Beauty Shot: In the Eye of the Beholder

Dried up grass isn't the first thing you think of when you think "beauty shot."

But not long ago, my friend, Debbie, asked if I had any photos of prairie grasses in the fall. I'd mailed her one of my photo cards for a special occasion, and she was curious. She said she loves driving in the countryside at this time of year, seeing the subtle beauty and colors of prairie grasses in autumn.

I take a lot of photos, but nothing immediately came to mind. I did find a few photos scattered through 10-plus years of blog posts. Some of my favorites were taken several years ago at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, just a few miles from our house.

But having her mention this "favorite thing" had me looking at my surroundings a little more closely. On one of my many trips as "go-fer" to the field as we cut fall crops and planted our 2022 wheat crop, I noticed a bright blue sky punctuated with puffy clouds. It was nearing "golden hour" and the scene really was "golden" with the prairie grasses reaching toward the sky.

After my appointed duties at the field, I took time to try to capture the scene with my camera lens. 

A Time to Think

The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts your perception to such an extent that it changes the world you see.  

—Robert Holden, Ph.D

It seems society today is entranced by the shiny and new. But there's beauty at every age and stage, and this time of year gives us visual cues all around.

 

 

Those prairie grasses may be old and dried up, but they are beautiful, especially when kissed by a setting sun.

 

 

It's kind of like that shiny new penny compared to the one that's been circulated repeatedly - in a toddler's pocket, giving exact change at the drive-through or pushed into a gumball machine. And, in actuality, the old penny may be worth more than the new one - think Indian head penny, Lincoln wheat head penny, etc. (There's probably another analogy about the value of older people in society, but now that I'm on the downhill slide myself, that probably seems self-serving.)

 

There is intrinsic beauty in the mundane. The message was reinforced with an email devotional:

 

 

The trees are about to show you just how beautiful letting go can be.

 "Letting go ..." It's good for more than just leaves on trees. I am struggling with a situation in my own life, and it's hard to just let it go. I've lost more sleep over it than I should have. It happens more than I want to admit. It appears to be a lesson I need to keep learning.

Recently, an Omaha pastor posted something to his Facebook page about "letting go." As I mentioned in last Tuesday's blog post, it sometimes seems that a "theme" develops for my week. This week appears to be no exception. 

Rev. Craig Finnestad serves The Water's Edge UMChurch in Omaha. (It's the church where Jill & Eric belonged when they lived there.) Here was his list:

 

Photo & thoughts by the Rev. Craig Finnestad, The Water's Edge UMC, Omaha, NE

 

My Guideposts devotional had these words:

O God, give me the wisdom to know 

when to hold on and when to let go.

Kim's County Line file photo - Dillon Nature Center, Hutchinson, KS

 

A Time to Pray (From Guideposts)

Dear Lord, when I am focused on my problems, 

and most likely making mountains out of molehills, 

guide me to go outside, look upwards 

and have faith in Your omnipotence.

Amen.

Now ... just to live that.

"Leafing" Fall Behind

Thanksgiving weekend helped us "leaf" fall behind. But not before we had a little fun in the bountiful leaves in Manhattan.

We rendezvoused at the Riley County Historical Museum Wednesday afternoon for family photos for our Christmas cards.

Photo credit to Jill Grogg Photography, Manhattan

After the pro left, I couldn't resist getting my camera.

 We all had some fun - the girls in the leaves and Grandma attempting to capture the moment.

 It's not so easy with amateur equipment (and an amateur operator)!

That evening, we went to the K-State women's volleyball game. Brooke was getting tired, so any attempts at documenting her first volleyball game photographically were unsuccessful.

However, Kinley was a fan. She said she understood the game much better than football or basketball. Randy and I couldn't believe how small Ahearn looked. When we were K-State students, that's where we cheered on the Wildcat basketball team. Now it's home to the volleyball team.

We made more photo Christmas card attempts with my parents on Friday morning. (I took most of those on my mom's camera, so I think the better ones are on there.)

Grandpa Randy took the girls to the park while Jill and I did a little Christmas shopping Friday afternoon. But then it was time to usher in the Christmas season with the Manhattan tree lighting that evening.

 (You can barely see the girls, Jill and Eric as they went through the candy cane tunnel.)

The Blue Earth Plaza has 100,000-plus lights. Santa was there. But I think our local celebrity - football coach Bill Snyder - got just as many cheers.

We skipped the line for Santa and for hot chocolate. The girls indulged a little hot chocolate with marshmallows at home instead. 

The perfect end to the weekend with a last-minute victory in "Farmageddon," the football game between Iowa State and Kansas State.

