Delight

I know it is almost the end of January already, but I have finally decided on my Word for the Year.
Delight.
Such a lovely word.  It makes me think of the joy of children. Squeals of delight.

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."  Psalm 37:4

I'm going to focus on seeking delight, finding delight, taking delight.  There in delight in the sound of the rain, delight in the sunshine through the clouds. There is delight in raindrops on leaves, delight in misty nights.  There is delight in the questions and stories of children, and delight in fresh-made rusks. Delight can be found in everyday events if you are open to seeing it, and I want to see it.

My sunshine on a rainy day.  Finding delight.

And the theme for week 3 in Project 52 is Dream.

We have much to hope from the flowers.

"Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers.  All other things, our powers, our desires, our food are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance.  But this rose is an extra.  Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it.  It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers."

Isn't that a wonderful sentiment?  God's goodness is seen in the flowers.  The beauty of flowers - their smell, their color -  make our life better.  They aren't necessary for life.  They are a sign of a gracious God who gives us extras like flowers simply because He desires to embellish our lives with something beautiful.

This quote comes from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes in a story called The Naval Treaty. It's got nothing to do with the story line, and is simply an aside - an observation made by a fictional character. And yet the author saw fit to add it to his story.  Can we take time in our everyday routine to notice the flowers and how they serve to show us God's goodness?

My computer was in for repairs this week, and so my weekly posting is a little late, but it's here!  The theme for week 2 of Project 52 was Color.  What better way to represent color than with a flower?

Week 2. Already.

Honestly, I'm impressed to find myself at my computer posting my second week of the New Year.  My New Years Resolutions usually don't make it passed day 5.  Ha.  No really, I'm serious.

Amazingly, I have made progress in each of my resolutions so far.  In terms of moving more and eating better, I have gotten up early and exercised, gone to the gym, and committed to 30 days of green smoothies.  And the 'green' in that statement is no misnomer.  These smoothies are green.  Spinach green.  And today was number 8.  And I like them. And I may even continue beyond day 30.

With regards to my Picture 52 project, the first theme posted was Self-Portrait.  I am not a fan of self-portraits.  I feel like an idiot, setting the focus and delayed timer, and then rushing around to the front of the camera while the little beeper is going off like the Countdown of Doom.  It really doesn't help that the warning beep gets faster and faster near the end, while I'm trying to fling myself in front of camera at the exact right spot so that I am in focus, and then look all relaxed and chilled before the shutter goes off.   I got a picture, finally.  I can't say that I like it a whole lot, but it was the best of the batch I created.  This one involved a dark kitchen and the light from my cell phone.

So here we are.  First week of the year gone already.  I hope the New Year is treating you well.  And if you have already fallen off the wagon of your Resolutions, don't panic.  And be kind to yourself.  Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and jump back on.  One day at a time, one moment at a time.  Every day is a new day.  And if you can make today even a little better than yesterday, you've made progress.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!   2013 is going to be a good year, I can just feel it.  I love the feeling of anticipation and potential that occurs on the first day of the year.  I know every day is a new day, and there is no reason why one day should be any different to all the others, but the first of the year just seems to hold so much more possibility.

Any New Year Resolutions?  I have a few.  There is the usual desire to eat better and exercise more.  Since this is the year of my big 4-0, I have a goal weight added in just for fun but I'll keep that number to myself for now.  Ha.

I have also taken on a Project 52.  I'm trying to be realistic with my goals this year, and 52 pictures is much more doable than the big 365.  So essentially, I am committing to blogging and posting a picture every week.  It sounds good in theory, we'll see how I do in practice!

And speaking of pictures, 2013 is also the start of a SmugMug site where I will post my favorite pictures.  There is a small collection of photographs already, and I will be adding to it on a regular basis throughout the year.  Go check it out.
www.bevcrawford.smugmug.com or Click here

So, here is my first picture of the year.  I'll admit it's nothing spectacular.  It was taken with my iPhone outside Martha's 22nd Street Grill in Hermosa Beach, where we stopped to have lunch after a leisurely bike ride.  What a way to start the year.