Senior Portrait: Josh 2011

Josh is a wonderful young man who loves basketball and food.  He also loves the Lord and helps with a children's church ministry.   He's kind of an extension of our family, too.  Thank you, Josh, for allowing me to take your senior portrait. :)





















Which one is your fave?

Why Be Nice?

“Love is always bestowed as a gift—freely, willingly, and without expectation. We don’t love to be loved; we love to love.”  --Leo F. Buscaglia

Why be nice? Why do you do the things you do?  This is something that has been on my mind for a while now, but a Facebook friend’s status caused me to revisit it.

How would you feel if you knew someone did nice things for you in order to get something back in return?   I know we usually do things for people to make them happy, to meet a need, to let them know they are loved and valued, and when they’re happy, we’re happy.  So, it’s true that we usually gain at least the benefit of happiness ourselves, even if being made happy is not our motivation.   But what if you knew that the person’s primary reason for doing nice things for you was to make themselves likable and happy and even to get something in return?  Would you feel loved... or would you feel used?

I think it’s somewhat natural for us to subconsciously hope for something in return, even if only for a response in kind expressing an acceptance of the thoughtfulness or friendship. But have you ever done something nice for someone in secret... anonymously, simply because you knew it was something they needed?   Usually, in those instances, because the person doesn’t know who to thank, they end up thanking God, and He gets the glory.  On the flip side, have you ever done things to make someone happy and then become hurt or even upset when they seemed to ignore you or take you for granted?   I confess that I have felt that before... even recently.  Why do we sometimes feel that way? The Bible reveals that we get upset when we don’t get what we want or expect.   (James 4:1-3)  Sometimes our expectations are realistic.   The greater the level of intimacy or connection in a relationship, the greater and more realistic the expectation.   Just be sure the feelings of connection and intimacy are mutual lest you become disappointed when your expectations are not met.  Sometimes our responses reveal that our expectations and motivations are more self-focused.   If we are truly doing something for someone else, then we should do so with an attitude of not expecting anything in return, else we are in essence doing it primarily for ourselves.

A good friend of mine has said that people, but especially children, want to know two basic things: 1) Who’s in charge? and 2) Am I loved?  We all want to be loved and valued.  John tells us that we love God, because He first loved us.  (1 John 4:19)  And Jesus said we are no different from others if we simply love those who love us.   So instead, we should be like God, our Father, and love and bless even those who hate us... and use us.   (Matthew 5:43-48)   So, why be nice even if it seems to get you no where?  Because it’s the right thing... the loving thing to do.

Rock Hopper and Beach Comber

A few days ago, my daughter and I took her puppy, Sally, to a park, situated next to a brook, and yesterday we took a trip out to the ocean. We've been experiencing some record high temperatures for this time of year, and I didn't want to let this summer pass by without going to the beach.



Because Sally is still in training, she was kept on a retractable leash and had to be untangled a few times.



She liked wading in the shallow parts, but seemed a bit timid about venturing into the deeper, moving water. She loved hopping on the rocks. She was so cute and quite adventurous, sometimes making leaps two or three times her body length!



While exploring the brook further downstream, we discovered this beautiful wildflower. It is Gentiana Andrewsii, also known as "Andrew's Gentian" or "Closed Bottle Gentian" because it never actually opens.



The beach was very crowded yesterday. We were surprised considering most of the schools in our area have begun. But it was a gorgeous day to be on the beach nonetheless.



Doesn't this grouping of rocks standing firmly in the receding waves give you a sense of... strength and tranquility? Our Creator is the Master Artist!



Instead of making our way down to the rock jetty as we usually do, we went in the opposite direction until we came to a 'wall' of rocks and boulders... the perfect place for a 'treasure' hunt.



We found bits of pretty drift wood and a couple of shells, and I came across a tiny red crab. My daughter was actually a little grossed out when I touched it, because... well, it was no longer among the living.



We also came across a sunglasses graveyard or a kind of lost and found. One had a stem missing and another had a bit of dried seaweed hanging on. I found it curious that one of them had an elastic band still attached. Perhaps the high tide absconded with them and then stashed them among the rocks. Speaking of tide, it was coming in fast, so we didn't tarry too long lest we find ourselves in a predicament.



The waves were beautiful but very powerful. Red flags, caution signs, and constant blows on whistles signaled the danger of riptides.



Several people had to be rescued by lifeguards. The woman on the left was rescued after being caught in a riptide. Another group of teenagers was also rescued after daring to go a bit too far despite the shrill warnings.



The 'big guns' were finally called in. Waverunners don't get tired. Wouldn't it be cool to have his job?



