleander in the yard. My son and I have cut this bush down several times over the last few years because it wasn’t looking very healthy. This year, it has shot up and out! And the blooms are amazing.
  4. The scent of freshly cut grass…in our own backyard!!
  5.  Stray gifts found in toothless smiles of little ones, in birthday celebrations with the young and the well-aged around the table, in a church family who cares about you, and in a ministry made up of a few people with big hearts. God is working, He is blessing, and is ever present.
  6. Pink paper, hearts, and a smiley face. A note from a niece in the mail today.

Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find. -W. Wordsworth

 

 

The Goal of the Photographer

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The goal of the photographer is not to change their subjects, but for the subject to change the photographer.

Taking photos of “stray gifts” has a way of changing people, or rather, the act of noticing and giving thanks for these gifts makes a difference. Documenting them through photos is a creative outlet for me.  Several friends have shared with me their own stray gifts and it means so much that they have been encouraged to stop and take note of something beautiful in the day. I do not know if any of the photos I post change the mass of people who look at my page  or if they help them see things differently, but I know that in noticing the details of a flower, a note from a friend, a kind act from a family member, it has a way of melting away sadness, doubt, and fear of the unknown in myself. In the details of the things I notice, God shows me that He is there and that His gifts come by the handfuls. Here is the latest in my photography subjects:

  1.  All the hard work in the yard is paying off. Stray gifts are spotted in a yellow butterfly, bees hanging around our yellow bells, and now hummingbirds stopping by in the morning. The photo is a tad blurry because it was taken through a kitchen window.
  2.  The red roses that my dad picked out for the yard are blooming again.
  3.  I never know which way the vines will grow. It’s always fun to watch the way the Morning Glories intertwine and stretch around this lattice.
  4. The “mystery flower” which turned out to be a sunflower died a few weeks ago and I popped it off. All that was left was the stalk and the leaves. The day I took this photo, I noticed this new growth!
  5. I am catching up from stray gift photos from August. We have had company and now are getting back to normal around the house. This is a photo taken a few weeks ago of a new rose on the bush.  It was just a bud the day before and already looked wilted. It is still pretty hot here this time of year, but I was glad to see that the roses will be blooming again on this bush.
  6. Quiet nooks, the scent of books. This was the day we took my aunt who was visiting to the historic town of Old Mesilla, New Mexico. There are lots of shops selling native New Mexican jewelry, gifts, food items, and more. In this shopping area, there is one bookstore that my son and I love to go in to explore.

Pleasure is spread through the earth In stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find. -W. Wordsworth

 

 

 

Capture Moments Beautifully

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“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 Look For

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“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.

 

Conditioned To See

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“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.

 

Every Day A Gift

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When I see what I feel are flaws in the morning mirror, let the words of my mouth about myself speak through grace lest I doubt and mock God’s creation in me.

When I see stretch marks, birthmarks, and scars as I dress for the day, let the meditation of my heart consider the story they have to tell. A story of a soul that has experienced life, every day a gift.

Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”