photography – Page 4 – Starlight Writer

This Day is Golden

October 17, 2014 Diana B.1 Comment

The warm October sun shines vibrantly through our maple tree’s leafy red flags, cautioning me that winter is just a few miles ahead. The season is changing quickly, but I want to play traffic cop. I want to make it park right here next to this red octagon at the end of the street. Stop. Just s-t-o-p. Stop the clock already.

But so many of the other maples are waving their brilliant, glowing yellow flags at me as I drive by. “Slow down!” They cry. “Slow down, pull over, look up and enjoy this beautiful day.”

The earth keeps spinning, and I suppose time is still going as fast as it always has, from one season to the next.

So why do I feel dizzy? Why do I feel like we are spinning and speeding from one week to the next in a racing blur of activity? In my dizziness, it seems I forget where we are going and why.

I study my young dancers. These dancers, they spin and twirl and they don’t get dizzy because they fix their eyes on something that isn’t moving. A focal point.

Yes, Hebrews 12:2. I need to stop spinning in distraction and fix my eyes on Jesus. He’s the steady, immovable One, and His love for me never changes. Colossians 3 says Jesus is seated above at the right hand of God, and that’s where I need to set my heart and mind — on things above.

Looking up I see that’s where every good and perfect gift comes from. The Father of Lights, He sends these gifts down to us, and unlike the golden leaves on the maple trees, He never changes and He never leaves us.

So yeah, dancers don’t get dizzy because they know where to focus. And dancers know where they are going because they count. They count the time in each measure of music so they can move with the music. Not way out ahead of it. Not far behind it. With it. To stay with it, they must count.

So when did I stop counting each day’s gifts? Because counting the gifts from above, the joys, the ways God loves me, that’s what helps me keep in step with Him. That’s what helps me remember where I am going and why. That’s what slows me down.

Ann Voskamp’s wise words taught me the only way to slow down time.

“Life is not an emergency.

And this, this is the only way to slow down time:

When I fully enter into the current moment with the weight of all my attention, I slow the torrent with the weight of me all here.

Weigh down this moment in time with attention full, and the whole of time’s river slows, slows, slows.

In this space of time and sphere, I am attentive. I am aware. I am accepting the whole of the moment, weighing it down with me all here. This giving thanks for one thousand things, it’s that too, an invitation to slow time down with weight of full attention.” -Ann Voskamp

Lord, the leaves glow a golden yellow and this day is beautifully golden! Thank You for making this day. Thank You for reminding me that this day is frail and fleeting. Help me slow down. Help me give this day the weight of my full attention and help me love those around me with my full attention.

Thank You for the vibrant fall colors that reflect Your glory. Thank You for these memorable moments with my lively little girls playing in the leaves, dancing in the autumn sunshine and strolling off to their piano lessons. Thank You for Your steadfast love and great faithfulness. Amen.

“This day we’re given is golden; let us show love. This day is ours for one moment; let us sow love. This day is frail – it will pass by. So before it’s too late to recapture the time, let us share love, let us share God, before this day is gone.” — from Point of Grace’s song “This Day”

Apple Pickin’ with Lacie

September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 Diana B.1 Comment

One of our favorite traditions every fall is a field trip to the orchard a few miles down the road. We always go to pick Haralson and McIntosh apples for baking apple pies. But I really can’t tell you about our annual apple adventures without telling you about Lacie the Red Wagon, a faithful companion throughout most of our family’s 10 year history of apple picking.

The first year we went apple picking as a family of four, my youngest was not yet walking, and so Lacie the Red Wagon helped haul her around the orchard. She loved getting to chew on her very own apple, and legend has it that she ate the entire thing, stem and all.

My oldest wasn’t quite 4 then and still preferred that we regularly address her as “Cinderella,” but she could already reach a few apples to pick right off the trees.

I don’t remember exactly when or how it happened, but somehow the girls decided finding Lacie the Red Wagon among the fleet of more than a dozen wagons at the orchard was essential in our annual apple picking adventures.

One year, the girls’ great-grandma came all the way from Oklahoma to visit us during apple season, and the girls were sure excited to introduce her to Lacie.

Another year, my youngest was thoroughly enjoying a crunchy, fresh-picked apple in the orchard until she realized her wiggly tooth was suddenly missing — as in completely-never-to-be-found-because-she-swallowed-it lost.

That was quite upsetting, and thankfully the wagon was able to console her with a ride as she adjusted to her new smile.

Her sister’s teeth, meanwhile, were safely secured with braces.

The next year, the smiles had changed again.

Now my youngest is almost 9 and quite an experienced apple picker.

My oldest is still delighted to help pick and especially enjoys climbing into the trees and up the trees.

The trees have grown bigger now and the girls have grown so much taller. My baby barely fits inside a wagon these days! But Lacie the Red Wagon remains constant and faithful in hauling fresh-picked fruit, posing for pictures and helping us make memories. “Keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye.” Proverbs 7:2

Captivating Crabapples Win the Day

May 29, 2014 Diana B.1 Comment

After our near-meltdown lilac adventure yesterday, we came upon the captivating crabapple trees, all in bloom.