Some people were smart enough to heed the warnings and stay closer to shore. You can't see it in the photo, but three or four other people weren't as fortunate to catch the wave like this guy.

Despite the fact that my daughter was developing a sore throat and earache 1-1/2 hours into the trip, which was halfway there, we still had a wonderful time feeling the sand between our toes, cooling off in the salty ocean waves, shopping on the boardwalk, and eating junk food. Isak Dinesen, a Danish author, once said, "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." I would agree... almost. My daughter is still not feeling well today, so could you offer up a little prayer for her? Thanks...

A Lesson in Chinese

James arrived Monday for a week long visit to spend time with his sweetie.  We picked him up at the airport in Manchester, NH then looked for a place to eat.



James wanted Chinese, but the restaurant Tiffany had googled looked a bit 'sketchy', so James pulled out his iPhone to look for another and we ended up at the Beijing Tokyo Restaurant in Concord.



Tiffany ordered a Pad Thai dish, and James ordered Sweet and Sour Chicken. The food was not only beautifully presented, but it tasted scrumptious, too!



I ordered the Seaweed Salad for myself as well as a Pu Pu Platter to share. Our waitress was a very polite, attentive young woman who seemed somewhat unsure of her English. At one point when she brought something, I said, "Xie Xie," pronounced (sheh sheh) which means "Thank you" in Mandarin Chinese. Her face lit up! I'm glad she didn't try to speak to me in Chinese, because I know only a few words and phrases. Wanna know how to say the food is good? It's really easy to remember. My brother-in-law taught me. Just think of a hen house and say, "Hen hao" (hen how). See? Wasn't that easy? (^_~)

In the Quiet Misty Morning

I was so blessed to have the opportunity to do a little camping this past weekend.  It had been years!  Michael, a friend from church, organized a group to get together at a local campground.  Each of us had individual campsites, but we traveled back and forth to one another’s site.  We also went swimming together, went on a boat ride, and the guys played horseshoes.  The time was nicely spent.

During the night and the wee hours of the morning, I could hear loons calling out to each other.  The sound was hauntingly beautiful as it blended with the symphony of other creatures.  I got up to walk down to the lake in hopes of seeing a loon, taking some pictures and simply enjoying the beauty and tranquility of the morning.

Eli, an eleven-year-old young man, was already there.  He had caught a large bass the day before and had risen with the sun to catch another.  His father was not far behind me when I arrived, and we began to chat as Eli continued to fish.  It’s always nice sharing the beauty of God’s creation with another person.

The rising mist and the sun’s reflection upon the water was breathtaking.  A verse from the song Homeward Bound came to mind.  “In the quiet misty morning, when the moon has gone to bed, when the sparrows stop their singing, and the sky is clear and red...”  I had sung the song one summer on a town common with a church group.  It’s so beautiful and very fitting in a military tribute entitled Until Then... 

Keeping a Distance

'Leslie' looks on wistfully from a distance, longing to join in the fun.  My daughter adopted a puppy last week... a Sheltie Beagle Pug mix. Although her kitty, Leslie, is beginning to venture closer, she still hisses to warn 'Sally' to keep her distance.

Photo Safari

My daughter and I went on a photo safari after hearing from our neighbor that a fawn was recently born nearby. We didn't see any deer, but we had a nice time together walking gingerly through the field and forest.

FAIL'd... But Lesson Learned

 “For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.”  --Deuteronomy 15:11

Have you ever thought you’d learned something through reading or hearing, but when put to the test, you weren’t ready and wished God would give you another chance?  While in the area for a friend’s wedding, my family and I took a trip into Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall and possibly a museum or two.  We were ill-prepared in more ways than one.  Using our GPS, we tried to locate a parking garage close by, but we ended up parking ten blocks away.  Since it was such a beautiful day and we wanted to take some pictures of the amazing architecture we’d passed, we decided to walk.  Although ten city blocks was a greater distance than we’d anticipated in the hot blazing sun, I’m really glad we walked, because I learned a valuable lesson that day.

I had just finished the two books about homelessness by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, but it hadn’t even occurred to me that we might see homeless people on the streets of downtown Philadelphia.  Having been to Boston several times, despite seeing street musicians playing for money, I don’t remember seeing homeless people nor experiencing the pungent smells of urine and filth.  As we walked around the gorgeous City Hall building in Centre Square, I noticed a man several yards away sleeping atop cardboard on one of the benches under the shade of some trees.  We came to the corner of the building and saw a very thin, ragged-looking woman with hollow eyes sitting on some steps.  I wondered if she was homeless and wanted to give her some money or ask if she needed anything, but I didn’t quite know how to go about it, so we just passed by.  At the back of the building heading toward Market Street sat an older black woman asking for a match.  We apologized for not having a match to give her.  I wondered if I could perhaps buy some matches for her, but since I was with my family and didn’t know where to purchase any, I didn’t say anything.  As we kept walking, a young, strong-looking black man had just shoved a lighter into his pocket after lighting his cigarette.  I wanted to stop and ask him if he could offer the woman a light, but I was out of my element, and I was sure she’d ask him anyway when he passed by.  I turned to look and wish I’d turned sooner, prepared to capture the moment with my camera, but it blessed me to see a young man being kind to an old woman.

