Work in Progress

Many of my pieces revolve around this theme.

Life is a journey

rather than a destination.

It is a process.

And that is ok.

For several years,

I seemed to have believed

that there were people who had life

"all together"

and so therefore, there was something wrong with me.

I was in a mental

boxing match with myself.

And when you are beating yourself up

one part is always winning

and the other is always losing.

But then in a day of brokenness

I seemed to discover

God's grace

for the process

and for a His continual

transformation

that He will not give up on.

He does not give up on me

but continues to transform me

until the process is complete.

What a relief!

And what a miracle

that as my body and mind age and become older

my spirit is renewed continually.

And I seem to rediscover

who I really am

that person that was always there

but needed a

metamorphosis.

I love this passage paraphrase of Romans 12 from

The Message by Eugene Peterson:

Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking-around life--

and place it before God as an offering. 

Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.

. . . . fix your attention on God.  You'll be changed from the inside out.

Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.

Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity,

God brings the best out of you,

develops well-formed maturity in you.

I am so glad that He is not finished with me yet.

*ART & PHOTOS COPYRIGHT 2011 Jodene Shaw.*

South Dakota Summer: Hiking G. Coolidge Walk-In Fishing Area

Custer State Park 2010

Savoring our state of South Dakota

The Black Hills

This last week,

we hiked some trails that we never had before.

Tommy loves fishing.

In fact, he is never done fishing. 

So the Grace Coolidge Walk-In Fishing Area hike

was perfect for him.

Especially when he hooked a beautiful rainbow trout.

Erin was "hooked" too,

when her pink salmon eggs helped her reel in a chub.

Sydney and Erin were happy to wade in the creek crossings.

I was content to photograph reflections in the six pools on the trail

along with my favorite subjects:

my family.

And a few of my other favorite things:

birds, wildflowers & butterflies.

Sydney said it was a "butterfly festival"!

We saw so many, I had to buy a new butterfly book.

So that we could identify the unique ones we saw.

I am "all about" the name, the identity, the unique characteristics . . .

in a bird, a butterfly, a flower

 . . . a person.

This gray and black ragged-edged little one,

unfolded like a paper snowflake . . .

to reveal vibrant orange and ornate-edged wings.

Fun times with the people I love!

all copyright 2010 Jodene (Jodi) Shaw.