just for today....

 just for today.... i’m grateful for what I have before me, for God has ordained it so... 

....the good, the (what I call) bad, and even the (what I call) ugly.... 

everything has a purpose... to grow, to refine, to humble, to shine a light...

and the biggest opportunity is to  

..... to the Throne Room..... 

                                                    .... to the heavens.....

                                        .... to the sky.....

                        .... eyes cast upward.....

              UP

LOOK

ALMIGHTY GOD

He holds ALL in the palm of His hand....

He does not let a single thing pass through His fingers without His permission... 

He knows how each and every situation will play out ... to and for His GLORY. 

do I have big plans for this next year, a year about to be born? .... yes.....

do I have big hopes, hopes I pray to see realized? .... yes.....

do I have big dreams, wild and crazy? ..... yes.....

do I have big stresses and worries about tomorrow and what the future may bring? 

.... of course I do....

but today... 

may I not be concerned about the past.... for I cannot change a single thing.

may I not be worried about the future... for who knows what will really happen?

may I keep my gaze on the One who chose me before the dawn of time.... just for today.

get inside your story... and begin

Every year, the week of my birthday, I take stock of where life is, where I’m at in it, what hopes / dreams / goals are for the coming year, what I would like to focus on, etc.  And I shared some of that here on my birthday eve.

And then I awoke on my birthday to a beautiful email. The friend who sent it, didn’t even know it was my birthday, which made it a true gift. It was authentic, God inspired, and just what I needed to receive that morning.  We were in a conversation about pursuing goals and dreams with what God had gifted us each to do. I had shared a few ideas about my photography and writing. And the advice I received is still ringing in my ears.... get inside your story.  The context was geared toward writing and losing yourself within the story being written. And to start anything, one must begin. Whatever it is in life, we must take a step, and then another, and then another.... we will never achieve, grow, or move forward, if we do not begin.  

Those two points flipped a switch in me. 

I resonated strongly with the point to get inside my story.  By nature, I’m a wallflower. An observer. I love to watch people. I have fears of both failure and success, thus I don’t try as hard as I could or ought.  And for several reasons, I tend to just sit on the sidelines of life and watch.  But as I get older, I have realized how much I would rather be on the field, in the game. I want to have a life full of interesting stories. But even more so, I want to be in the middle of the moment. I want to know that within an experience, I am taking it in, eyes wide open, and willingly participating. 

As a photographer, getting inside my story is key. The observer in me has taken many safe shots on the sidelines, courtesy of my handy-dandy zoom lens. I can be there without disrupting the moment. But that position has also made me miss out on some incredible shots and experiences because I didn’t want to get my hands dirty. I was too afraid to speak up or ask someone if I could get in the thick of it and be a recorder of the moment. 

But to get started and move in any direction that will be productive, it is essential I begin. 

Yesterday, I realized a month of my 39-ness has already passed, and I wanted to check in with myself as to how I am doing with my theme.

The month of October, I took my camera everywhere with me. I really sunk myself into as many moments as I could. I shot almost 2000 photos (most of them aren’t any good and will not see the light of day). Of course, it was easy to be inspired as the autumn leaves were peaking in the mountains and amazing sights surrounded me. It was a great month of just being, seeing, and living. 

I also focused on making time to write. Most of it was for me, just getting into the swing of writing again. It felt freeing to get words and thoughts out, especially thoughts or stories I’ve wanted to put down for a while. 

Now I will admit, the last couple of weeks have been swept up in holiday retail schedules. The leaves are down, so although my environment is still beautiful, the urgency to catch a tree or a leaf right at that moment is no longer there. And, to be honest, I get complacent easily. I, too often, let the mess in my head distract me from the moment. 

But even in the moments I didn’t produce something tangible, I have been aware of what is around me, I have been soaking in others’ words and contemplating them, using them as inspiration for a future work session. I also have been more proactive in sharing my work with others, listening to feedback and thoughts.  

I look forward to the next 30 days and what God has in store as I continue to put one foot in front of the other, pause here and there to listen, keep my camera handy, capture amazing snapshots of life, and string thoughts together on paper.  

