Small Moment

Canon EOS Rebel T2i, EFS 55-250mm, 4.0 aperture, 1/3200 shutter, 100 ISO

 

My pictures this time aren't of tiny things at eye level. But instead they are of small moments that opened my eyes to the world around me. Noticing the obvious, but also trying to capture the less obvious... like the reflection of colors and light...

 

...or the way the light moves...

Sometimes big things are small things... And who's to say what is "small" anyway?

"For the person for whom small things do not exist, the great is not great."
-Jose Ortega Gasset

And there are those small moments that make up a memory you won't soon forget... the little words that produce grand feelings. The small things we take for granted, daily... that, if we continue to take them for granted, can become a giant hole in us, waiting to be filled.

YOU might be someone's small moment.



"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

-James 1:17

Break Out of My Shell

Canon EOS Rebel T2i, 100 mm 2.8 macro, 2.8 aperture, 1/50 shutter, 100 ISO

 Sometimes I feel like I'm always put into situations (or putting myself in situations) that makes me the "new kid on the block." Whether it's changing grade levels, or starting graduate classes, or putting myself out there to make new friends... Will I fit in? Will I appear smart and competent? Will people value my opinion? It takes a while for me to warm up enough to let people see the "real" me, but when I am ready, I like to think that I am like a cicada- that I break out of my shell.



I know in the long run, being shy or holding back doesn't do anyone (including me) any good. And all I have to show for it... a fragile, empty shell that just gets left behind anyway.

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” -Dr. Seuss

"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."
-2 Timothy 1:7

Armor

 Canon EOS Rebel T2i, 100 mm 2.8 macro, 3.5 aperture, 1/80 shutter, 640 ISO

That's some serious armor.

Or perhaps a creature in need of a new stylist.

But really, I had never seen anything like this before. It was about 5 inches long, and I could see it in the road from my driveway. I thought it was a green baby pinecone, but as I approached it, I realized it was definitely NOT. Sadly, this guy's excursion out onto the hot asphalt seemed to be his last.



Very curious to know what in the world this thing was, I googled "big green caterpillar with horns." (What else?)  It is a Hickory Horned Devil Caterpillar, which is the larva of a Regal Moth (the ginormous ones you see around street lamps).  



Looking at this scary-looking thing (who, if alive, would actually do no more harm to me than a pinecone...), I thought of armor... protection... defense. We all put on armor at times, whether it be to hide, or to fight. Either way, we are protecting ourselves. We have different suits of armor, too- some that we wear on our heart, some that we wear at our jobs, some that we wear with our families... The toughest times in life though, can be deciding when we should wear that armor, or when we should expose ourselves and be vulnerable. In the end, we must know that those suits of armor can't guard us completely- after all, even this poor guy still baked in his!

There is only one suit we can put on that will provide us true protection...

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes."
-Ephesians 6:10-11

Mushroom

Canon EOS Rebel T2i, 100 mm 2.8 macro, 2.8 aperture, 1/4000 shutter, 100 ISO

I have not been satisfied with where I sit in my faith lately. I have let myself "get too busy" or too lazy. I have procrastinated, and convinced myself that I would be better about quiet time and prayer and reading later. And by far the worst habit I have is the longer I put it off, the more I feel bad about putting off God and it takes me even LONGER to return to Him out of guilt. You would think this would be all the more reason to run to Him, but that's what Satan does to a heart... the guilt soon mushrooms out of control. I know we all have seasons like this, but I want to find the discipline in me to fight these seasons away.

One thing I KNOW about my God is that when I turn to Him and really surrender and seek Him, my faith also mushrooms faster and greater. This fact is what keeps me searching for that discipline to just sink into the Word like I know I'm supposed to. It's not easy. Life certainly gets in the way.

Ironically, a mushroom can take the shape of an umbrella, which is how I like to picture God's protection. Sometimes, I find myself walking outside of the umbrella, and, like an idiot, wonder why I'm getting drenched. But, as I remembered recently, all I have to do is walk right back under it. He will cover, guide, and protect me. He never promised there wouldn't be storms, but He did promise that He'd lead me through them.

