Last week I shared a sunset photo from our northern vacation. As beautiful as the sunsets were, I was equally amazed at the sunrises. We were staying on Jack the Horse Lake – a quiet lake with only a few cabins and houses and only one resort. The stillness of the morning, while the sun was yet to rise, was wonderful. The air was calm and the lake’s surface was like a sheet of glass. Off in the distance I could hear an owl making its presence known, and eventually the loons would add to the chorus. Slowly the sky would turn from black to a deep rose color, then to a pale pink and eventually to a brightness of yellow as the sun cleared the horizon and the distant shore, all the while reflected in the mirror-like lake surface. It was a wondrous and delightful way to greet the day.
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Love before leaving
I had the very special opportunity to photograph a woman and her chocolate lab today. There is a wonderful love and communication between them, especially after the seven years they’ve shared together. She had told me of a ritual they have before she leaves the house in the mornings. Bella, the lovely lab, sits at the top of the stairs as the woman puts on her shoes to get ready to leave. They then sit down together for a heartfelt good-bye, a nuzzle of love, and some carrots are left for the dog who obediently waits until she’s told she can eat them. Then it’s on with their days as the woman heads off to work, and the dog patiently waits for her return.
NSPJ Remembers Stan Staats
A wonderful tribute to my father and the legacy he left with his architectural career. Thanks, Howard and the people of NSPJ.
Holiday cards and calendars
One of the lessons I’ve learned from the two recent deaths in my family is the importance of a written card. I received many hand-written cards expressing sympathy and caring, sharing wonderful stories of my father and my sister-in-law, and offers of help to me and my family in so many different ways. I have treasured and kept all these cards. Now the calendar page turns to December with its upcoming holidays, and I’d like to remind people of the joy of receiving a special holiday card in the mail. A unique card with a personal message inside will make someone’s day and brighten their holidays knowing you took the time to think of them and write to them. For the previous nine years and again this year, I am offering a line of holiday cards and desk calendars. You will find the links to this year’s offerings on my blog and through my website. Please browse and enjoy, order if you would like, but most importantly please remember how special it is to receive a wonderful card in the mail from a friend who’s taken the time to remember you.
Holiday cards can be found here: https://lindastaatsphoto.wordpress.com/2013-holiday-card-collection/
Desk calendars can be found here: https://lindastaatsphoto.wordpress.com/2014-desk-calendar-collection/
Life lessons learned from a death
This past week has been a time of reflection. The sudden and untimely death of my sister-in-law has remained fresh in my mind. I appreciate all the comments and emails, the cards of concern, and the thoughts and prayers; they’ve been helpful and comforting. I’ve struggled with what lessons I can learn from this death and many things have come to mind: (1) live a full life, each and every day, (2) plan for tomorrow, but live today, (3) don’t take anything or anyone for granted, (4) say “I love you” to the people you love, (5) extend a prayer of gratitude each morning for the grace of seeing the sun rise on yet another day. I have a magnet that I have kept on the refrigerator door for the past 15 years. So many days I don’t even notice it, but the words ring so true now: “Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.” – Mary Anne Radmacher
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