Weekly Photo Challenge: Friendship

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.”
~Henri Nouwen
“Silence make the real conversations between friends.
Not the saying, but the never needing to say that counts.”
~Margaret Runbeck
“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”
~Shakespeare
“You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you.
You have to go to them sometimes.”
~A.A. Milne
“Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it’s all over.”
~Gloria Naylor
“We’ll be Friends Forever, won’t we, Pooh?’ asked Piglet.
Even longer,’ Pooh answered.”
~Winnie the Pooh

 

Your Beloved needs You now

In the peacefulness of early morning
before even the sun has dispelled the darkness of night
there is praise on my lips.

It is You who wakes me from sleep
beckoning me
to embrace the stillness and quiet
while listening for Your voice.

God,
make me acutely aware of Your presence
in my coming in and going out
in each conversation in which I engage.

May You always be at the forefront of my mind
first in my heart
anchoring my soul and stirring my spirit.

Calm my anxious thoughts
dissolve my fear
with the gentle reminders of Your faithfulness.

Expose my lack of faith
so that the light may extinguish its power
search me, know me
completely and fully.

Your will is not my will
compared to You
I am but a vapor.

How can I not trust
how can I not believe
how can I not call on You in the early hours of morning
throughout the day and
into the evening.

When this world is everything but
You are grace
You are hope
You are light
You are life

Your magnificence is all around me
and yet, at times, it is as if I am blind
open my eyes to Your splendor.

Open my ears to the sounds of creation
Your creation
filling the earth with songs to You.

When I seek solace in things of this world
draw me back to You
my Provider, Protector, Comforter
my Resting Place.

Let me not seek out grandiose events
but rather delight in each moment
may everything I do
everything I am
be pleasing to You.

Take captive every thought
and before it becomes a word
may it be gratifying to You
before it becomes an action
may it honor and glorify You.

Lord, in whom I put my trust
You do not leave me here in the silence
You are everywhere I look
If only I had faith like a child.

Look at the work of Your hands
You are in every detail
nature screams of Your divine providence
evidence of You cannot be ignored

Even in my grieving
I find comfort
in the undeniable truth that
You are in all things.

Before time began
as centuries have passed
now and in the future
You remain unchanged.

Less of me
more of You
this life is fragile
I don’t want to waste a moment.

Even so, I know that this earth is not my home
help me make eternal investments
in the time that I have
until I am made complete
when in Your presence

And by Your power
all is made well.
___________________________________________________________________________________

“Beauty”

“Praise”

“Childlike wonder”

“Splendor”

“Grace”

“Faithfulness”

“Master Creator”

The time is now

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud
was more painful than the risk it took
to blossom.” ~Anais Nin

Five Minute Friday: See

The first thing that came to mind when seeing today’s topic…

I once was lost but now I’m found
was blind but now I see
my chains are gone I’ve been set free
my God, my Savior has ransomed me
and like a flood His mercy reigns
unending love… amazing grace

This is a picture of an original work by an incredibly talented artist named
Barclay B Gresham
click here for her website

Be sure to “like” her page on facebook

                             Quote is from Chris Tomlin’s version of “Amazing Grace”

This post inspired by;
the gypsy mama

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Today; After the rain

Need a shave?

Spider gets a drink

The little drop that could

Weekly Photo Challenge: Summer

Summer in the south is many things.
To capture them all would mean hundreds of photos.
The word summer brings up many emotions and awakens certain memories in my senses.
Here are a few of the things that I think of when I look towards summer…

The fragrant gardenias in the flowerbed that greet you when walking to our front door.

Gardenia

With the flowers, come the bees
the beautiful butterflies
and other interesting insects.
Summer in the south means, popsicles on the front porch
Sticky fingers and faces.

It means little lizards soaking up the sun while blending into the grass.
Summer means that everything is green…winter has passed and spring has brought new life.
The birds return to the feeder and sing their songs of thanksgiving.
Summer means blowing bubbles in the grass until your lightheaded.
It means dirty feet at the end of the day from running around barefoot until well after bedtime.
It’s different now, as an adult, experiencing summer.
Not bad, just different.
My children get so excited about summer! That is by far the best part of the record temperatures and soaring humidity.
There is much to come in the next several weeks.
There will be watermelon and ice cream sandwiches, water balloons and cook outs, slip n slides and human cannonballs into the pool.
When my boys come in from a long summer day smelling “tired” I know that it has been time filled with moments that they will one day recall and smile.

Interpretations of summer by some other stellar photographers and bloggers:
Where’s my backpack?
Nature Through The Lens
Chronicles of Illusions
The Great Escape: Life from behind a lens

Breathing in Grace…Breathing out Praise

Never am I more present than when looking through the lens of my camera. Everything that has been heavily on my mind is somehow lifted. I think only of the subject in front of me.

Ever since I can remember, nature has fascinated me. As a child, we would take long road trips as a family and I would stare out the window for hours making shapes from the clouds.

I have been reminded of that childlike wonder through my first L glass macro lens. Chris knows what I need on such a deep level. A level that can be reached by no one but him. He has brought to life parts of my being that I know would have otherwise never surfaced. And because of that I live a richer, fuller, more meaningful life…with him.

The following pictures were taken at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. Several of the flowers had bloomed and were now coming to the end of their beauty, but they were no less exquisite. The splendor of my King was all around me. I love it when God shows off.

The dance of the bee
© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

Legs are absolutely coated in pollen
© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

I love the reflection on the water
© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

We always collect things along our journey that must be captured in the moment
© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

Your typical house fly
© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

The flower from outer space
© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

A little bee quarrel?
© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

© Joy Cannis and Even A Girl Like Me, 2012

When looking at all of the detail that went into making the flowers and bees it takes my breath away. God spent even more time on us. I love Psalm 139. It is a life verse for me and one that has kept me encouraged.

We are a masterpiece, you and I.

A work of sheer genius.