Beauty!

 In the last two years in my program at Talbot, I have learned so much about the importance of beauty, and it's role in our lives.  It has been wonderful for me to realize that far from being unspiritual (as I had long been led to believe) caring about beauty has the power of integrating fragmented parts of our souls, and part of our being made in God's image.  So attending to beauty, enjoying it, soaking it in, is indeed part of the imagio deo in me!  What a sweet freedom this has given me to develop rather than diminish or stifle a big part of my make up, soul, spirit!  I had some fun playing with editing stuff, and special affects with the above photograph.  I just absolutely love this picture.  The pictures I share below were glimpses in my day that were full of beauty and turned my heart to God with thanksgiving for all the beauty that surrounds me all the time.  I was beyond thankful for the opportunity to work with so many beautiful flowers.  I thought I would share a few snatches of the day that took my breath away.  Pictures can never fully capture, the light, and ambience etc.  But this is a shot at including some of those moments for you to enjoy.

 This is one of my favorite flowers!  I love growing hydrangeas in the garden.  But what a treat to work with them for Dana's wedding.

 What my little camera did not capture was the amazing way the sunlight was pouring across this fountain and flowers as the sun was setting late on Saturday afternoon.  It really made me stop and catch my breath as I walked by. 

Again, it was the sunlight that took this scene and made it pop for me!  Such beauty in the simplicity of water in a glass catching rays of golden sunlight!  I stopped my running to take this moment in as I did all of these moments above.  It doesn't cost anything to stop and savor.  Ironically, it can cost everything not to!