—John Steinbeck

Care well for initial musings; the flow of ideation will pour out as fruitful bounty.

We’re thinking about next calendar year and what series topics we might schedule. One of our thoughts is the Sermon on the Mount. I really like the idea. I have had this card at my desk for years. It’s a great reminder of what is worth upholding

Gratitude soaked, Spirit filled life

Arrange my my life with such perspective. Contentment and joy.

That is eternal life.

A friend shared this article and I really love it. As we all look ahead to 2019, we should commit to living these thoughts with greater intentionality.

I was talking with my new friend John this afternoon. He is Director of Facilities and we will not only be working closely with our job responsibilities having a symbiotic nature; but we have already learned share a kindred spirit for philosophy and appreciation of design. He shared this quote that one of his professors uttered on the first day of class when he was in school about how intentional and immersed she wanted students to put their care and passion into visual design!

"When you spit on the sidewalk I want you to worry about what kind of pattern it makes."

-Leslie Wiseman (via John Nowacki @ 1969 University of Detroit Architecture School)

Let’s try to figure out our answer on the front side, but let’s never be closed to a better decision while we still have time.

I always want to get as much of the shot right when I frame my shot and make my exposure. However, the more I study my heroes in photography, I realize that processing is a vital second act that prepare the art for printing and/or publishing. My goal when processing is to complete and complement the composition. I will check to make sure the image is perfectly level; and sometimes I will reframe the shot to be square or wide depending on format I wish to print or publish. Then especially when dealing with RAW format (which is quite flat and boring without at least the internal camera JPEG processor) I consider what I remember the scene as I shot it and make adjustments to help the image look like what inspired me to open the shutter in the first place. I do not like to "photoshop" things that were or were not in the original frame (though sometimes, I will remove a blemish caused by such things as dust on my sensor or lens that causes a blemish in an otherwise beautiful sky) rather usually my processing is relatively subtle with only minor tweaks to highlights, shadow, and exposure adjustments; sometimes some play with vibrancy and saturation; and perhaps finishing with some contrast I want to draw the viewer into the image, to help make them feel what I felt when I was experiencing the scene live.

I wrote the following paragraph to a friend who shared a eulogy for someone they knew that lived a good life. My friend finished by writing, "...I keep thinking of all the phenomenal people in the world who never make the news, never make a scene, but just faithfully live their lives with Jesus making the world a better place…"

This is really beautiful to read and contemplate what a faithful life looks like. Thank you. Your final sentences remind me of the verse in 1 Timothy that I’ve been prayer breathing the past week: "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." I’ve witnessed a few funerals where we got to remember a life well lived; and I’ve also spent time thinking about some of the people that are and have been heroes and mentors to me. It reminds me of what such men as Bob Maravelli (youth leader in Pittsburgh - who shared Jesus teaching of the narrow path being preferable to the wide road) and a young Brett Ray shared in the first year of my barely decided faith. More so than what they shared, but the sincerity that they shared it with and the chance to have seen them live over the years since... I want to live my life like such as you and them.