The Front Bumper (with gratefulness)

by Deanna

This is our month where we turn to gratitude for our monthly theme. And since I recently had a minor accident with major costs to my car I am trying very hard to count my blessings instead of counting the dollars and frustrations that go along with dealing with an accident. Honestly it was quite silly, the accident I mean. I was at the Morton Arboretum, camera in hand, where I have spent many hours loving this season with all of its beauty and captivating colors, I had parked my car in a mini parking lot and walked for awhile. When I returned to my car, instead of backing out I decided to just use the parking space as a turnaround. Unfortunately I forgot about those little 3 ft high guard posts shaped like tree stumps, steady, strong, and no give. I proceeded to run right smack into one, hearing a crunch that didn't sound good. I backed up, hearing another more painful crunch, got out of the car to check the front of the car and yup, completely ruined the front bumper with something else hanging down behind the bumper. Not a good look for a car.

OK, what did I get out of this ordeal...bringing gratefulness into this scene? Sometimes I have to stretch to find the good, but 1) no one was hurt (except the car ofcourse) 2) I have paid up insurance (I say "paid up" because one time I actually went 6 months without car insurance simply because I forgot to pay the bill, remember there is no judging here) 3) Everyone I have dealt with ie: insurance company, car repair shop, car rental place has been so kind and considerate and 4) it has compelled me to be more diligent in paying attention to my driving instead of gawking at everything around me and 5) last but certainly not the least I captured beautiful images of this bountiful season thru the lens of my camera.

Sometimes these little bumps in the road (literally) come into your life, but if we stop and think, there is always always something to be grateful for.

It's Turquoise Week!

by Carol

"It's not everyone who has a passion for dead leaves."

                      

                                                                                                        Jane Austin

A Measurement of Growth

by Kim

I was at my nursery several times last week, to check on milkweed arrivals, and for inspiration, and for some all around nature therapy. And a lot has happened in the two weeks since I've been there.

The peach blossoms are gone and in their place are now tiny growing peaches. The azaleas are in full bloom, and the camellia run is almost over. The bees are in full-on nectar gathering mode, and there are more and more butterflies fluttering around. The herbs are plentiful, although no egg sightings yet, the fragrance in the air is intoxicating, and, there is barely a parking space to be found. Wait, I forgot mosquitoes...yes it's March and we already have mosquitoes in Texas!

All sure signs that spring is well on her way (that, and the monarchs have left their overwintering site in Mexico).

But one of the things I really noticed, was what happened between the time I took the photo above to this one (below) . . . .

Real, tangible, evidence of growth!

But is wasn't until I was driving in the car with my husband over the weekend admiring all the new green on the trees, that I started thinking about this, because yes, leaf growth is riveting in my world.

It's something you can see, something you can measure almost like days. And I began to wonder, how do we measure our growth, can we? Sure when we are kids, through adolescence and up to adulthood, you can physically see the growth. Even emotionally through all those stages. And what about once we reach that stage of adulthood, what then?

But, personal growth is just that, personal on all levels. Some much easier to see over time, and some not so much. Sometimes we grow, and then sometimes we shrink. And the measurement is most likely not universal because it will vary greatly among us.

And even though the leaves are a sign of growth, it's inside the tree trunk in its rings where the real growth lies. Some years it grows more than others, and some years not so much.

And maybe the same goes for us as long as we are always in that process of looking [inside] at our life and changing who we really are to match our beliefs and dreams, while facing our fears. I know I have some courage to gather, and fears to face, as there are some things I've been feeling led to do.   

The trees are much more dependent on the elements they need for growth, and don't even get to choose the path they are on. We however, do get to decide what's necessary for us, to decide what is missing and how we can improve and what changes we need to make. And the biggest growth doesn't happen in just knowing this, but acting on it. And as always, so much easier said than done.

Did you watch the Winter Olympics? Do you remember Amy Purdy, the snow boarder who lost her legs when she was about 19 years old to bacterial meningitis? Her story is so inspiring and to me she is the definition of personal growth.

She asked herself this question...."If my life were a book and I was the author how would I want this story to go." It changed everything for her.

And as the author of my own book, I'm asking myself the same question, while reaching for enough courage to play myself in some of the chapters.

Finding Themes

by Leigh

Sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office….bored out of my mind….decided it was time to clear some photos off my phone when it struck me.  There are some pretty strong themes to my photography.  Nature is an obvious one since that accounts for 90% of my photos, but leaves in particular occur frequently.  I think to myself…what is it about leaves that intrigue me so.  Is it their overall shape….elongate, lanceolate, linear, oblong, obovate, tendril, orbicular, deltoid? (warning: my botany nerd is starting to come out in full force!) Is it the patterns of the veining….palmately, pinnately?  Is it their edges….smooth edged, toothed, serrated, lobed?  Is it the joy of fall when the days get shorter and the lower production of chlorophyll allows the green to fade and the colors to shine through?  (botany nerd…I told you).

There are so many different ways to show the beauty of leaves.  There are little nuances that separate one leaf from another…it's like a treasure hunt to find the distinctions.  Sometimes it's the shadows that leaves create with each other.  It's the interplay of the leaves with each other and their surroundings.  Perhaps it's finding the individual among the group….showcasing some feature that is distinct to that one little leaflet.  These little distinctions deserve to be seen.

Take a look through your photos…do you see a theme that you may not have noticed before?

"Every particular in nature, a leaf, a drop, a crystal, a moment of time is related to the whole, 

and partakes of the perfection of the whole."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson