Why?

I was watching a bit of Oprah today as she spoke with a writer for the New York Times about the truth in America. An interesting point was brought up about people in general asking the question "why?". Do we often feel that if we ask why things are happening the way we are, then we are not in support of what is going on around us? For example, if I am asking "why" there is war in Iraq, does that automatically put me in the position of not supporting our government and/or our troops?

I have always wondered this. My entire life, I have been a very curious person about a variety of things. If I don't know and want to know, I ask (or read, research...whatever). Does that mean that I'm not on any side of any issue? Why or why not?

The Digital Debate

I discovered some great comments from my faithful readers about going digital. Today and I did some headshots for a friend's company and realized the ease of going in, shooting, dumping the photos on my computer and sending them. It took less than 2 hours to do all that, including travel time.

I love the artistic value of shooting with film and will continue to do so, especially because it is the medium with which I am most familar. Yet the ease of my first official digital experience really helped me to see the value in both. I know that when I get a digital camera, it's not going to be cheap...but I realized long ago that I picked a profession/artistic method that is definitely not inexpensive, especially at first.

Thanks to everyone who commented...thanks for the advice!

Signage

Sign seen on the side of a busy road:

"Chid Care. Call -------"

If you're gonna promote your business, at least make sure you use a dictionary.

Go Digital???

I'm trapped...do I finally cross over to the other side??

A friend of mine leant me her Sony digital camera for a few weeks. So last night I started to play with it so I could get a quick pic for my profile (check it out). How easy it was to shoot the photos, dump them on my computer and post them. No waiting to develop, no printing issues...a technological "piece of cake."

Yet I have a dilemma. I LOVE the art of photography, which to me, includes the entire process. At this point, since I've only had one photography class, I feel like my skills are limited. It would be so easy to buy a great digital and just go from there. But will that diminish the quality of my photographs? Will I feel more technologically capable and more artistically incapable?

The good news is that I don't have to make a decision right now...until I have to take Digital Imaging in school. So I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!

Don't Judge a Book....

Last year, in Estes Park, Colorado, at GMA's Music in the Rockies, I decided at long last to sponsor a child through Compassion International. It had been years since I did this...when I was in middle school I sponsored a child through World Vision. I was the worst sponsor because I didn't keep in touch with my child.

As the packets of information were handed out, I told my friend Nikki that I was hoping for a girl (I even said a little prayer). But when I got the packet, I was slightly disappointed to find a picture of what appeared to be a boy. A small, Rwandan child with short hair. In spite of my disappointment, I thanked God that He put me with the right child.

I began reading the child's profile...born in 1996 (the year I graduated high school--that gave me some perspective)...was the child of a farmer...then...she helps her parents to carry water from the well. I was SO excited! I was going to sponsor a little girl!

The reason that it was on my heart to sponsor a little girl is because girls have a special place in my heart...mostly because I am one. I know somewhat about what they deal with, the pressures, the feelings...everything. I want her to find value in who she is and to never let anyone ever tell her that she is less than precious. I have such a loving earthly father and my mother was so influential in my life--I just want young girls to have that kind of encouragement.

So now my heart belongs to Rwanda. I watched "Hotel Rwanda" and rented a movie called "Ghosts of Rwanda" on the genocide that occurred in 1994. My heart ached for her people--although it was before her time, her neighbors, family friends, perhaps family, all were affected by such tragedy. I am trying to understand how 800,000 people were slaughtered because of their class system. I recently got two books from the library to understand more what happened.

In her letters, my Compassion child has been sweet to pray for my future husband and to encourage me through her simple 10-year-old words. I thought I would be the one to give the encouragement and found I have received it in return.

A huge lesson was learned through her already--don't judge a girl by her hairstyle...and don't judge a person's willingness to give when it appears that they have nothing.

29!!

One more year until the best years of my life!!

The Art of Letter Writing

Whatever happened to old fashioned letter-writing? I believe it is a dying art.

I admit that I do enjoy the speed and convenience of email, but at the same time, I enjoy writing a hand-written letter. My goal is to always write at least one note or letter per week to someone, so that this fine art does not fade away.

I guess it might be because my mom always emphasized a thank you note or letter to me as a child. No matter what someone did for you, even if it was a small, yet kind, gesture, I believe it deserves taking time to write a hand-written note. To me, it shows that person that their gesture meant enough to you that you took the time to write.

So off I go to write a little letter....do you still hand-write letters?

I'm an Artist!

Last week, the New Seed of Hope (www.newseedofhope.com) had an art fundraiser to help raise funds for the organization. The mission is to help the people of Central and Eastern Africa recognize that despite their hardships, God has not abandoned them. One of my friends asked me if I wanted to donate some artwork to the cause--without hesitation, I agreed. I worked for several weeks on the two pieces. One was "J'adore Paris", a mixed media piece with photographs I took while in Paris in 2001. The other was "Between the Lines" an acrylic on canvas painting that was inspired by Leigh Nash's song.

