A little child. Have you ever thought about what he seeks? What makes him happier than anything else? There is something so precious about this little child’s nature. He is ready to listen and to soak in knowledge and wisdom. He is eager to answer with his full attention when parents offer direction. This little child knows that there is a key in listening as he is taught to sweep the floor, follow the recipe for baking cookies, bait the hook, to hammer the nails for the bird house, to plant to tomato plants. From his little hands, he is almost desperate to expend the amount of effort it takes to complete a task well - work that will be pleasing in our eyes. Finally, he waits, with his eyes looking to us and his heart open. He is waiting for validation - for that word assuring him he “did it right”, he accomplished something pleasing to us, that he brought us joy. Do we listen with the same intention?

This past weekend, a special event took place in Myrtle Beach. It was, “The Gift Encounter”. Through worship, testimony, and scripture, it was a special women’s conference from Smith Evangelistic Ministries meant to direct our hearts to gifts that cannot be bought. During this special time together, ladies in attendance were directed to biblical truth, and one such message the Bible tells us is that Jesus overcame the world.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Because we were created in the image of God, Jeannie reminded us we are also overcomers. The question is, what can we overcome? And how?

Smiles. Snap. The moment – captured in black and white – like the traditional tuxedo and dress – memorialized in an ebony frame. The wedding day photo was one of Heidi’s favorites. Their expressions were so full of happiness. The beginning of their forever – embracing, heads close, and eyes sparkling. I had asked her to pick out a picture, at least an 8 x 10, that could easily be held – one that represented…them. She brought this one. It was easy to see why.

The peony. Fragile but beautiful. Standing, as a lighthouse, in the middle of the floral centerpieces that were on the tables for the Coastline Women’s Center 2023 Spring to Life Gala, it was fitting. The peony has symbolic meanings in different cultures. The flower can be given to express regret, a clean slate, or a fresh start. In Eastern culture, the “King of Flowers” represents good fortune, honor, and prosperity. The color - simple, white - invoking feelings that are serene and calming, often associated with a new baby. Little did I know how God would use that flower…

With this gratitude for another year of life, I am also thankful for the ring - s. Having been so focused on everything else, I wasn’t thinking about our birthday tradition - the early morning, “Happy Birthday” phone calls. I had been thinking, instead, about what I wanted to ask the home health nurse when she comes today. My phone rang. I had to prepare my watch, to get the red button up - so that I could press record, just in case. When I saw the caller ID, I pressed first and then said, “Hello?” Pops started to sing, as he had for so many years. His voice strong, “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Lisa. I love you”. What a gift. A second, unexpected one come this morning. I wasn’t thinking, when Garry’s phone rang, that I would hear Ma singing “Happy Birthday” to me from the speaker. These are the things to remember.

September 6, 2022. My Granny’s birthday – normally a difficult day. It was my first time going under general anesthesia. I won’t lie and say that it was not hard going into that OR prep area, even to have this nemesis, Trigeminal Neuralgia, defeated. We had done all the things. Just a few weeks before – on August 18 – Garry had a heart procedure. Knowing this was coming all at once, we made sure we had updated all the legal documents and talked about all the tough stuff – debilitation, death - going in. Still, nothing completely prepares you to be wheeled out and to the OR, into the unknown, for neurosurgery. It was scary.

A pause. It did not last long, but there was a short break in guest arrivals in the hour before the start of the gala. I had time to look around for candid opportunities…for moments. There it was – a smile…a heartfelt embrace! I captured a few shots, looked at the back of my camera, and smiled – not having any idea about the significance. I went back to greeting and photographing the guests, until the start of the event.

The idea, “across the miles” is a perfect analogy for parenthood. A passenger train has the capability of traversing many miles in a very short span of time. As a train begins to move out of the station, it moves slowly. As we gaze out of the window at the scene that unfolds before us, we can take it all in. It feels like we have plenty of time – like we will not have to worry about missing one detail. As that train begins to speed forward, however, the images that were, earlier, so clearly focused quickly become a blur. Parenthood offers the same startling revelation, but the speed with which our children grow up in that blur is astounding.

