Prairie Song Photo Walk

Saturday was a pioneer day for me.

Pioneering into new territory.

Hosting and leading a photo walk and art retreat.

Five lovely ladies

and

one

precious

daughter

joined me for a day of seeking.

Seeking the unique beauty

of wildflowers

birds

grasses

fence posts and barbed wire

gravel roads

trees

butterflies

and

ladybugs

and

the unique beauty

of each other.

Our mission was to search for birds

but they were hiding most of the time.

We did hear them sing their prairie song to us.

Sometimes in life

we have to open our eyes

to what is there

to enjoy

when the thing that we had hoped for

does not 

show up,

come through,

happen.

I was hopeful

that

these ladies

would not get bored with the prairie.

My hopes were so fulfilled.

As we spent about one hour

along a short little stretch

of our gravel road.

And another hour

in the summer sun

along

White Owl Creek.

Abundance is what we found.

Abundance is what I saw when I looked

at my photographer friends.

In John 10 Jesus said,

I have come that they may have life,

and have it more abundantly.

That is what I saw:

abundant life,

abundant fascination,

abundant beauty.

What beauty do we miss every day

that we drive by or walk by?

Just outside our door?

Or right inside our home sitting right beside us?

Sunday afternoon, I decided to take a nap,

but thumbed through the TV schedule and found 

a documentary:

Mister Rogers and Me.

The message was so much the same as what I had shared.

Slow down.  Be kind. Gentle. Authentic.

Look for the beautiful uniqueness in each person

and like them for who they really are.

See the beautiful, noble, and sacred right where you are.

True to me, it brought tears to my eyes as I watched.

Fred Rogers and I would have been great friends, I think.

We could have done a wonderful retreat together!

But instead I work out carrying on his heart

for being kind to others,

for depth and simplicity

for liking people just the way they are.

And that does take work.

Tomorrow, I will share our art project time.

Watch for new dates appearing on the blog soon!