What got me excited was the fact that both pieces auctioned for $40 each. I was really excited! I was just hoping they would actually sell.

But the best part of all of this, it was for a good cause.

The Heart of the Servant

Yesterday I was listening to "The Dave Ramsey Show" (www.daveramsey.com) who is a financial counselor with a talk radio show. His guest was author John Miller, of the book "QBQ." One of the best quotes from him on the show was this:

"Service is doing something for someone that you didn't have to do."

I have to look back at my day and think to myself, "Did I do something for someone today that I didn't have to do?" Well, I had coffee with a friend tonight who needed to get out of the house. I held the door for someone at school, I brought cookies for me and a friend to have during our class break. So I did do something for someone else that I didn't have to do. What a shame it would be to look back upon my day without having done something for someone else--it seems like such a waste. Even that small gesture of holding the door for a stranger can mean so much to them. It may just be the bright spot in their day--that you would go beyond yourself to think of them. I wonder what changes the world would take on if everyone made this the goal of every day...to have that servant's heart.

I believe that we often associate a servant with a slave. But according to Webster a servant is "one who serves another." To serve is "to work for; to minister to; to wait on; to attend; to help; to promote; to advance; to satisfy; to deliver formally."

Have you had the heart of a servant today?

A Child's Eyes

"Only those who look with the eyes of children can lose themselves in the object of their wonder." -Eberhard Arnold

Children look at the world without judgment. They do not bring their preconceived notions and past experience to the things upon which they look. I always find it interesting to really listen to the perspective of my nephews and niece--sometimes looking at what they look at in order to find out what is so intriguing. It is so interesting if you attempt to take away what you know, what you remember, and try to look at something--whether it's a painting, a sunset, or even a person--with fresh eyes. You'll be amazed at what you see.

Look Away

Today as I was driving in downtown Nashville, I saw a man on the side of the road. Dirty and unkempt, he just stood by the side of the interstate exit ramp looking dazed and lost.

As I passed him by, rubber-necking to get a glimpse of whether or not he was holding a sign (I was curious if he was asking for money), I said a short little prayer for him, something along the lines of "Lord help him." I didn't know him, but my heart ached for what appeared to be his lack.

How often is it that we just look away? Sometimes it is difficult to look into the eyes of someone more desperate then ourselves. Could it be that we are ashamed of our blessings? Or do we feel that we cannot (or will not) help someone else in need? Do we not even see a person in need because we are too focused on our own issues and problems? Is what we deal with on a regular basis (traffic, work issues, relationship issues, etc.) more important than someone who is in want of food, shelter, a shower or a clean bed to sleep in at night? Does our own selfishness blind us to the needs of others?

I have always felt that every young person (under the age of 18) should be required as a part of school to get out there and help someone in need. It is so amazing to me when you help someone else and are willing and open to give of yourself, how your problems seem to pale in comparison to theirs. Maybe then it won't be so easy to just look away.

Truth

It's that time of year again...every other commercial on television is for one hopeful elected individual or another. Each ad blasts the opponent, stating that he or she voted for a certain bill that may have caused harm to the public. The opponent retorts in his or her ad claiming that he or she did in fact NOT vote for that bill and, in addition, did something better that far outweighs all other "dirt" that could be dug up.

This got me to start thinking about truth. Have we gotten to the point in time where the truth is so gray that we cannot even trace it back to an ounce of reality? Is it true that this person did a certain thing...or are they just telling you what they think you want to hear in order to sway your vote? Is it possible to dig deep into it enough to discover whether or not a person has any moral foundation whatsoever--or have the moral grounds become so gray that we cannot determine this either?

Here's the BIG question: Is everything relative, including the truth?

Uhri Photography!

I am SO blessed. I have had the opportunity to do a photo session for Darryl Hambrick, a guy from my church who is in the process of releasing his first album. So here are some of the shots I took...hopefully I'll be able to get the album cover up so you can see what the finished work looks like!

www.uhriphotography.com is in process as we speak. My brother, web guru extraordinaire John Uhri (Red Bit Blue Bit) is developing my site. I am so excited and can hardly believe that I am getting work and I've only been back in school since the beginning of the year! That goes to show that God works on His own timeline!

Sweet Photos

Here are the most recent personal photos that I took. Can you tell that I'm a proud aunt?

9/11

We never forget.

To the Mattresses!!

I recently set a goal for myself to watch all of the Academy Award winners for Best Picture. My most recent view was "The Godfather." Please don't think me ill for never having seen the entire movie...it was just one of those things. I really enjoyed the film and can see what all the hype is about [smile]. The term "go to the mattresses" was used in the movie when Vito wanted the Corleone family to fight against the other mob families.

