The Christian Gift

Though my mom died nearly 20 years ago, she remains a vibrant part of my daily life. There was a strong bond between us; I told her on her deathbed we’d always be together, and that’s been the case as I carry her with me in my heart. Our relationship continues as I remember things she taught me…advice she gave me.

I can still hear her voice and feel her love.

As young adults, women often joke about realizing they’re beginning to turn into their mothers (me included).  In seriousness, though, I’m proud to share characteristics with her.

What I wouldn’t give to have another few minutes in her company.

I like to look at photos of her when she was young. This was Clarice as a teenager…before she married my dad…before they were eeking out a living during the Depression…before his jobs had them moving from Texas to Arkansas to Philadelphia to Tennessee and Nebraska in between…before she’d lose her first baby the day he was born…before five more children arrived on the scene…before she suffered a massive stroke and spent 10 years confined to bed.

Life wasn’t exactly easy, but she lived it to the fullest.

She was a great cook, a talented seamstress, and had a way with the written word. She was creative, loved books, music, and animals, and she knew how to stretch a dollar. She had a “can do” spirit. She was kind, thoughtful, and devoted to the Lord.

She was courageous. The way she dealt with adversity following her stroke proved that beyond a doubt.

Dedicated to my dad and to us kids, she loved us deeply – and we all knew it.

You don’t get to pick your parents…but I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else. My mom was a gem.

Happy Mother’s Day!

So often, when I’m in the field on a shoot, I’ll see something that gives me pause and makes me want to “Shout with joy to the Lord!”

What a beautiful world we live in!

The morning I made this image, I was up at 4am to do some work at daybreak. Immediately thereafter, I hurried to this spot where I’d seen wildflowers the day before. What a treat to find early morning dew clinging to the blades of grass as I captured the flowers in bloom…so beautiful.

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Indeed.

College commencement season is in full swing – and high school seniors will be donning their caps and gowns in just a few weeks.

To help you commemorate the day in a unique way, we’ve added some new designs to our line of wall art keepsakes for graduates.

Each one is personalized and hand-created using premium museum-quality materials.

These are two of the newest pieces:

(Inspirational fine art and inspirational jewelry also make great graduation gifts!)

I realize civil discourse has all but disappeared – a quaint relic of the past. Still, I miss it.

I’m not suggesting everyone has to to agree all the time. Hardly! But I wish the concept of spirited – yet respectful – debate would make a comeback.

Today’s example of ridiculous behavior:

The Chicago Tribune (online) includes a story about an estranged husband and wife who argued so vehemently over the candidates involved in Wisconsin’s recall election yesterday that she hit him with her SUV as she left the house to go to polling place. He ended up in the hospital.

Seriously.

(If you read the article, you’ll see that they’re both to blame.)

Especially when a person is incapable of supporting his or her point of view, you end up with only blind ideology – and any hope of thoughtful conversation/debate goes out the window. Things quickly get heated, the attacks become personal (“If he believes that, he must be a fill-in-the-blank-with-the-derogatory-label-of-your-choice”), and the decibel level increases.

Oh – and in the case of this couple – one person ends up as a human pinata. Literally.

I wonder sometimes if this ship known as ”American society” can be righted, or if it’ll inevitably end up at the bottom of the ocean.

Life is short but there is always time for courtesy. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson