Perseverance

I found a copy of this familiar motivational cartoon sketched on a dirty wall inside the gym where the world record, referenced to in yesterday's post, was achieved. It's my "pic of the day" and I find it fitting for today and life as of recently.

Today should have been a peaceful and restful day, but it was wrought with obstacles that were wasetful time zappers and prevented me from relaxing. From the internet being down to a laundry issue with my husband resulting in a fight from greater problems at hand - these were a sampling of the small things that made up today - slowing me down and giving me hurdles to the rest I needed.

"...we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4 (NIV)

Strength: Local Strongman sets new Guinness World Record

Strength is illustrated by my "pic of the day" with a photo I took this morning of Steve Schmidt of Leslie, MO who made a new Guinness World Record while my husband caught the evidence on video! The old record in the category known as teeth lifting was made by a man who lifted 220.5 lbs with his teeth for 24 repetitions in one minute. Schmidt broke that record by doing 50 reps this morning. In addition to this record breaking feat, he also impressed his audience by bending steel horseshoes into "S" shapes and bolts into "U" shapes by starting with his teeth and finishing with his hands.

This makes me think of the individual strength each one of us has inside. Whether physical, mental, emotional, spiritual or a combination of two or more strengths, we each portray our strength differently.

The strength to overcome obstacles and achieve goals is given to us by God. I remember being in a boxing gym where tough guys would get in the ring and knock each other out, and there was a sign on the wall that read something to the effect of "This is God's gym" and that their talent was used to glorify God. By being a locally known boxer and opening up a gym for the community, the boxer was able to use his talent as a way to witness to others by openly showing his commitment to God.

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." Psalm 18:32 (NIV)

Extraordinary

I was immediately taken by the beauty of this flower (an Amaryllis) that I saw in my colleague's office as I walked down the hallway at work a couple days ago. Even though I was out of the office for a funeral, the image of the flower remained fresh in my mind and I took my best camera to work today to take a few photos.
In the middle of winter it is nice to see something alive, fresh and blooming, not to mention its bold, vibrant color. Red is my favorite color which made the blooms even more eye catching to me. The color and design of this flower should be a reminder to each of us to be bold in our own lives and take chances to express ourselves in extraordinary ways.

My life was definitely not extraordinary today unless you count reducing my email inbox from 106 to 39 messages an extraordinary feat. After working all day I also came home and finally got to cross reference our '09 tax expenditure spreadsheet with the receipts...a chore that I've been trying to get to all week. My goal is to tackle as many ordinary tasks as possible so that I might be able to do something bold and extraordinary. In all seriousness, I do try to knock out as many unpleasant tasks as possible so I can relax and enjoy, but somehow it always seems to be a never ending "carrot on a stick".

Tired

This "pic of the day" illustrates how I've felt all day, just tired. I find myself lacking any insight or inspiration from my experiences today. However, my husband has been pretty productive today even though I've been at home sick. I'm grateful for all his accomplishments today. I feel bad that yet another day has passed without us cross referencing business tax expenditures he prepared, but I think I need to do that on a day when my brain is a little less fuzzy.

Life's Path

Today's "pic of the day" symbolizes life's path. After attending a funeral today for my uncle I was thinking about the journey each of us takes in life and how each life path is effected by the choices we make and the forks in the road that we take.

My remaining extended family are comprised of older individuals and I wonder if they reviewed their life journeys today during the funeral? If so, did they think about how their lives developed as compared to how they thought their lives would be when they first started out? What changes would they have made, what experiences would they not trade for anything, what regrets did they have and what dreams did they fulfill?

I think a lot of times we get wrapped up in the day-to-day stuff and forget to strive for the things we once had passion for as the daily burdens monopolize our time and talent. We need to remember that God has a purpose for us.

"Without a strong sense of calling and purpose, life is nothing more than routine busyness...The purpose of our lives is to let others see what God is like as they watch and experience His love through us...Our purpose is to show others less of us and more of Him...The Christan's purpose is to promote God's plan." (Daily Bread, May 21, 2007).

Juggling Act

Today was a strange day that started out with an innocent enough looking schedule which morphed into a fire ball juggling act (zoo and circus were also words that ran through my head by the way). Today inspired the following "pic of the day"... a fire juggler that I took while on vacation in Cardiff, Wales in Dec. '05.

It was a day where I was busy juggling a lot of "fire balls" at the same time yet it's such a blur that I can't remember exactly what I did. It's been a full week already personally with the Wedding Show on Sun.; legal document notarization on Mon; calls from my mom regarding her new computer crashing on Tue.; a death in the family and funeral for Wednesday; along with preparing business tax documents. Professionally it's been the first full week of classes and today was the last day to add classes which increased the panic level of a lot of students along with last minute change of majors and change of internship requests. My e-mail filled up all day and I could only triage it before leaving work tonight.

I came home thinking that I was going to help my husband double check the tax records and then tackle that nasty checkbook error, but it was pushing 6:45 p.m. when I walked in the door and I did Wii fit, and we now need to finish a movie that we started last night (in which I fell asleep watching) that is due back tonight.

I'm looking forward to calmer days ahead (hopefully) after tomorrow's funeral and mom's computer return to Best Buy.

This verse sums it up, "The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, 'What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" Jonah 1:11 (NIV).

Cold

It was really cold again today, not cold enough for ice cycles like in my pic of the day, but there was a cold wind with light snow showers throughout the day. We've gone several days without any significant sunshine (although there was some yesterday afternoon when we were inside the Wedding Show event hall and couldn't enjoy it). I chose this pic of the day because it illustrates the cold. Each time we went outside today we had to brace ourselves against the cold wind and the sky remained grey all day, and as my husband says it was "miserable".

I don't know how many times today I heard people speak of "cabin fever" and asking when spring was coming. Unfortunately, the temps this week are only forecasted to get colder with more snow later this week. We have a fire in the fireplace tonight and I can hear the wind blowing against and within the chimney.

"It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire a fire they had made him to keep warm." John 18:18 (NIV).

Super Wedding Show

My pic of the day is a snapshot of our booth at today's Super Wedding Show. Paul's wedding videography samples were on the screen to the left of our booth table and I had my photography on the screen to the right of the table.

We had a successful day with one verbal booking of our highest level package, and a lot of very interested brides-to-be!

It was definitely worth doing and we hope to be able to do the fall wedding show.

It was fun but tiring and that's why my blog is short and sweet tonight.

Rest

Today I tried to get as much rest as possible since it had been such a busy week and tomorrow we will have a full day with our booth at the Wedding Show, and then it's back to the work week. My "pic of the day" is our fireplace that we had going late this afternoon and into the evening to promote some R&R as a cold rain came steadily down outside.

Rest is something that we need to make room for in our busy schedules. It needs to be a priority, something that we block off time for intentionally so that we can be replenished not only for ourselves but also for others.

Make an appointment with yourself just for rest this week and plan the details of your restful spot.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

Clarity & Generosity

I was able to regain my clarity this week after finding some resolution and nearing closure with a few of my long-time burdens. Similar to when one makes more memory space on their computer and it processes better, so am I able to think and perform with more clarity and speed. I don't have part of my "RAM" focused on and replaying the same solution-less scenario in my head anymore. My pic of the day symbolizes this new found clarity.

In addition, I was very thankful for the generosity of a few co-workers who met my request for a favor above and beyond all expectation! Overall this week has been pretty good, busy but good.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you fill find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Mathew 7:7 (NIV)

Healing & Fruitfulness

During tonight's Grey's Anatomy, Meredith's character said, "...a cut lets the healing process begin...the cut goes through the healthy skin so what's unhealthy can be found and removed." My pic of the day is inspired by this thought that just as my mom "cuts" the weeds and prunes her flower garden (at left) we cut unhealthy areas of our life and if we don't, then God does so that we will be more fruitful.

