Five Minute Friday: See

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Joy

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: Summer

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Joy

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

Five Minute Friday: Opportunity

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Joy

Today I’m joining in the five minute Friday conversation through the Gypsy Mama. I have five minutes to write, start to finish on a selected topic.

“We write because we love words and the relief it is to just write them without worrying if they’re just right or not. So we take five minutes on Friday and write like we used to run when we were kids.

I’ve heard it said, many times, that “Opportunity knocks.”
Maybe for some, but for me, most of the time, it kicks down the door.

I’m not talking about incredible, money making opportunities or things of that sort. I’m referring to the everyday opportunities that I do not always notice. The kind of opportunities that happen all around me as I’m living life.

When I’m on my computer and my child comes and sits next to me asking, “Will you read this book to me?” That is an opportunity to engage and be fully present with my child. Sadly, I do not always take it, but when I do, I don’t ever regret it.

When I’m in a hurry to get somewhere and cannot be bothered by traffic lights or people and inevitably there is someone moving slower than I would like them to be in the crosswalk. What a beautiful opportunity to, slow down, take a breath, maybe even lift a hand in a friendly wave while smiling and thank God that I have a car to drive and am capable of doing so many things that bring me happiness.

When a friend stops me in the store with an obvious burden that needs to be heard and I am in a hurry to get in and get out. I can stop what I’m doing and listen. I can be genuine and kind without being there for an hour. This is a great opportunity to show through my actions how important relationships are.

When someone lets me go ahead of them and the long line of cars behind them in the drive-thru at Starbucks, it provides an excellent opportunity to pay for their coffee and ask the Barista to tell them, “Thank you! Happy Thursday!” (or whatever day it is.)

How many opportunities do I come across throughout my day to be generous, compassionate, attentive, forgiving, accepting, encouraging, supportive, present, loving and soothing? (just to name a few.) I don’t want to miss those.

Many opportunities are just as important for the provider as for the receiver.

STOP

When I was a Christian

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Joy

I grew up in a loving home surrounded by “God-fearing” parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors. My mom says that I prayed to receive Christ at age two. Though she was unable to decipher my words, she’s certain that’s what I did.

I distinctly remember at age seven, sitting at the kitchen counter, across from my mom, when my dad called to say that my grandfather’s long and painful battle with cancer was over. And just like that I learned of mortality…

To continue reading this post, please visit Leanne Penny’s site here where she has started a unique series called, “Beautiful Scars.”

In the midst of the storm

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Joy

I don’t know whether to cry or scream. Stay busy or sleep the day away. Restless is not an accurate description of the way I feel. I don’t know what would be?

My heart aches. Literally, my chest physically hurts. My understanding is so limited, so human.

My friend is in need of a miracle.

I believe in the God of miracles.

Yet, He is silent.

Lord, help my unbelief. Disprove my doubts. Show the doctors with human hands who the Ultimate Physician really is.

I look at the work of your hands. The way you have created life in seemingly lifeless places. I want to beg you to breathe life back into Elliot’s frail body. Knowing full well that your will is not my will and that Jesus taught us to approach the throne of grace with the words, “Thy will be done.” on our tongue.

But Father, I want to pound my fists in rage at the injustice as well as lifting my hands in praise for your faithfulness. I am in a strange place that is neither familiar nor foreign. Where fear meets faith…I suppose.

What am I supposed to do with this storm of emotion?! My fear tells me to sit with my back in the corner so that I feel surrounded by stability. How foolish of me for even thinking that walls capable of crumbling could provide me with security.

God, I know where my security lies and yet my faith is lacking. It’s not necessarily the realism of mortality that is so distressing. It is the little ones she would leave behind. It is the man of her dreams and the children they made together. It is those of us left…back here…on this earth of loss and tragedy. A place where understanding may never come.

These are the times we feel the gnawing in our gut and the longing in our soul. It is a homesickness of sorts. Not for this world. For Heaven.

“Help me. Please. Father. Abba. Please help me.”

* To follow Elliot’s story, visit her CaringBridge site. You can find her on facebook and post words of encouragement on her wall as well.

Breathing in Grace…Breathing out Praise

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Joy

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

I love the reflection on the water
© 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

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.

There’s nothin’ I hate more than nothin’

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Joy

I have so much stirring in my heart…my mind…my gut. Yet, when I sit in front of this screen with a blank page of endless possibilities before me, just waiting for my words to create thoughts that explain something about this crazy journey I’m on…I got nothin’.

So I have avoided coming here…to this place where I bare my soul and reveal my idiosyncrasies. After reading this quote from Anais Nin, “If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don’t write, because our culture has no use for it.” I am back here…in this place…where I can breathe.

There are many things that have been brewing deep down in the parts of my being rarely visited. Things that have been around for a while that I push back down whenever they attempt to surface. The problem is, I’m tired of pushing against the inevitable. Those things needing to be dealt with will eventually burst through, leaving me with no choice but to sift through the wreckage.

Who enjoys that?! Certainly not I. In order to sift through my wreckage I need more than some disposable plastic gloves. I need waders at the very least, but preferably a hazmat suit. It’s ugly and it hurts. It’s like cleaning gravel from a fresh wound. Hurts like hell, but the only way to prevent infection is to destroy the threat.

So here I am…beginning the cleansing process…Of what, I’m not exactly sure…yet. But just as the past has proven, more will be revealed.

I have been looking through pictures as they usually calm my spirit and I came across these two that I love. I love them for many reasons. One being that the first one was taken only minutes after my son was born prematurely via c-section. Another is because his life represents so many wonderful things. Defying the odds. Proving wrong one scary diagnosis after another. This little boy and me, we are not only survivors, we are conquerors.

And there is one very obvious fact that I cannot deny.
It’s this…God is good.
He is faithful.

And because of that, when words fail me, even if in a whisper, I must speak the beautiful name of my Savior.