 

Yes, Brent, Randy and I stayed to the end so we saw the Wildcat touchdown as the time expired.

 We also watched the Wildcats take a victory lap around Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

As the "society page" used to read in the weekly newspapers, "A good time was had by all!"

The Beauty of Fall

After a couple of hard fall freezes, many of the world's colors have faded like fabric left too long in the sun. But during the past few weeks, as I rushed from one "go-fer" activity to the next, I sometimes paused for a snapshot.

While the autumn scenes are fast fading to the more sepia tones of winter, I'm glad I took the short detours to capture fleeting beauty.

 

Several of my daily emails from Guideposts have urged me to relish my surroundings:

A Time to Think

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth
seeking the successive autumns. —George Eliot

A Time to Act

Autumn is a beautiful time of year—the crimson hues of fall foliage
are awesome proof of His presence.
 Notice this amazing gift that is Jesus’ signature
 and praise Him for His glory.

A Time to Pray

Dear Lord, my spirit cries out for You. I praise You for this beautiful world
and Your presence in it.

A Time to Think

Imagination is what convinces us
that there's more to the world than meets the eye.
 And isn't that the first principle of faith?
—Jonathan Rogers, author

A Time to Act

Treat yourself and relish in the beauty of life.

 

A Time to Pray

Dear Lord, I praise You for simple pleasures.
A sunrise. A walk through the woods.
Remind me to take the time to notice the aspects of Your handiwork
 that thrill my soul.

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

A Time to Act

Look to the trees and the scattered leaves on the ground
and be inspired to let go of the weight of past hurts and disappointments,
 forgive yourself of any mistakes.

A Time to Pray

Heavenly Father, help me release feelings and thoughts that are holding me back
 from becoming all I am meant to be.

Listening for Unity

Sometimes, we need to turn down the volume on the world. Candidates for the highest office in our land seem to believe we can hear them only when they are shouting. Negativity and name calling are the modus operandi.

And it's not just those running for office. I watched a segment on 60 Minutes Sunday night called "The National Mood." A CBS News/New York Times poll had found 82 percent of likely voters were more disgusted than excited about the election. So 60 Minutes asked public opinion analyst Frank Luntz to put together a focus group to talk about it. He chose 23 people representing all aspects of the political spectrum, all aspects of economic life and all age groups.

I was looking for people that could have a legitimate conversation about these presidential campaigns and not just totally smear this candidate or this candidate. And here is my problem. ... It took two minutes for them to explode. It took five minutes to actually get to the point where I lost control.

--Frank Luntz

I can relate. People on my Facebook feed have "shared" nasty things. These are people who are normally kind, compassionate people. So I've pretty much gotten to the place where I just scroll by anything and everything political. It's my version of putting my fingers in my ears and humming, "la-la-la."

Last Friday afternoon, the veterinarian got done working calves, and there was an hour before we needed to get the feeder calves into the pens for the night. We could have gone home to watch the news. But we opted for a trip to nearby Quivira National Wildlife Refuge instead.

That's not to say it was totally quiet. As we walked beside the kids' fishing pond, the mosquitoes were dive bombing and buzzing in our ears. Birds called to one another as the day faded into dusk.

But it was certainly more peaceful than listening to more political rhetoric ... or trying to get cattle to move down a lane.

Even with the unseasonably warm temperatures, I was surprised to find a few of summer's sunflowers still decorating the landscape ... while at the same time, autumn-tinged grasses captured the fading "flowers of fall" that had fallen from the trees.

Some were a little worse for the wear: They seemed battle worn, kind of like I felt after an afternoon of working cattle.

But another leaf looked unscathed. It seemed the color from the goldenrod - now dry and brown - had leached into this perfect heart-shaped leaf. See? There is beauty, even as a season fades.

We go to the polls today. And even though I would prefer different presidential candidates, I hope my votes on all candidates and issues will ultimately reflect my gratitude for this way of life.

 

Even though I'm tired of all the political posturing on the national level - and, to a lesser degree, on the state level - I'm thankful for the opportunity to vote. I will go to a Senior Center in a small town and cast my ballot. I'm not worried that someone will stop me. I'm not worried that the election is rigged.

And no matter who wins the presidential election, I pray we'll come together as a nation. Let's not leave that to somebody else. May we all be gracious in victory or in defeat. And may we come together in ways that leave no doubt that we are, indeed, the UNITED States of America.

Fort Riley Day, Bill Snyder Family Stadium, K-State, Saturday, November 5, 2016

God Bless America

Irving Berlin

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,

Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free.

Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,

As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer:

God bless America, land that I love,

Stand beside her and guide her

Through the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans white with foam.

God Bless America

My home, sweet home!