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Monday, October 5, 2015

Well Done - by Diane C Shore

{The following article was written by my Aunt Diane, as a tribute to my grandfather, Vince Beyer, who met Jesus on October 1, 2015.}

"How do you like your steak? I like mine medium rare. I like my waffles a bit under-cooked. I like my toast only slightly toasted, and I like my bacon limp, not crispy. But there will be one time in my life where I hope to hear the words, “Well Done,” and that is when I meet Jesus face to face. I don’t want Him to say, “Your life was under-cooked. Your faith was limp. The power of the Holy Spirit in you was lukewarm.”
I write this the day after my Dad left this earth for Heaven. It has been almost thirty hours since he entered through the gates of Paradise. To know my Dad, was to catch a glimpse of Jesus on this earth. I do not overstate that. You can ask anyone who knew him. Dad was a godly man, who loved his Lord. He was not perfect. But the Fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control were words that could be used to describe him. He did not have the easiest of lives, although he had a very blessed one in many ways. He married his high school sweetheart, and she was at the foot of his bed as he took his last breath. He had six children. I was number two out of four boys and two girls. He has too many grandchildren and great-grandchildren for me to count at this moment. He had many friends, a good career, traveled extensively, enjoyed playing the piano since he was a young boy, and played it up until a week before he left for Heaven at the age of 80. He also had his share of struggles. Starting as a young boy of seven his fourteen year old sister went to Heaven, and then at the age of eleven, his Dad died, too, leaving his mom alone to raise him. My Dad battled Parkinson’s and other health issues the last 20 years of his life. He had stories to tell, and sometimes we were privileged to hear them. But mostly Dad was a quiet man. So when he did speak, those in the room listened. We wanted to hear what he had to say. At our last family reunion, Dad conducted our own church service on Sunday morning. He talked to us about 1 Corinthians 13, and what love is. At that time, he presented me with his mom’s Bible, a gift which I cherish. He was a man who lived what he believed, and we all loved and respected him.
Dad didn’t mind burnt toast. He would say it was just dark brown. That was a family joke about him. I don’t know how he liked his bacon, or his steak, but I do know that hearing, “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” was his goal in life. He knew it wouldn’t be because he did all things right, it would be because he believed in Jesus Christ—the One who makes all things right through His shed blood on the Cross, and resurrection.
Searching And Noticing the Divine is easy for me today. All I have to do is think about where my Dad is right now—a glorious, wonderful place filled with the very Love he taught us about. Dad is in a place where all the promises Jesus left us with, really do come true. As we sat at Dad’s bedside after he was gone, my brother said, “We are still here among the dying. Dad is now among the living! He has been swallowed up by everlasting life!”
We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.
2 Corinthians 5:2-4 (NLT)"

Monday, July 6, 2015

Color void - contrast rich

Dogwood tree in the early spring.

My friend Holly being an excellent subject in the silo.

Watching.

Self portrait.

Holly in a bed of Queen Anne's Lace.

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

The Libbey files

From time to time, Libbey takes my camera and goes crazy, taking picture after picture of all sorts of fun and delightful things. I'm always inspired by her creativity and outlook on life! So, without further ado, please enjoy some of her work!

"Looking for a place to go"

"What book should I read?"

"Peeking and listening to a conversation"

"Can you find me?"

"Best friends"

"Fighting over the crown"

"Felicity, get that horse out of the house"

~All captions by Libbey~

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Monochrome

This past week I began an experiment with self-portrait photography. My gear included:
-Canon Rebel t2i
-tripod
-remote
-50mm lens

More photos coming soon!





Saturday, June 13, 2015

Give Us Men!

Give us men!
Men--from every rank,
Fresh and free and frank;
Men of thought and reading,
Men of light and leading,
Men of loyal breeding,
The nation's welfare speeding;
Men of faith and not of fiction,
Men of lofty aim in action;
Give us men--I say again,
Give us men!

Give us men!
Strong and stalwart ones;
Men whom highest hope inspires,
Men whom purest honor fires,
Men who trample self beneath them,
Men who make their country wrestle them
As her noble sons,
Worthy of their sires;
Men who never shame their mothers,
Men who never fail their brothers,
True, however false are others:
Give us men--I say again,
Give us men!

Give us men!
Men who, when the tempest gathers,
Grasp the standard of their fathers
In the thickest fight;
Men who strike for home and altar,
(Let the coward cringe and falter),
God defend the fight!
True as truth the lorn and lonely,
Tender, as the brave are only;
Men who tread where saints have trod,
Men for Country, Home--and God:
Give us men! I say again--again--
Give us men!

-Josiah Gilbert Holland

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Wrapping up the photo challenge

Day 23: sunflare
Basking in the afternoon glow.

Day 24: animal
Faith is not amused by Gary's antics.

Day 25: pink
Hanging around.

Day 26: close up
Break time!

Day 27: from a distance
He was feeling distant that day.