The Grey's Anatomy quote made me think about my dental implant especially since I made my appointment today to enter phase III of my dental implant procedure. First I had the bad tooth extracted, the surface looked healthy but underneath was the infection. Several months later after the extraction site had healed, the dentist had to cut it open again and place the implant below the surface to fuse with my jaw bone. Now, several more months later, it has healed again but I am still without a tooth. So, the dentist has to go back and cut the healthy skin once again to place the external part where the crown will eventually be positioned.

I think about how many healthy looking "cuts" are made to begin the healing process. For example, I've talked to several students this week contemplating "cuts" in their own lives...dropping one major to pursue another career path; having to give up one plan when realizing the deadline has past; and having to step back and trim obligations all to heal in a variety of ways.

Where do you need to make cuts so that you will be more fruitful?

"He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." John 15:2 (NIV)

Long Day

I'm just settling down after a long day - a day which started with an 8:30 AM meeting and ended with an 8:30 PM meeting. Let's just say that I started my day in the morning fog and ended it just now in the evening fog and that is very fitting because my brain feels like it is in a fog. My "pic of the day" is my not-so-good attempt at trying to capture the fog encircling my apartment as I arrived home after 10 p.m.

It was a day filled with minor yet time consuming obstacles such as the elevator deciding not to work on the 8th floor this morning with a co-worker and me inside it, to the copier jamming when I was in a huge hurry, to the bookstore not having the textbook order for my class coupled with two failed attempts at trying to scan the important info for my students so they'd have it to do their assignment. I also submitted a last minute urgent request to the registrar's office for a classroom change because there was a notice stating that we were not allowed to move the chairs around due to the flooring in my classroom (when the very nature of the class is small group activities). I came home at 6 with just enough time to grab some Subway and do more prep for the Wedding Show booth display this weekend before running back out to the 8:30 PM meeting. Interspersed through the entire day were a slew of e-mails, appointments and phone calls demanding my attention that were all par for the course during the first week of the semester...Deep sigh - I'm exhausted!

However, I do have to give praise that "the sound" the car's tires were making was an easy fix and that my husband was also able to get his car inspection and windshield washer hose replaced all for under $20 (even if it did take 3 hours). With my boss's and husbands help I was also able to submit my request for move of jury duty term of service. I also have to give praise that the first day of both my classes went well and the students seemed receptive (even if they didn't have a book for one of the classes, lol).

First Day

Today was the first day of the Spring semester and I received requests all day for advice from students. Some questions were easy to answer and some were far more complicated or were contingent on the response of others.

My pic of the day is inspired by both the chaos that was around me and from a design that I saw yesterday. I tried replicating that design tonight in my pic of the day, and I also thought it symbolized chaos with the lines flowing as they please to one central point. Kind of like students on their journey to graduation. Some students are straight, focused and concise; while others take what may seem like a maze on their way to the same common goal.

"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise." Proverbs 19:20 (NIV)

Praise

My pic of the day is a photo that I took of my husband this evening. We had been talking for some time about taking a professional photo of him (and us) to post on our EZ Productions site and for various things, and since I had my hair done today it was the perfect opportunity. We experimented with the camera's timer for pic of us below.

In addition, we were both in a good mood today because I got an update on the "doorway" to the resolution of my legal problems that I referred to on Friday's blog. I'm happy to announce that I was actually able to enter that doorway this afternoon and pass through it and am just waiting for the paperwork so I can shut the "legal" door behind me and hope to never have to revisit it again.

"I call to the Lord, who is worthy of priase, and I am saved from my enemies." 2 Samuel 22:4 (NIV).

Connection & Identity

I just watched "Google Me" on Hulu.com. It's a documentary which follows one man's quest to meet all the men who share his same name who he found by googling his name. It makes us realize how closely connected we are yet how separate we are by individual differences.

My pic of the day is inspired by this notion of interconnectivity and I chose a photo of my Russian doll (also known as Matryoshka doll) symbolizing this connection. Since I have such an unusual name, Jalana, I have often felt very disconnected. Especially as a child when all my friends were able to buy items with their names on them and when children with the same name would be in my classes.

