Dragonflies are one of my ‘things’…you know…works of the Creator that I appreciate for their speed, agility, and variety.   Little winged works of art as varied in color and design as the people around me.  Any interaction between dragonflies and myself has been a quick fly by or maybe an accidental landing on my arm, only to take off when it realizes it has perched on a ‘who’ and not a ‘what’.

            As I was walking with my granddaughters, we happened upon a beautiful dragonfly on the sidewalk; his body, iridescent blue, with gossamer wings, sitting unusually still.  We approached quietly to try to get a closer look, knowing that any moment he would sense us and take flight.  But he did not.  And when he did see us and attempted to fly, it was apparent that he was injured, and could not.   My granddaughter bent down in absolute wonder at being able to get such a close look at this beautiful creature.   Then she reached out her finger, and gently, ever so tenderly, touched the back of the dragonfly’s body.  My first thought was to tell her not to, but as I watched her, I thought of how truly enthralled she was at the opportunity to commune with this little critter.  And so I just watched as she admired the dragonfly, and gave it a couple more light touches before turning to finish our walk.

            It occurs to me that, there are times in our lives that we are sometimes the injured one.  And if we can be still enough to let someone caress our heart with care, either words, or cookies, or a note, that we have not only been helped, but the person who has come close to us has been helped as well; been given an opportunity to see us up close as we really are; fragile, needy, beautiful creations.  I don’t think we helped the dragonfly.  But I am sure we didn’t injure him further.  And when she happens on one flying by, I know my granddaughter will have a special understanding of them, and an appreciation for their beauty and their fragile nature. 

            Matthew 25:40 reminds us: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’L

I want eyes to see the injured for the wonder of your creation.  And I want to be willing to be still and be touched when I am the injured one. 

Hilton Head…lovely getaway place filled with sunshine, surf, and my favorite food group, seafood!  HH is also known for its population of prehistoric type residents. 

On our latest venture to our favorite spot there, we were beach walking…something we do many times each day, so we can justify all the snacking and wonderful meals…when we spied what might have been an alligator ahead on the beach.   It caused everyone to do a double take. Let’s face it, armed only with sunglasses and protected only by sunblock, we were in no position to do battle with a ‘gator! 

As we got closer and closer, what was definitely gator shaped, was actually a piece of beautiful driftwood on the beach.   The picture for me here is that the closer we got to the unknown, the easier it is to deal with, and the less frightening.   Words from 2 Timothy 1:7 paint a picture for us:  ‘For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power…

So go ahead and approach those gator moments today and live fearlessly.  Once you come up on them, you will be equipped to deal with them and they won’t look as scary as you thought!

Funny how a memory from my kidhood will literally wash over me when the location (or taste, or smell) is just right.  Recently it was a happy memory of our family at the beach.  The beach trips were my favorite.  And the memory that overtook me on this day was that of my Daddy taking my sister and me out to ride the waves.  When it was my turn I would be held in his strong arms for the adventure.  The waves seemed massive to this eight year old, as they rose and fell and sometimes crashed on us.  Daddy would hold me and help me float over the gentle swells.  That was the best.  But sometimes a wave would get to its breaking point just as it reached us. The churning water would cause me to cling even tighter to Daddy.  Often he would lift me up over the surf at his own expense. I would see him take the brunt of the wave full in the face while he lifted me up over it all.  But once in a while, whether by his plan to test me or by circumstance, he would let the wave churn over both of us. We might both feel the full force of the wave, but Daddy never ever let go of me.  It never occurred to me that he would.  When the rowdy wave passed we would laugh and celebrate and be grateful for the smooth waves when we could just relax and ride. 

 And as my remembering takes me to this long ago place I see a picture of my Heavenly Father Who never lets go either.  Whether the life waves I am riding at any point are smooth and easy, or they are crashing over me with an intimidation factor with which to be reckoned, I am grateful that He will not leave me alone, but will ride it out holding me firmly.   I will be ok on the other side of it.  I know this because my Daddy showed me my Heavenly Father will never let go.  See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. 1 John 3:1 . Enjoy being held by arms that will never let you go!

For my childhood years, my mother and dad have chased after me…viewing the south side of me heading north…trying to keep me out of harms way, trying to keep me from getting lost, and trying to just ‘keep me’.  Lately, I have enjoyed being the one behind when we are out and about together.  Watching them holding hands or linking arms is one of my great joys.  

The picture is one of love, commitment, endurance, and faith.  Even though I can see the two of them, I fully realize there are three in their relationship.  They choose to walk with their God in each step of their marriage.  

This Sunday, June 9th, they celebrate sixty-eight years as Husband, Wife, and Savior.  Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, “One person could be overpowered. But two people can stand up for themselves. And a rope made out of three cords isn’t easily broken.”    Maybe three isn’t a crowd after all!