Patriarch. A noble sounding term. The formal definition is the male head of a family or a tribe, and the word can also be used in reference to one regarded as the father or founder of an order or class. Using a less formal – but more familiar - title, we might refer to him as Dad or Daddy, while younger generations might call him Granddaddy or even Papa. Regardless, these designations refer to his position as one that is a place of prominence in the family. His progeny are so blessed when his life is one that is lived by demonstrating the best example of what it means to be the leader of his family.

Shalom. An interesting Hebrew term bidding both greeting and farewell. It is meant to convey wishes of harmony, completeness, prosperity, wholeness, and tranquility. Most often, peace is probably the sentiment most associated with the word, however I believe there is a depth to the construct that offers us an opportunity to examine what we really know about what peace is.

Expectation. What dreams are made of. The vision in our minds about how things are going to go - about how they should be. It has taken me a long time to learn to appreciate…the opposite. Yes, you read that correctly…the opposite. For, as Carl Sandburg so eloquently put it, “ Nearly all of the best things in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me.” I know this to be true, and I am finding it more and more every day. Capturing precious moments in my photography has been one way that one of the joys of my life has been my teacher - helping me to appreciate the beauty in the unexpected, the perfection in the imperfect.

…I started to see the pictures in my head of the tracks and of him gazing out over a rocky shoreline and an expanse of water. During our session, we had a great time and bonded over my less than lady-like sprawl on the tracks and in the weeds (thank goodness for no chiggers) to get some of the shots. The ultimate was jumping up, off the tracks, grabbing everything in sight, and scrambling up the bank and through the poison-oak infested woods to avoid detection – hypothetically – of course!

Our wedding day. 30 years ago (how can that be?). Garry gave me a wedding gift, but the story actually starts with the first romantic gift he gave me when we were dating. It was a charm bracelet – with a heart shaped clasp. It was so very special…so unique…and I had never seen anything like it. For special occasions thereafter, he gave me heart shaped charms with special meaning. Knowing that the traditional gift for a groom to give his bride was one of pearl, he found a filigree heart which encased a single, white pearl. It was the perfect wedding present.

A paradox. A stoic core opening from the middle and emanating in strength, gives way to yielding, concentric circles. These lacy petals, in a lovely pink ombre, provide a contradiction – capturing us with their beauty while surprising us with their depth. She is the rose. As this paradox, she is the perfect metaphor for a mother.

I was finally able to share that I had come to understand the purpose of a long and arduous trial I had been enduring. The purpose was faith – heart faith, not head faith – which I had been full of. I shared that there have been a few times in my life when I have had to be broken – like a wild horse. It later occurred to me that in “the breaking”, there is a gift that comes in the quiet – in the utter exhaustion. That gift is stillness.

…This little one will grow in the midst of love in a loving home. Maureen Hawkins explained the love for a child in this way: “Before you were conceived, I wanted you. Before you were born, I loved you. Before you were here an hour old, I would die for you. This is the miracle of Mother’s Love.” However, in watching Taylor and Elizabeth together, it is clear that Ezzlyn has two parents that already adore her. Ezzlyn will come to know that, soon enough, as she falls asleep to the sound of her mother and father reading Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein - as Tina did with Elizabeth not so many years ago. I wonder which one – Taylor or Elizabeth - will be better at the voices…?

When I was younger, I never thought that I would grow old. I was never able to envision myself as an old woman. Those pictures for my future did not exist. There was no morbidity in it. It just seemed factual. When I passed my 30th birthday, I gained insight into this foreshortened sense of future. Of course, those of you who know me – and the psychologist in me – will get the classic - even Freudian - revelation I had. Having lost my mother when she was 30, I realized that my ability to perceive my own future as one having the depth of age and experience that only the “golden years” can provide was somehow entwined with her youthful demise.