I am ready to get out of the rain.

"...'Return to me, and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty."
-Malachi 3:7

"I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands."
-Psalm 119:10

Liquid Sculptures

Canon EOS Rebel T2i, 100 mm 2.8 macro, 2.8 aperture, 1/4000 shutter, 400 ISO, flash fired

I am obsessed with photographing water... in any form. I'd seen this idea before (dropping fruit into a glass of water) and decided tonight, I had to do it. I absolutely love the picture above- it almost looks like a baseball player made of water coming out of the glass! (See his glove?)

It is so amazing to me what can be captured on film in a split second, that we can't see with our own eyes. Each splash is different... different swirls and twirls and drops... like liquid sculptures.

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’" -John 7:38

Fresh Rain

Canon EOS Rebel T2i, 100 mm 2.8 macro, 4.0 aperture, 1/250 shutter, 500 ISO

Ahhh, sweet rain. Although it put a damper on my pool plans, I welcomed the cool air it brought with open arms; the browning grass and the shriveling plants and flowers embraced each drop as well, soaking in the moisture until they could hold no more.

And then there is the short time after the rain where everything smells so fresh and renewed, and water drops chase each other into puddles, or they cling to blades of grass in perfect, tiny, spherical droplets as if to say, "look at me! I made it on my own!"

Let the rain kiss you.  Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.  Let the rain sing you a lullaby.  ~Langston Hughes

"Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” -Acts 14:17

Poor Baby

Canon EOS Rebel T2i, 100 mm 2.8 macro, 2.8 aperture, 1/160 shutter, 1600 ISO

Timmy is my love. He really is my baby. I joke about what I will eventually be like one day when I have my own children because of the attachment I have to my dogs.

Sadly, part of being a good pet-owner of a boy dog is to have him neutered, which happened yesterday. He is absolutely pitiful. Luckily he is sleeping a lot... but it breaks my heart because he is usually such a happy, active, energetic puppy! You can see in his eyes he just doesn't feel good. I'm giving him lots of extra love today, and he hasn't left my side.

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God." -Luke 12:6

Upside Down World

Canon EOS Rebel T2i, 100 mm 2.8 macro, 4.0 aperture, 1/160 shutter, 1600 ISO

Yet another "social insect" that fascinates me... who even knows what this ant is thinking as he sits on his own little world, upside down. Maybe he is escaping, much like I would if I was surrounded by thousands all the time. Or maybe he is on a mission. A worker as diligent as an ant, I would imagine it is the latter of the two.

Among the fascination and respect I have for the ant, I also have fear. I am allergic to ants, so I try to be very aware of the area around me when I am outside, so as not to "upset" a colony (or even just one or two of those little guys). Crazy how something as tiny as a piece of dirt can cause such a huge reaction in my body. But then, when I think about what the ant must be thinking as a shoe casts a shadow over its home and threatens to bring itself down, unknowingly, into the midst of hundreds of thousands of workers protecting their queen... I'd be ready to bite, too! In fact, in my own way, maybe I do. There are times in my own life where I feel like others are "stomping" on my world... and I wonder, what kind of pain or poison have I "injected" into others...?

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
- John 16:33

Beautiful Bee

Canon EOS Rebel T2i, 100 mm 2.8 macro, 2.8 aperture, 1/160 shutter, 500 ISO

What a perfect way to start this blog! Although sometimes a nuisance, the bee is one of those amazing, tiny, perfect creatures that captivate me... her delicate wings that take her effortlessly into the air, her "dance" she does to communicate with other bees, and her dedication and loyalty to the other bees in her hive, as she alone can not produce even half a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime!

Today, this bee reminds me that there is power in numbers... and things that you cannot do alone, CAN be done with the help of friends and family. I tend to be an independent thinker and doer, which can be good sometimes... but I need to remember as I face new challenges in the upcoming months to "work smarter, not harder" and be ready to work as a team with others so I am not overwhelmed.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their hard work. For if one of them should fall, the other one can raise his partner up. But how will it be with just the one who falls when there is not another to raise him up? - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. - Hebrews 13:16