As we walked down Market Street, I saw another thin man sleeping on a covered bus bench with a shirt over his face, a young man sitting on the sidewalk against a brick wall with an open suitcase and a cardboard sign, and an overweight woman asking passersby to buy her something to eat.  We walked a little further, and I finally stopped, took out my wallet and shoved a bill into my pocket to be easily accessible.  “What is that for?” my daughter asked.

“For a homeless person,” I replied.

As we drew closer to Independence Park, we didn’t seem to encounter another homeless person.  After seeing the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, we decided to utilize the transportation system so that we might have more time to visit a museum or the zoo.  But first, we stopped at a nearby Dairy Queen to use their facilities and get something cold to drink.  As we sat for a moment and I drank my ice cold raspberry lemonade, I thought about the homeless who must be hot and thirsty, so I bought a bottled water to go along with the money I had shoved in my pocket.  I prayed God would give me another chance... but... He didn’t.  As we walked the block toward a shuttle bus stop, I purposefully looked for a homeless person to bless.  I wish I had asked my family if we could have kept walking, but I thought surely, we could ride the bus to City Hall and encounter someone there.  We didn’t.  Why, I wondered, wasn’t God giving me another chance?

Remember the young man with the open suitcase?  I had wanted to take his picture, as well as others, and capture the plight of the homeless, but I also try to consider a person’s privacy and dignity.  I could’ve asked for permission or simply taken a picture of his suitcase and cardboard sign.  Did you wonder what the sign said?  It said something like, “Today is my 22nd birthday, and I have nothing...”  Despite what I thought I’d learned from Denver Moore’s admonition to not judge a person, I had judged the young man.  Although my heart went out to him, I had judged his sign to be merely a way of tugging at heartstrings to gain more sympathy and money.  Maybe it really was his 22nd birthday, but even if it wasn’t, he was obviously in some kind of need... and he was someone’s son.  If God had allowed me to give that bottle of water and money to someone else, it’s likely I would’ve felt good about myself and neglected to reflect on my failure to try to get to know a person, ask his name, and show the unconditional love of Christ.  I failed, but I truly hope the lesson was learned.

My Friend Mya

“A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.”  --Proverbs 12:10

Have you ever noticed that look of love and trust in the eyes of a horse or a dog when its owner approaches?  You’ll usually also see it nuzzle its owner as it tries to get as close as possible to him or her.

I was pondering the second half of Proverbs 12:10, “... but even the compassion of the wicked is cruel”.  How can that be?  How can compassion or tender mercies be cruel?  They are cruel when they are inconsistent and mixed with indifference and callousness, because the recipient doesn’t know what to expect.  Instead of love, trust, and nuzzles, you’ll find apprehension and distance.  I'd rather have nuzzles, wouldn't you?

Afraid You'll Miss Something?

Today was Labor Day.  Did you have plans to do anything special or to simply get together with family or friends?  Did you have that one last summer fling?  Or did you feel restless, thinking that everyone else had something to do except you?

I helped some friends do some painting in their pizzeria today.  It was kind of a spur of the moment thing, because... well, my family didn’t have anything planned.  And besides, I couldn’t see my friends doing so much work by themselves, so I offered to help.  It was so nice seeing them again.  My friend, Keith made subs for lunch, and we ate outside on the green in the gazebo.  Then  later, he made three pizzas for me to take home to my family.  Each one was specially made, including one without cheese for my daughter.  He makes the best pizza, and both he and his wife are wonderful people.  Although it wasn’t anything I would’ve planned for Labor Day, I was blessed.

After enjoying the pizza with my family, I wanted to get caught up with other friends and family on Facebook.  I was surprised to see that many others had not made plans for the day either and had been wondering what to do, but isn’t that what most of our lives really look like most of the time?  And it’s not like we didn’t do anything this Labor Day weekend.  Our pastor and his wife hosted a BBQ and ice cream social at their home yesterday.  So why the need to do something today?  Perhaps it has something to do with something our pastor said in one of his sermons:  “Resistance to rest is a mark of immaturity.”  Are we sometimes like two-year-olds who don’t want to take a nap, because we’re afraid we’ll miss something?