Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

  ♦

Beauty Day 55 Transposed Digits

 Calling at 4 am

-there’s the time difference-

multiple phone messages

guess what?

after three agonizing days

to discover that

the area code got mixed

Whala!

what a beautiful thing

to see the right number

and meet with

SUCCESS!

Permission granted

to dig the neighbor’s driveway

and fix that leak!

Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

  ♦

Beauty Day 54 Friendship

 Good friends call

without advance notice

hey!

can you meet me right now?

Good friends drop

whatever they may be doing

run out

buy the great coffee

laugh and talk

take selfies

make memories

that’s what good friends do

Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Beauty Day 53 Here Comes the Cavalry!

 a competent workman

confident and well equipped

with all the latest

gadgets and stuff

cameras on fishing lines

pressurized air and listening devices

technological divining rods

it worked!

“X” marks the spot

three hundred fifty dollars

a hope and a prayer

that this is the real leak

it’s under my neighbor’s driveway

(that’s another issue)

twenty-eight inches down

Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

♦

Beauty Day 52 Time, Mood, Opportunity

Seldom is there confluence

of three most needed friends

time to take an unplanned outing

the mood to explore and seek

the opportunity given

by sky and grass

to shoot a pleasant scene

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Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

 ♦

Beauty Day 51 Granddaughter’s Work Station

My granddaughter’s work station

reveals who she is

yet not what she will be

so many opportunities

so many directions

it seems clear

for now

maybe not later

that she likes to paint

and the colors blue

purple and green

three years old

spokes of a wheel

all pointing outward

Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Beauty Day 50 Friendship

(This is my beautiful friend Claudia, whose father recently passed away, in a prior photo of her and myself, and here is the poem she asked me to read at her father’s memorial yesterday. The scene is still fresh in my mind. I wish I had taken a photo of the entire family, because people, especially family–my own and others’–are so beautiful. People are beautiful.  As background to the poem, Claudia’s father was a jeweler.)

♦

In His Image

–To My Father on his Birthday

by Christina Wilson for Claudia Brock

In a recess of my jewel box

where the velvet’s been worn away

lies a cornelian cameo pin—

in tones of pink and gray.

I remember well the day you gave it

my ears turned and bent away

my hardened heart refused to listen

to what you wanted to say.

In the obscure depths of a distant sea

grew the shell, a living stone.

Before it knew the carver’s knife

its features were unknown.

Beneath the hand of the carver’s grace

in relief as red as life

a gentle portrait of the carver’s love

through patient skill took shape.

I as a child in my time at home

grew as a conch in the sea

and time with its cares, worries, and woe

has been a knife on me.

As with the shell whose death, unsealed,

became a graceful form

I thank the only Carver I know

for the love you shed on me.

Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Beauty Day 49 Ain’t Done Lovin’ the Rain

 I think we need

to make the rain our friend

silvery wet stuff

falling from the sky

like adding smudge and blur or noise and multiply

so many things go wrong

without it–brown trees

all over town

they hack and chop

and cart away

they’ll never come back

brown grass and shriveled leaves

a dullish shade of green with gray–

but mostly

rain draws me upward

to consider and ask

what is going on here?

why choose wetness from the sky?

earth inside her mother’s womb

reborn before our very eyes

God you are amazing

Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Beauty Day 48 Late Christmas Present

My son  had these

all ready to give

a month ahead of time

and then forgot to give them

so like him

creativity has its limits

3-D printing

from code he wrote

sent out to a professional printer

a flower vase for mom

and little play-things for dad

Find one beautiful thing every day and take a photo of it.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Beauty Day 47 Friend in a Ditch

Beauty is…the friend

who crouches

in a cold, wet ditch

listening for the leak

that still plagues

my main water line

He knows nothing about buying

a romantic gift

nor even one that’s original

except maybe

the time he bought me

the unabridged dictionary

for my birthday

we weren’t getting along by then

I still use it all the time

the gardening tools for Christmas

I could have done without

but enough

you get the idea

now

it’s simple chocolate

albeit the best in town

This is the guy

who thoroughly enjoys McDonald’s

for Thursday breakfast

then spends the next four hours

looking for that baffling leak

action as gift

that benefits

only me not him

Should I still be pushing for changes

or simply take him as he is