I would often be asked if my name means anything, and to my knowledge it doesn't. However, in googling my own name I did find this in the "Namipedia" on www.babynamewizard.com, "Jalana derives from the Indonesian term 'jalan', which means road, and 'jalan jalan', which means to wander or travel." I also know that by googling my first name only, a Japanese clothing store is the first thing that pops up (http://www.jalana.co.jp/).

All that I know about my name's origin is that my mom had a friend who heard of the name and decided to name her child that. Several years later my mom chose the same name for me since it was different, outside of that I've never met another person with the same first name besides those "Jalana's" that I can find on Facebook and Google.

It would have been very helpful to my sense of identity and feeling of connection had these online resources been available when I was a child.

Planning

Today I've had weddings on my mind as I gather my materials and plan for the Wedding Show next weekend. My husband and I will have an EZ Productions vendor booth so I've been going through my wedding photography samples today and selecting images to add to my portfolio.

This "pic of the day" is from a wedding I shot in May '08. I like to profile the small details of the big day along with the usual photos so that the bride and groom can cherish those moments as they reminisce about the wedding. The small details also capture the feel of the day and help tell a story. In this particular photo the bride had taken off her shoes to rush to the limo as she was late for her reception and the husband assumed his new duties without hesitation in carrying her shoes.

This reminds me how much husbands and wives rely on each other over the course of a marriage to help each other. Also, planning of the wedding day is only the start of planning for a lifetime together.

"Carry each other's burdens..." Galations 6:2 (NIV)

Open Door

A door has been opened and I'm seeing the pathway to progress before me. I just hope I'm able to get through the doorway before it closes. My "pic of the day" symbolizes the door and path open before me in regards to progress on my legal issues. There have been so many changes in my circumstances over the past 48 hours that my brain feels like a ball bouncing inside a pin ball machine.

I think about what this past year has taught me about my journey to finding this open door...astuteness, wisdom, faith, discernment, perseverance, strength, and determination...just to name a few.

They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, so I should be super strong now. In the face of great opposition I have maintained my stance and have strategically adapted my ways.

"...because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me." 1 Corinthians 16:9 (NIV).

Warmth and Kindness

It is so nice to finally have temps above freezing again and to get rid of some of the snow! My "pic of the day" symbolizes how a lot of us must have felt recently as we stretched upward to the sunshine and the warmth it provided. I'm already wishing it was spring.

This photo makes me think of other types of "warmth" within our daily lives - a smile from a stranger, a friend's hug or a random act of kindness. I also think about how we greet and treat each other with "warmth."

Some of the battles I fought in my personal life yesterday persisted today and I realized how cold some folks can be when you desperately need their help. I hope that I always treat others in my life with warmth. I challenge everyone to do a self check for "warmth" by pausing before replying to that e-mail or responding to that person, etc. Sometimes the smallest extension of kindness can go farther than we can ever imagine, and vice versa as the smallest act of meanness can have a lasting impact. Today I did make a few steps forward in my legal situation and I do hope that some things can be resolved before the weekend.

Tomorrow think of where you can display, bring or leave an expression of kindness.

Battle

Today was a battle - plain and simple. I feel beat up mentally from the battle I endured. The closest pic I could come up with to represent this (besides two rams crashing horns) was a pic of Caerphilly Castle that I took in Dec. '05 when my husband and I were last in Wales. I think of all the physical battles that were carried out among the outer and inner walls of this castle and how it still stands today. Somehow that gives me inspiration that I will still stand tomorrow.

I'm going through some personal legal issues right now, and other battles, and I feel like my entire day was consumed by attorney phone calls and backstabbing betrayal with no end or answers in sight yet. In addition to that, for the first time in my life I was notified that I've been selected as a potential trial juror to serve for one week during the time frame of 03/01 to 04/30... smack dab in the middle of one of the busiest times of the year for us at work! What can I say, I'm "legaled out" today! However, I like the quote I heard that, "There is no price tag on justice." In addition my Internet decided not work tonight and it took me two hours to make this post, now that is dedication.

I've taken some awful piercing blows from every angle of my life over the past two years and recently over the past two weeks to the point that even my mother said tonight that it is "too much". I keep thinking that tomorrow has to be a better day and remain hopeful that even though I've taken some blows, that a turning point is right around the corner with some answers to my legal questions and offerings of a peaceful life.