The theme I want to live by this year motivates me. Just thinking it or saying it propels my imagination.  What does it say to you?

get inside your story.... and begin.

week in review

life is busy. lots of things are going on, but the last seven to ten days have been especially busy and eventful. 

my parents came in to spend some time with us last weekend ( 4 nights / 3 days to be exact). we haven’t had that kind of quality time in quite a while, and the visit was wonderful. they stayed with us at our new-to-us old farmhouse (circa 1910).  though this is the smallest house my Joe and I have had, we were never running over each other, and we somehow coordinated 4 grown adults in and out of one bathroom. 

it was lovely being tourists in our new hometown. there were a few must-do’s on the list, and we successfully hit about 3 major sights / activities a day, including Smoky Mountain National Park (and Cades Cove), Gatlinburg, getting fried apple pies & cider at The Apple Barn, and the permanent Titanic exhibit in Pigeon Forge. we also had a bit of downtime and just enjoyed hanging out at the house. 

while my parents were here, our washer appeared to start leaking. so once mom and dad got on their way, we had a repairman get on his way to the house. turns out the washer was not leaking. always be careful how you pray... we prayed it wasn’t leaking... it wasn’t.. but the culprit was much bigger than we could have anticipated. 

the drain that the washer drained into was backing up. we don’t know why all of a sudden this became an issue, but it did. and we then found out that we had antique plumbing. it was pretty common back in the day to not route your washer to the septic/sewer system, but to route the pipe underground and have it dump out somewhere in the yard. nice. so after three and a half hours of being befuddled, the plumber finally figured out what was going on. and he had to come back the next day to repipe the line into the septic/sewer. an expense we definitely didn’t plan on. 

the day before mom and dad got here, our cantankerous curmudgeon of a beagle/basset mix had to have surgery to take a tumor off of his paw. he was bandaged up and seemed to do well for the first few days. until the plumber showed up. while he was here, and immediately after my Joe got home from work, Bailey decided to chew through his bandage and pull his stitches out. so off to the vet we went! we came home and thought all was well for a while.... then on Friday, in a fit of boredom / itchiness / temper mismanagement, he ate the bandage. as in ingested. as in couldn’t be found anywhere in the house and had to be in his belly. that revelation was discovered at two o’clock in the morning. praying that he wouldn’t need surgery (because i was close to making the call of just not bringing him home period -- it was 2am, i was exhausted and not thrilled about any part of the situation), we watched him closely and waited it out. (probably not the smartest call in hindsight, but we’re all okay.) sunday, as my Joe and I are getting ready for church, I saw Bailey in a posture that meant something was up. and it was. all over my carpet. a one to one and a half pound sausage roll of vomit. the bandage encased everything he had eaten the last two days. (at least it was easy to dispose of). so thankful it came out that end and not get tied up in his intestines, which it easily could have. (and he is fine, we’ve watched and he has passed all traces of bandage stuff.)

and we’re officially in fourth quarter of the retail world. veteran’s day weekend is a wildly popular and heavily attended event here in the sevierville/pigeon forge/gatlinburg area. and working 45 hours in 5 days (as a part-timer) -- many of those hours at the cashwrap talking to and helping customers non-stop --  are great at the moment, but zaps all energy out of this introvert-acting-like-an-extrovert. at least it was a good warm-up for the thanksgiving weekend chaos that is to come. i’m thankful for some great customers that indulged me by laughing at my jokes and returning the smiles. 

all in all, it’s actually been a great week. 

oh... if you have a hankering for an 8 year old curmudgeony canine, we can ship him COD. :-)

Flannel. Camera. Music.

A reawakening of sorts has happened.  Five weeks ago, I returned to Iowa for a high school reunion, but what started the trip is what reminded me of something I had forgotten. 

I LOVE solo road trips. 

I had taken many as a young gal in my twenties. Moving 600 miles away from home will do that. 

Just being able to drive and let my mind wander.... to play whatever music I wanted whenever I wanted.... to pit stop where and when I wanted .... I forgot how much I loved and craved that freedom and adventure. 

The positive takeaway is that when I embark on my commute to work each day, a mere 15 miles, I enjoy that time fully. I turn up the tunes and just soak in the sights around me. 

While I was driving the interstates across the midwest, I fell in love with the land of my roots all over again. But it was really the stretch of two-way highways between the city of my teens and the town of my childhood that made the biggest impact. 

The scenery was simply gorgeous to this midwestern girl. Fields were golden with cornstalks. Barns and farmhouses dotted the rolling hills. Teeny tiny towns forced a slowdown to 45 mph or possibly 35 mph. And I loved every mile of it. 