We saw white ones…

and light pink ones…

and dark pink ones.

They were all in bloom together beneath the bright blue sky.

The smell was also lovely, though not nearly as noticeable as the lilacs.

But perhaps the most glorious part of the crabapples in bloom was the abundance of petals. Beneath each tree was a large round carpet of fallen petals.

They felt more numerous than the confetti in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

So the girls gathered up a handful or two…

And tossed them high!

Also enjoying the beauty of the crabapples was one of our favorite local artists, Jane Ask, who captured the delightful blooms with her oil painting. What a gift to see her work in progress.

And so, with all due respect to the lovely lilacs, the captivating crabapples won the day!

Picnicking and Wilting Amongst the Blooming Lilacs

May 28, 2014 Diana B.1 Comment

Today was the first sunny weekday of our summer break, so we dashed off for a picnic lunch at the Arboretum because the lilacs are in bloom.

And anyone who has ever loved a lilac knows (1) the scent of the blooming lilac is the loveliest scent of all, and (2) lilacs don’t bloom very long!

The weather was sticky and hot — in the 80s — and most of the lilac blooms were just a smidge past their prime. But surely our noses never knew the difference.

If only my camera could capture the aroma. Don’t you wish someone would invent digital scents or scratch-and-sniff computer screens?

Did I mention it was hot and sunny? My youngest daughter nearly wilted. She and her sister found a favorite spot under the taller lilacs, but she made it clear that she was still wilting.

So, like any good gardener, I found some water for my little bloom and she perked right up!

For the record, no shoes were lost in the making of this blog post.

Rain Boots and Books for Summer

May 20, 2014 Diana B.2 Comments

Remember that rain song in the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh? You know the one during which Piglet’s house floods and he gets swept away?

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down

in rushing, rising rivulets,

Till the river crept out of its bed

and crept right into Piglet’s.

That’s our theme song this spring. Forget the sandals and shorts. Our wardrobe has shifted from winter coats and snow boots to rain jackets and rain boots.

The flowers love the showers, and my little girls sure love the puddles. Somehow rain boots make you brave in a splashy sort of way.

A big sister’s steady hand also helps encourage a daring little adventurer across the rocks. I won’t mention who got wet this time.

The last day of school is Friday, and that will wrap up our sixth year of homeschooling! I love getting to share the many adventures of daily life with these two precious girls, and we are all in a hurry to shift into a slower speed for the next few months.

Bring on summer! I am looking forward to spending more time outdoors, especially on the lake, and I am also looking forward to relaxing with some great children’s books. If all this rain keeps up, we will have plenty of time for snuggling up on the couch with our books.

Here’s what’s on our homeschool list for summer read-alouds:

Hitty – Her First 100 Years by Rachel Field: We already started this chapter book about a delightful wooden doll who writes about her own exciting adventures. I am surprised already by the non-stop action in this story, which was the winner of the 1929 Newbery Medal.
The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars: As a devoted fan of E.B. White’s The Trumpet of the Swan and a huge fan of Trumpeter swans themselves, I am eager to read this compelling story that received the Newbery Medal in 1970, although I haven’t yet figured out how swans figure into this tale about a 14-year-old girl and a younger brother who is missing.
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson: Maybe you watched the movie in elementary school, too? I don’t remember if I ever read the book, but I do remember this story about a boy and his dog is a tear-jerker. I tend to confuse it with Wilson Rawl’s Where the Red Fern Grows, so I hope reading Old Yeller will help me distinguish the two. Published in 1956, Old Yeller is a Newbery Honor Book.
Abel’s Island by William Steig: This is another Newbery Honor Book, and it tells the story of a mouse who is swept away from his wife in a rainstorm and must learn to survive alone in the wild. Steig is also the author of Brave Irene, a fantastic picture book about a girl fighting a snowstorm.
The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson: This story is about an old hobo and the friendship and adventures he shares with a group of children. Published in 1958, it is also a Newbery Honor Book with delightful pictures by Garth Williams, illustrator of the Little House series and many, many other classics in children’s literature.

Of course, if the weather turns out really lovely this summer, a few of these books might get bumped to fall. Flexibility is this homeschool mom’s favorite tool.

What’s on your reading list this summer?

Goldfinches Galore

May 19, 2014 Diana B.1 Comment

This spring we have been blessed with goldfinches galore.

Earlier today my oldest daughter counted 15 goldfinches on the feeders and on the patio below. They were more rampant than dandelions.

Of course, watching these cheerful little yellow birds come and go really brightens our day.

As I mentioned a few days ago, tulips also bring us joy. If you walked by our house, our tiny patch of tulips probably wouldn’t catch your eye. We only have a few. But they pose so nicely when I photograph them.

“Let all things their Creator bless, and worship Him in humbleness. O praise Him! Alleluia!” -Saint Francis of Assisi

Dancing with the Daffodils

May 16, 2014 Diana B.2 Comments

Most of last week I spent chasing after girls as we ran to and from dance lessons, dress rehearsals, and dance concerts. It was all quite lovely, really, but this week we shifted gears and decided to chase a few flowers instead.