"You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you." 2 Chronicles 20:17 (NIV)

Light within the Dark

My "pic of the day" is inspired by an ordinary object that has been transformed into a beacon of illumination. This evening I happened along a tree fully draped in multi-colored lights from trunk to tips. The tree is nestled in between the outer walls of a local church and lights up the street corner as it greets passersby. As I pulled into the church parking lot to take a picture, I noticed someone else was already there with the same idea. As I walked up to the tree I became immediately aware of how trampled the ground was where others had been drawn to the light of this tree as well. It made me think about how this tree was transformed into a bright beacon drawing many, and how we too can be transformed with the light of Christ.

"See to it then that the light within you is not darkness." Luke 11:35 (NIV).

On a side note, I heard the weatherman say that this was our 12th straight day with below zero temperatures. It was supposed to be a high of 30F day, but on my lunch time walk it sure didn't feel any different than it did when the temps were sub zero or in the single digits.

"The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen." Job 37:10 (NIV)

Renewal

The orangy-red hues of the setting sun remind us that a new day and a new beginning will soon be here as we close out the current day. I chose this "pic of the day" to illustrate the theme of renewal because today I advised transfer students who were new to the university. They had a renewed sense of self as they planned with hope and expectation for the semester that was before them. For many of these students, changing their college will ultimately bring about more change than they could ever imagine. Just think about the new relationships, friendships and networks they will make that will alter the course of their lives forever. Many will soon meet their future spouse through a chance encounter or future employer through an accidental internship.

Each day we have the ability to renew ourselves. We may not be drastically changing the course of our lives, but we can take advantage of having a blank slate each day to build upon. As we start a new year it's a good opportunity to think about where we need renewal in our daily lives. Even a small "mental retreat" on a Saturday afternoon can help us to refocus and identify points of renewal.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2.

How will you use your new beginning tomorrow to renew yourself?

Winter Wonderland

I chose this tree as pic of the day because it has such unusual shape as you can see from this angle and from the picture at the bottom of this post. It doesn't have a trunk, and it's branches start to spread out directly from the ground as if to serve as a visual analogy of the paths our lives can take. We can also look at it and think about how our lives are connected to each others - we might branch out in different directions but we are united by a common, central point. It's up to each of us to decide how far and how high our "branch" will grow.

My recent growth and branching into this blog was inspired by a collage I did on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day based on the prompt: "What is important and where are you going?" I realized that photography has been a running theme in my life for many years, but an area that I'm not necessarily growing or have only grown in spurts. I also wanted more balance in my life and this was a way to have both a creative outlet and more balance by focusing on my photography.

On a side note, I think we are all starting to feel a stunt in our "growth" by the cold. We remain in a winter wonderland with hopes of temps to make it above freezing by mid week so we can all get back to normal activities soon...and maybe venture into new ones.

Snowcapades

Pic of the Day features photos of things that I have come across in my daily life that I find quite interesting. Today I'm profiling the huge ice "waterfalls" that have been frozen in time from our sub zero temps all week. I would marvel at these natural ice sculptures as I would drive to work and I couldn't wait for Saturday when I would have time to take pics during daylight hours. I waded through some pretty deep snow drifts along side the road where the snow plows had pushed all the snow and actually fell over at one point to get these shots but it was worth it.

Along with the ice, I also took images of the snow we had on Wednesday and Thursday (at right and below). I was quite taken by how the snow outlined the tree branches and am reminded of God's "paintbrush."

I also liked to contrast the textures against the snow, and compare the intricate (and at times fragile looking) plant structures to their cold and brutal surroundings. "Quiet" is often a word I think of a lot during the winter. I'm always amazed by how still the parks are in comparison to the summer. Last night as I walked out of my building after work, I realized how loud the crunching of snow was under my feet and that there was such an absence of sound from people, birds and nature as we find during warmer seasons.

Photography is a hobby of mine, and has actually become quite more than that as I have paired with my husband to offer wedding and portraiture photography through our business EZ Productions.