I hope I can return next year and create a robust portfolio of rural scenes, because I regretted not having the time to stop and take the photos I really wanted to. Fortunately,  this trip made me travel with my camera right by my side in the front seat. 

And I’m getting back in the swing of traveling with my camera more than I have in the last few years. The great percentage of my favorite shots are the fleeting moments that I practically missed. And I cannot count the passed opportunities because I didn’t have my companion with me. So I’m learning (again) that I must live with my camera. I think we make a good combination anyway. ;-)

Fall is, by far, my favorite time of year. When days get shorter, the temperature drops lower, the leaves turn magnificent colors of gold, orange and red. Another reason I love fall? I adore flannel. It is my dress code when I go out and shoot. It’s comfy, it feels great, and it epitomizes fall. I cannot get enough of it. 

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been dreaming and brainstorming about life -- how to better work my passions into something more sustainable. When I have a day off, running errands around town, I’m struck with how deep the drive is to make a go of my art. Driving around, music turned up, in my flannel shirt, with my camera..... “THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO!!”  The force of the sensation is scary, yet exhilarating. But isn’t that the thrill??

Flannel. Camera. Music. I’m ready. 

birthday eve

© sarampeters 2013

I'm sitting here on my birthday eve, taking stock of a few things. Each birthday comes with 

a bit of New Year's mentality -- what have I done this last year? what didn't I do this last year? what would I like to accomplish this coming year? try? places to travel to? habits to change? .... the questions easily flood my brain, and before I know it, I've beaten myself up, dreamed big and created a larger to-do list and reading list than I could ever keep up with. 

Those things will creep into my daily life over the next few months as it is.

But I hope I can set much of that aside and concentrate on the now. I hope this year is filled with "now" moments. Living eyes wide open and in the present. Taking some risks. Working on a couple of big ideas -- ideas that give me that "I think I wanna throw up" feeling.

I hope this year is also a year of preparation. I'm turning 39, and I want to enter my forties expectantly. A year from now, I hope to be ready to enter the next decade of life with more wisdom than today, more self-assuredness, and anticipative delight of what God has in store.

Enough of crippling to-do or idea lists...


This year I want to:

LAUGH

SING

ENJOY THIS MOMENT

INVEST IN OTHERS

ENCOURAGE WITH WORDS

FIND JOY AND BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITY

DO SOMETHING I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO

LOVE MY FAMILY WELL

NURTURE MY PASSIONS



Do you take stock each year at your birthday? What would you like to do differently?

i've been unfaithful

This morning as I was driving into work, I was struck by the landscape in front of me. The mountaintops were shrouded in a line of very dark clouds, and through pockets in the clouds, the sun just blazed through with brilliance and contrast.

The mountains are changing color dramatically right now, as we are officially in peak season with the changing leaves. What have been dark green mountains up until now, the panorama has smudges of orange, yellow, and red. The dark clouds crossing the tops of the mountains cast this ominous shadow, making one think rain was about to pour out. And then the sun. Filling any gap in the clouds, glittering its rays through the darkness to light up the coloring mountain scene.

It's not hard to think of God in such a sight. How He breaks through our darkness and shines light in our lives when we need it....
As I was talking to God, playing through the last few days, and the last few weeks of my life, I was finally in a place where I could ask for forgiveness. I have been unfaithful.

The last few weeks have been really wonderful, interestingly enough. God gave me a miracle by clearing out an old grudge, ushering in a fresh perspective of my past. I've been able to rekindle friendships from my childhood. I have a couple new friendships budding, and I'm excited to see how they grow. I've been pausing each day to appreciate what's around me, intentionally celebrating what gives me joy in the small moments.

And in the joy, I've been unfaithful. I have placed these joy-producing things / people / moments in front of God. I have been specifically and fully aware that I've pushed God aside in many moments, pursuing my own wants and desires, even allowing a thought war to flow freely. Yesterday, there was a weird crumbling feeling in me, and I couldn't pinpoint what was going on. A restlessness in my bones took over and I couldn't shake it.

The mountain view this morning brought clarity. God is ever FAITHFUL. He lets me have my moments of doing my own thing... but He won't let me stay there. Grace abounds. He loves me above my mess. He holds me accountable, but is merciful. He forgives when that's the last thing I deserve. And through it, His brilliance, His glory, His light shines through my darkness and illuminates the beautiful landscape of my life.