Happy 68th Anniversary, Momma and Daddy! We love you so very much!

He was just a little guy, around three years old. He and his slightly older sister were the center of my universe and I took keeping them alive, fed, clothed, and loved very seriously.

One morning he rolled into the kitchen to tell me something that was important in his mind to share with his Mom.

As I wrestled with breakfast preparation I acknowledged him and kept on with the task of getting the kid kibble ready as he spoke. That was when my three year old son taught me a very important skill. He came to my side at the kitchen counter, gently tugged on my shirt and said, ‘Mom, Listen with your eyes.’

Life. Changing.

When a child speaks wisdom to us, it can be startling, unexpected, and unforgettable. Thirty four years later, the lesson he taught me that morning in our kitchen still comes to my mind. People are important. We can make them feel valued by listening to them with our eyes. Picture our Great God, Who always takes time to hear us with His eyes. Psalm 145:8 reminds me, ‘The Lord is gracious, kind and tender.’ Picture this: a person who can also be gracious, kind, tender…an eye listener.

There’s a neighbor down the street and around the corner…I haven’t met her yet, but I love her!   I have seen evidence in her sometimes open garage that she enjoys working with plants…has seedling pots and soil and all the paraphernalia that goes along with gardening from scratch.   

On my daily walks by her home, I spotted this dandelion, insistent on growing in the middle of her driveway in a front yard that is really quite well tended.   Day after day, as I walk by, I enjoy seeing this wildflower getting taller and taller, being left alone to grow.   I don’t know if anyone else notices it, but I sure do!

Sometimes I tend to be a little ‘its gotta be just right’ in my way of doing things.   According to Psalm 39:4 life can be short! The picture is that it’s ok to loosen up, relax, and sometimes just enjoy the weird little weeds that pop up in life!

As a kid, I would run and play in the woods with my ‘oh so woods-wise’ friend who was extremely allergic to poison ivy, and had learned to identify the hairy scary vines out of self defense.   As we would crawl under fences and jump over logs, she would point out the green leafed villain so I wouldn’t get the terrible itchy rash that rewarded the unobservant wanderer.  

Wonder what you and I will run across today that we should leave untouched?  Maybe it’s something we should leave unsaid that will harm us or someone else.  Maybe it’s an action that would do us harm that should be left undone.

Psalm 19:14 gives us a great ‘leaves of three, let it be’ reminder…

‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.’

Be careful out there!

Lolli and I planted a radish garden in a container.  The seeds wasted no time sprouting and growing.  To ease the mind of those in the gardening ‘know’, we have thinned them out once, and will do it again in a couple of days.   As I knelt down to tend the little plants, my eyes were drawn to some nearby greenery in the mulch where we had the container when we did our planting.   The little green heads popping up are identical to the ones in the radish garden.   Looks like some of the radish seeds slipped through Lolli’s fingers and found a spot to grow on their own.

   The picture~Sometimes we are very intentional in our actions, sure of what we are doing and how it will impact others.   But sometimes God takes what we have done, and uses it unexpectedly, in a spot we hadn’t planned…in a life we hadn’t known we would influence.  

   What a great reason to spend our days ‘doing’ and let God choose where our influence will count!

And from Ecclesiastes 11:6 in excellent Farmers’ Almanac style, “In the morning plant your seeds. In the evening keep your hands busy. You don’t know what will succeed. It may be one or the other.

Or both might do equally well.”

Let’s plant some good stuff today!

Found this little guy strolling across my front walk and so I took a picture to remind me that sometimes it isn’t about how fast you get somewhere, but that you just keep moving in your chosen direction.  

Having taken a break from all my normal activities and duties to spend some special time with my best friend/husband on an adventure, I even let writing pause.  Funny thing, the ideas never stopped coming and I made notes along the way.  But I chose not to develop any ideas fully and instead let them just simmer.   And now it feels like the time to continue the journey of looking at the pictures in my world and seeing what God may teach me through them.   

But my routine day to day brings with it a certain momentum, and this wonderful adventure broke my writing stride. Not complaining!  Getting started again requires space and focus, and my impatience with myself at my inability to get going has been pretty high.  

In Ecclesiastes 3, the ultimate time management handbook, verse 11 speaks loudly to me.

‘He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.’

Cue the snail!  

I’m pretty sure my slimy little friend here isn’t super sure of his immediate destination.  To his credit, he is moving forward.  I love it that, even when I am unsure of my immediate destination, I don’t have to see the whole journey.  Are you on a roll today, or just moving slowly forward?  God in Charge has it covered… beginning to end.

So I’m breaking out some more Picture This moments, and if you feel curious enough to take a look with me, even better!  Your comments are always welcome, because your perspective counts!  If it will benefit someone, feel free to share, too.  www.picturethis.press