Day 28: flowers
Petaling.

Day 29: black and white
Musing.

Day 30: self portrait
Till next time!

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

19, 20, 21 & 22

Day 19: orange
Gary is getting buff.

Day 20: bokeh
Bokeh is so fun to experiment with!

Day 21: faceless portrait
I am experimenting with low lighting and exact focusing here.

Day 22: hands
Libbey is one of the craftiest people I know, and she excels at whatever she learns to do. It's amazing!

Friday, May 29, 2015

14 through 18

Day 14: eyes
While I'm still learning to correctly shoot in macro, it's always fun to practice on my sisters! Gary is reflected in her pupil, faintly visible.

Day 15: silhouette
"Silhouette" is my second favorite word, after "ethereal".

Day 16; long exposure
My white lights bring a lovely ambiance to my little bedroom.

Day 17: technology
Photography has come such a long way! The options are seemingly endless now. My lens collection is slowly growing.

Day 18: shoes
Behold, some of my favorite shoes.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

The past few days

Day 8: a bad habit
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How to make a hipster motivational photo:
1) take a bad picture
2) apply a vintage filter
3) add motivational quote

Day 9: someone I love
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Delaney is a fun kid to have around.

Day 10: childhood memory
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This brings back many memories of traveling for me. Stopping at gas stations and having lunch on the tailgate was a common occurrence.

Day 11: blue
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Well this is pretty self-explanatory!

Day 12: sunset
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I'm getting tired of Gary photobombing my scenic shots. It's hard enough taking a sunset picture in a moving car between trees!

Day 13: 13 things
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Pictured here are 13 things that I always have on trips--lip gloss, my small Bible, journal, phone, a pair of shoes (one pictured, obviously), hairbrush, EOS raspberry lip balm, a bookmark, sunglasses, a hotel key (to wherever I'm staying), wallet, my happy hat and Gary. 

Monday, May 18, 2015

*5, 6 and 7*

Day 5: high angle
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Kick those shoes off!

Day 6: low angle
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Unpacking. Gary is a ladies man!

Day 7: fruit
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I love using my extension tube to get shots like this!

Friday, May 15, 2015

[3 and 4]

Day 3: clouds
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Gary is into window art these days.

Day 4: green
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Lamplighters books--highly recommended reading for all ages!

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Days 1&2

Day 1: self portrait
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Took this in a downstairs window.

Day 2: what I wore
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The most comfortable dress ever!!

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Photo challenge & Gary

It's been wayyyy too long since I used my dear old Canon Rebel t2i on a regular basis, so I have decided to do another 30-day photo challenge to get creative and have some fun!

Maybe you're wondering where this post's title came from. I answered the first part for you, and to answer the second part, NO I am not dating some fellow named Gary. Just to make that clear. Gary is a Lego guy we have had for several years (we tend to give our toys permanent names) and he will be a subject in this photo challenge. Actually, Gary will make an appearance in every photo for the next month. Sometimes he may be harder to spot in some photos, but I thought it'd be a fun, unique way to get the creative juices flowing.

Each day I will base my photo off of the suggestion that the challenge gives me. They are:

  1. self portrait
  2. what I wore
  3. clouds
  4. green
  5. high angle
  6. low angle
  7. fruit
  8. a bad habit
  9. someone I love
  10. childhood memory
  11. blue
  12. sunset
  13. 13 things
  14. eyes
  15. silhouette
  16. long exposure
  17. technology
  18. shoes
  19. orange
  20. bokeh
  21. faceless portrait
  22. hands
  23. sunflare
  24. animal
  25. pink
  26. close-up
  27. from a distance
  28. flowers
  29. black & white
  30. self portrait
SO, keep checking in to see new photos! This should be fun! Manana!

Monday, May 11, 2015

"Mother's Day"

~Photos taken on our Mother's Day adventure in the Smokies~

"No language can express the power, and beauty, and heroism, and majesty of a mother's love. It shrinks not where man cowers, and grows stronger where man faints, and over wastes of worldly fortunes sends the radiance of its quenchless fidelity like a star." -Edwin Hubbell Chapin

"A mother is a person, who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." -Tenneva Jordan

"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. -Abraham Lincoln

"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." -Oscar Wilde

"Call your mother. Tell her you love her. Remember, you're the only person who knows what her heart sounds like from the inside." -Rachel Wolchin

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, sudden and heavy, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts." -Washington Irving

"A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them." -Victor Hugo

"Being a mother means that your heart is no longer yours; it wanders wherever your children do." -Unknown

"What is a mom but the sunshine of our days and the north star of our nights." -Robert Brault

"A little girl, asked where her home was, replied, 'where mother is'." -Keith Brooks

"Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, comrades and friends--but only one mother in the whole world." -Kate Douglas Wiggin

"The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom." -Henry Ward Beecher

"A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done." -Unknown

"Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever." -Unknown

"Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all'." -Proverbs 31:25-30