Psalm 36:5-6 
⁵ Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.⁶ Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep.

Psalm 89:8 

⁸ O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

Psalm 91:4
 ⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Lamentations 3:22-24 
²² Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.²⁴ I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

1 Corinthians 10:13
¹³No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

1 John 1:9 
⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

midwest love

©sarampeters 2013

three weeks ago, i traveled to the midwest for my high school reunion. the trip was amazing... i'm still processing aspects of it.  more will be coming regarding the trip.

but i wanted to post *something* tonight... something that didn't require too much thought or planning... something that just sums up an emotion i have....

i was not expecting the absolute adoration and love i have for the midwest. i have always very much appreciated the fact i was raised in the midwest. but this trip drew me in and surprised me with glorious sites. (maybe it was that i hadn't been back in several years...)

as a photographer, i was frustrated that i couldn't stop a gazillion times (or even ten, due to time) to really capture what i saw... i have always wanted to do a collection of rural stuff. and i will have to revisit the midwest a year from now to shoot all the gloriousness that surrounded me.

anyway... as i drove through eastern Illinois on my way to Iowa, i was stunned by the sunset over the rural landscape. fortunately, i stopped. ;-)

**all content and photographs are copyrighted and the sole property of sara m. peters.**

did i tell you? do you know??

so.... yeah.... ummm.... here it goes..... I LOVE FALL!!!!!!!!!

I can't control it sometimes... I want to shout it from the mountaintops.... I want to whisper it in the ears of everyone I pass by....

Did I tell you??

I LOVE FALL!!!!!!!!!!

I love the foggy mornings as God pulls back the blanket of the day He's uncovering before my eyes.

I love the changing of the leaves and how each day is completely different and surprising.

I love driving down the roads of East Tennessee and smelling fires of burning leaves.

I love the harvest displays sprinkled throughout my town, mini bales of hay with pumpkins, scarecrows, and mums propped up.

I love the evenings getting darker minute by minute as the temperature drops lower and lower.

I love sleeping with the windows open and wake up excited to see how cold it gets inside my house.

I love farmer's stands on the sides of the roads heralding their latest apples, mums, pumpkins and gourds.

I love pumpkin chai lattes and apple cider and the many wonderful goodies that are apple / caramel / pumpkin flavored or inspired.

I love curling up in a fleece sweatshirt and blanket, with a warm fall beverage, and sitting outside reading until it's too dark to see... and then I sit for several moments more...

I love having an October birthday and the "new year" mentality it gives me as I reflect on the year past, and dream for the year ahead.

Please share.... what do you love about fall?

a new place, a new outlook, a new look... and more to come!

This blog officially went a little crazy.... I had one back in Kentucky, started a new one when we moved to South Carolina a few years ago... and now we moved to Tennessee, so I just revamped the first one and added content from blog #2 to blog #1.  (follow? yep, crazy stuff... i told you)

So.... this is my temporary writing space... while i prepare for the “next big thing” (because there’s always a next big thing with me, isn’t there??).  

I am now in a farmhouse in a small town in East Tennessee (because it’s not eastern Tennessee, you see).  My husband and I moved to Tennessee after three years in South Carolina. The mountains have our hearts and I’m so excited to be back in a place that has four seasons. The move has been very positive, and we hope that this will be home for a good long time. 

The last three years can be described as a Refiner’s Fire. A time where faith was shaken to the core, and we were thrown to the threshing floor.  And a lot of days it feels like only a mustard seed of faith came through... but isn’t that all we need? And now, I gaze upon the mountains *daily* and just am in awe of how mighty and incredible God really is.

The house is getting settled, bit by bit. Creative juices are flowing.  And fall is here!! This tidbit ignites this ol’ girl’s soul like no other. The last two evenings I’ve been caught outside in our backyard way past sunset, just gazing out at the sky and the surroundings. I simply cannot get enough of it! 

I launched #StartOverOctober as a way to celebrate a moment (or few) of each day this month... being intentional to try something, get out, make something, or just be. My photos can be found on Instagram under #startoveroctober (there are a couple in there that aren’t mine, but anyway!)

follow me @saranades on Twitter and Instagram, and there will be more to come for sure!