All's Grace

Photography is on my life's front-page column right now. Truly, life is not much in itself, we are all like vapors that appear one moment and are gone the next. Taking each picture is a preserving moment, as each moment passes. This year has been *the most* eventful year of my life (emphasis on "the most"), and will close being probably the most tried, the most difficult, and also the most joyous. The one year in all nineteen that I've lived with the most experience in "real life".

"Welcome to the real world."

I've been told that probably twenty times so far. Go figure...

So among photography, stencil- and free-hand painting old furniture, a twisted ankle... and I'll be brave enough to mention they were only one-inch heels! yeah... I won't run in heels ever again (yeah right). So anyway, among these things, plus helping out with a revival at another church in Brownfield, my passion for working with and just plain riding horses still lives and thrives, and music is an ever present joy, life is busy. I never got to Ukraine. Some things in life are just not meant to be, I reckon.

So as life goes on and tests, trials and tribulatons are literally one after the other, exhaustment has threatened my path.... but as the Bible says in 2 Corinthains 4: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed..."

I know we all reach our stride, we all reach our climax, we all reach the milestones in life, we all have our own story to share... but I am fascinated and awe-struck, still amazed and stuck on this one thing, how faithful our God is and how strong He is when our strength is gone.

They say you never know what you've got until it's gone. I have found that what you have may not always be gone for good, but while it's gone, you realize what you had and that it might just have meant the whole world to you. And you desperately want it back. My brother recently went on a trip with our cousin. Just for a while. But it was so hard for me to be without him for that short amount of time. He is almost like my second half...lol! Seeing him walk through that door tonight was like sunshine shining through the clouds... or like sparkling rain during a drought. There's other loved ones that have been gone for a while. I'm seeing that, as more time goes by, all I can remember are the good times, and how much they meant to me, instead of all the times they made my blood boil cause I was so angry or they just made me cry! When it's that love that Christ works in you, it makes all other memories fade away except the ones that help you appreciate them more. Knowing what you've had, and now that it's gone... makes me wonder why I got so mad or why I allowed some things to hurt me so much. And then when you get back into routine and life starts to become normal again, it's easy to let frustration take hold again when you may not agree. Then all I have to do is remember how much I learned to appreciate them and how much more glad I am that they're here, rather than far away. It's thankfulness. It changes the whole perspective. A thankful heart. We are given so much that we take for granted, me especially. Take it from someone who knew the power of thankfulness and left it for a season. I have been blessed! I am so blessed. We never know how long we have. Life is too short to complain or take all we've been given for granted. I've got to praise Him as long as I breathe.