A Message of Love

I took this shot of the morning sky almost two weeks ago because I thought the patterns and textures were so beautiful. It wasn't until I went to process the photo that I noticed the small heart of light. Isn't it cool when God sends us a message of love when we least expect it?

"But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared..." --Titus 3:4

Fruits Game

I am the 'game lady' for a children's Bible club, and I wanted to come up with a game that would teach the kids about the fruits of the Spirit vs. the works of the flesh. (Galatians 5:13-26) So, I drew pieces of fruit and labeled them.  The kids had to sort them, considering which are good 'fruits' and which are bad... which ones are pleasing to God and which are not.  I thought it might help them really consider the fruits of the Spirit and the works of the flesh more seriously if they had to actually read the words and consider which category each one belonged.  It also gave us an opportunity to teach them what some of the words and characteristics mean.  Maybe you can use this idea for your own children's ministry, and if you have any ideas of games you've played that teach, I hope you'll leave a comment and share your own tips.  Thanks!  :)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." --Galatians 5:22, 23

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.

Chocolate

Here, have some chocolate. Feel better now? --Anonymous

“Nobody knows the truffles I’ve seen!” --Anonymous

“Chocolate is nature’s way of making up for Mondays.” --Anonymous

“Look, there’s no metaphysics on earth like chocolates.” --Fernando Pessoa, Portugueses poet (1888-1935)

I had actually bought these chocolates last Monday when I took my daughter and niece for a girls' day out. We hit a few thrift stores, walked down Church Street in Burlington, had lunch at Sweetwaters and then bought some chocolate from Lake Champlain Chocolates for dessert. Yum!

Happy Monday!  (^_~)

New Friends and New Places

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter and I, along with her puppy, Sally, met Dash on our way to a doggie park as we walked through Burlington's Waterfront Park.  Dash was so excited and wanted to play, but Sally was a bit nervous.



Can you see Dash's nose twitching?  He had such a great personality!



Dash's owner is such a sweet lady.  She was so patient, understanding and tender toward Sally, she seemed like a female version of Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer.  Her other dog, Tyga, seemed to sense Sally's nervousness and being a lot bigger than she, he approached her gently and then romped off to explore and play by himself.   Sally eventually warmed up and even began to timidly approach Tyga.  It was a good socialization experience.  Thank you, Sharon!



On the way to and around the doggie park via a dirt path, we came across old foundations or concrete walkways on which someone painted various patterns of line art.



As we continued on the path, it lead to the water's edge, and we noticed a small man-made peninsula and just had to explore it to the end.  There was some sort of old metal frame at the end and in the water, but we couldn't get a sense of its purpose.



Earlier, off to the side of a more wooded area of the path, we had noticed a makeshift tent and campsite nestled in the trees and thick vines.  And then further down the path and along the water's edge, we came across this bar of soap, as well as a pair of dingy white socks and bright pink undies hanging in a tree.  Hmmm...



Although the fall foliage wasn't at its peak, there were pockets of pretty peakness.



Because medium to large sized dogs were inhabiting the doggie park, my daughter decided to go back another time, perhaps when Sally has had a bit more experience under more controlled circumstances.  On the way back to the Waterfront Park and along the bike path, we passed by this fire hydrant, and I just couldn't resist getting a shot of Sally with it.



As we continued walking, I noticed this man sitting on one of the park benches.  I have a Flickr friend, who has taken a 'bench series' of photos.  While I try to be respectful of peoples' privacy, I admire my friend's boldness and photographic skill.  All of a sudden, I heard a familiar voice call my name, and when I turned to see who it was, I was pleasantly surprised to see my friend, Cassie's smiling face.  She was taking a break from work, so we walked and talked together the rest of the way along the waterfront.  What a nice day making new friends, exploring new places, and unexpectantly meeting up with a close friend.  :)

Gracie: 100 Days Old

My family has a tradition of taking a baby's photo at 100 days old. Although I don't know what the significance is, I do know celebrating a baby's 100th day is an Asian tradition. My parents had my photo taken, and since it's really the only tradition to be passed on, I decided to continue it and was delighted when my son and daughter-in-law wanted to do so as well. So, my daughter and I teamed up and did a photo shoot with Gracie.



Gracie was asleep when we began the photo shoot.



I couldn't resist getting a closeup of her pretty little mouth.



When she awoke, she was ready to go! So we started with a pose to try and match her daddy's.





I thought it would be cool to get a shot of her daddy's and my baby portraits with her. Her daddy's portrait on the left was taken by Beltrami's, and my portrait on the right was taken somewhere in Okinawa.



At one point, Gracie rolled off the pillow from her tummy and onto her back. It seemed to pleasantly surprise her.



The pink scarf tied into a bow was my idea, but her daddy laughed, because it was so big. He said it looked like a turban. We all laughed until I was in tears. But don't you think she looks adorable?



Her mommy then dressed her in a pretty outfit handmade by Jean, a dear friend.



This is the setup. One studio light, natural light from a window, a mirror to the right (not shown) to bounce some of the light, and a softbox diffuser on my on-camera flash. Gracie's mommy helped direct Gracie's attention by shaking a soft flower rattle, while Gracie's daddy fixed a cup of coffee for her mommy. Working together... it's one of the things that helps keep family traditions alive.

If you like these, check out her sneak preview pic: Sneak Preview: 100 Days Old

Sneak Preview: 100 Days Old

Our family has a tradition of taking a photo of a baby on the 100th day. Here is a sneak preview of my first grandchild, Gracie, at 100 days old in a pretty outfit made by Jean. :)