At the Arboretum my camera caught some dancing daffodils fluttering in the breeze of mid May.

Yes, some years we have daffodils in March, but not so this year.

Daffodils always remind me of this poem and this daffadowndilly day a few years ago.

After dancing among the daffodils, we tiptoed through the tulips.

This lonely little tulip was one of our favorites.

We do indeed have a slight obsession with tulips, which goes back several years.

The blooming azaleas were simply captivating, too. Azaleas always remind me of my husband’s grandma, who has such a lovely display of azaleas at her house in the spring.

What’s blooming in your neck of the woods?

The Sun of Righteousness Arose

April 21, 2014 Diana B.1 Comment

“Ay, but when we go down, down, down, is it not a blessed thing that Jesus Christ of the seed of David died, and was raised from the dead? If I sink right down among the dead men yet will I hold to this blessed hope, that as Jesus rose again from the dead, so also shall my joy, my usefulness, my hope, my spirit rise.” -Charles Spurgeon

I walk down to the dock just after 6 a.m. on Easter to find a thin blanket of fog shrouding the lake.

All is calm. No wind. No waves. The water is a glassy mirror, a perfect reflection of the sky above.

The only movements are the ripples the ducks make gliding across the water.

A red-winged blackbird perches atop a new birdhouse built for the wood ducks. He stands tall and attentively, singing his happy, trilling song. Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing in praise right along with him.

But in the stillness, in the waiting for a glimpse of glory, I catch a whiff of something downright rotten. Floating among the cattails are dozens of dead carp — fish that didn’t survive being down, down, down below the thick ice of this deeply frozen lake.

Up they have come now with the thaw, and this stench of death is foul. Charles Wesley’s words keep coming to mind.

“His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me.”

I was once dead in my sins and stinking something awful, worse even than the rotten stench of these dead fish.

“But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4

Oh, the triumphs of His grace this Easter morning!

The light fog starts to lift a bit. And the sun rises, and all I can think of is the glory of how the Son rises, too. The Son rises, too. The Light of the World.

I see all the glory of it above me and the perfect reflection of that glory here below.

“On this glad day the glorious Sun of Righteousness arose…”

“Glory to God, and praise and love be ever, ever given, by saints below and saints above, the church in earth and heaven.” Charles Wesley

A Sugar Snow!

April 3, 2014April 3, 2014 Diana B.1 Comment

It’s April 3 and the thick snow is falling on us like a heavy, wet blanket. Is this a sugar snow? Mr. Masters isn’t here yet, and the first bucket feels empty. Will there be any sap today?

My oldest, she runs on to another tapped tree and excitedly reports that the bucket there is really, really heavy. Heavy with sap!

Mr. Masters and a few more friends arrive, ready to help.

He says the sap is running and it’s time to collect it!

The crew of kids, they all hear him say “sugar” and quickly grab buckets. They follow him closely into the woods.

Well, most follow him closely.

At each tapped tree, Mr. Masters removes the bucket lid, and we peer inside to marvel at all the sap. The 5-gallon bucket at this big tree filled up in just 24 hours!

Next Mr. Masters carefully exchanges the filled bucket with an empty one and moves on to the next tapped tree.

The crew takes turns pouring sap into the buckets.

Everyone tastes a bit of the sweet sap. My youngest sips it right out of the tree. And this cute little guy, he gets a taste from his daddy’s finger.

With full buckets in tow, we hike back through the snowy woods to the parking lot, where Mr. Masters pours all of the sap into a huge tank in the back of his suburban.

Then we go back into the woods and do it all over again. And again. And again. Altogether, we collect 50 gallons of sap in a little more than an hour.

Then Mr. Masters goes on to other wooded spots where he has tapped trees. In all he collects 100 gallons today. Miraculous!

More Maples and Springy-ish-ness

March 27, 2014March 27, 2014 Diana B.Leave a comment

Last week we spent the first afternoon of spring at the Arboretum, exploring the tapped maple trees there and also looking for signs of spring.

The Arb uses different equipment for tapping trees — most notable are the bright blue bags, which make it easy to see the sap inside.

They also run these hoses between taps — and use the law of gravity — to collect sap from multiple trees. The Arb collects a lot of sap. Last year, they made 111 gallons of syrup. And if you figure that it takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, that means they collected nearly 4,500 gallons of sap last spring. That’s quite impressive!

Another impressive tidbit to share concerns our watch for signs of springy-ish-ness. It’s impressive how much snow has melted since our Arboretum trip two weeks before this. Remember how we couldn’t find a single bench to sit on?

And remember the magnolia tree with the nearly invisible bench?

Well, the snow is melting and the girls found multiple places to sit!

Also, the tips of the magnolia’s branches are {maybe} looking a tad bit fuzzier.

In closing, I must credit the cranberries for their bold color contributions while we await the arrival of spring flowers and all.

Thank you, cranberries. And happy spring, y’all!

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