He is clearly seen.

Tonight I had the joy of styling a shoot.  The sweetest friend asked me to photograph her daughter and I was able to set it up just how I’d been dreaming of a shoot.  I really love when I get to be creative.  And I adore that my hot, hot, hottie helps me with whatever I need.  Thank you, Dave.

Jeanne, thank you for such a lovely evening.  Your sweet “K” did SO wonderfully.  What a beautiful, sweet young lady.  It was delightful and my heart enjoyed watching her and Livy together.

Princess L is a perfectly sweet hostess.  She smiles a lot and makes you feel right at home when you drop in for a visit.  She is a perfectly delightful princess.  Wanna see?

The other day Livy said this to me:

“Mama, I can’t wait until we get to heaven because then I won’t have to take vitamins anymore because my body will be perfect.”

She hates taking her vitamins.

Right now we are desperately trying to teach her that it’s more important to do hard things for other people than it is to get your own way…..letting someone else play the game they want rather than the one you want.  I’m a grown up and I still have a hard time sometimes with this life lesson.

Even through the growing and the life lessons we try to instill, I still enjoy the seemingly small moments.

Bath time.

making crowns out of dandelions.  Aren’t dandelions beautiful?  I have kids and dogs and don’t spray my lawn so I have plenty of beautiful dandelions.  My husband isn’t as fond of them as I am.

and baking cookies.

I love to write.  And I love to take pretty pictures.  Sometimes, however, it just isn’t there.  The words; the pictures – they just aren’t there.  For me, the words I write and the photographs I take come from a place pretty deep down.  Truthfully, lately the pictures and the words haven’t been there.  That’s a really hard thing when you are a creative person.  When the words and the pictures come out, it feels so good.  It’s like a celebration of life.  Good when they come out………and really, really bad when they don’t come.

Reaching deep, I can tell you that I couldn’t get anything out because I couldn’t find anything inside.  And that’s what I kept telling God.  Over and over and over again, I asked Him to pour more and more faith into me; to help me to love more; to help me celebrate.  Still nothing.

And then the fear came; fear about everything.  Really.  You name it – I had a fearful thought about it.  And as those days went on, I smiled and went about my  days.  However, I was fearful.

I’m here to tell you, however, that Jesus is faithful.  And He doesn’t let go.  Ever.  Do you know what He did for me?  While I was clinging to Him, He massaged my heart.  With each stroke of His hand, He brought me closer to a place of celebration again.  There have been many difficult and hard things over the last few weeks but He had His hands on my heart and He kept rubbing it until it was pliable again.  When something like your heart begins to harden, it can’t absorb things – even life giving things.  However, when something like your heart is pliable, things – life giving things – absorb easily.  Do you know what happens then?  Your heart begins to flourish again.  He lavishly loved me and now my heart is flourishing again.  Even in sadness and confusion – His lavish love has helped my heart to flourish.

God is good.  All the time.