This really caused me to stop and reflect. I was editing some articles for my dad, who had escaped his homeland of then Czechoslovakia in order to have freedom which was not found under Communism. He has very strong feelings about events that occur even in this country that head in the "Communistic" direction. He speaks out for those things in the opinion columns of my hometown newspaper. I admit that I cannot fully understand from his point of view because I have grown accustomed to the freedoms that we have. Yet I am reminded that many have "gone to the mattresses" before me for freedom and justice when I haven't had to lift a finger.

There are things that I strongly believe in, yet I don't think that I necessarily "fight" for those things when push comes to shove. I feel like I am complacent and careless about issues just because I don't want to rock the boat. So what will it take for me to fight? I wonder if it would take me losing my liberties and my rights for me to dig in.

Have we become a society that no longer fights for what they believe? Have we stopped "going to the mattresses"?

Boredom

After almost an entire day of watching movies and tv, I stopped to read the newspaper only to find a short article on boredom...how appropriate. Actually, I wasn't bored today...I wanted to take the day off (after all, it was Labor Day) and rest after a few weeks of being sick (and believe you me, this is totally valid!). Ironically, this article spoke about the fact that boredom may actually be a good thing specifically for children since their lives are extremely stressful these days. According to a poll by KidsHealth, 41% of kids feel stressed most or all of the time because they have too much to do.

So this then forces me to ask myself this: when did childhood become stressful? I remember the days of playing outside with my brother and sister making "houses" out of leaves and tunnels out of snow piles. I remember my mom packing my sister and I a "picnic" lunch in a brown bag that we could eat outside on the front porch. Or lying on the floor in a sleeping bag on a Sunday afternoon watching the snow fall. How is that stressful?

The article outlines some tips for parents to encourage their children to "get bored." It is somehow ironic that when I was a kid we were avoiding boredom to the point of creating our own fun by building a "swamp" trail through the green carpet in our basement. My, how times have changed.

Have our lives these days become so busy that even our children are getting stressed out? Is it so stressful that now we have to take advice on how to encourage boredom? Can I get permission to be bored?

Cultivating Creativity

My only studio class this semester is 3-dimensional design. I recently read a chapter in our text for the class that discusses cultivating creativity. In those times when I feel completely uncreative and inadequate, I need to remind myself that I am creative. Mostly because I have all seven of the characteristics of creative thinking (or at least I think I do):
1. receptivity: being open to new ideas and experiences
2. curiosity: the willingness to research unfamiliar topics and analyze unusual systems with a sense of delight
3. wide range of interests: includes a broad knowledge base with a variety of components
4. attentiveness: the ability to pay attention to seemingly minor details
5. connection seeking: the ability to find similarity among parts that are dissimilar, unrelated or contrasting
6. conviction: valuing existing knowledge
7. complexity: the ability to combine both the rational with the intuitive

Do you consider yourself creative??

Book Freak

People that know me well know that I love to read (yes, I'm an admitted book freak). Part of the reason is that growing up, we were always encouraged to read and I often saw my parents reading a book. In fact, before my mom died, she had read approximately 25 books each year. Amazing. I'll get there one day...I read a statistic from Dan Miller (www.48days.com) who stated that if you read 10 pages a day for a year, in one year, you will read 20 books. That's really attainable! My goal for this year is 15 books. As of today, I've read 11 so far this year.

As I was reading a book (how ironic) I learned of a web site called bookcrossing.com, which basically encourages giving back to the world at large, one book at a time. You join the web site for free, receive a number for your book, then put a book plate with the number in the cover and leave it--anywhere. When someone picks up the book and reads it, they then go to the web site, log in the book's number, write a journal entry on what they thought of the book and then they pass the book on to another stranger. You can track your book to see where it finally ends up and what the people who found the book said about it. HOW COOL IS THAT! That's changing the world, one book at a time!

So, even if you don't want to be a part of bookcrossing--READ. It can take you places you never thought possible and you don't even have to become a book freak.

N.O.W. - No Opportunity Wasted

I just finished the book "No Opportunity Wasted" (NOW)" by Phil Keoghan, host of the tv series "The Amazing Race." That is definitely a book on the list of "Must-Reads" for everyone.

The premise behind the book is to create a list for the life that you want. You can accomplish this by the steps he outlines in the book:
1. Get rid of the excuses
2. Face your fear
3. Get lost
4. Test your limits
5. Take a leap of faith
6. Rediscover your childhood
7. Shed your inhibitions/express yourself
8. Break new ground
9. Aim for the heart

I was so incredibly inspired by this book, but realized that I have already started my "List for Life" which includes skiing in the European Alps and learning to crochet (among like 100 other things). Yet I know that my list will continue to grow as I do.

Here is one of my favorite parts of the book in the chapter "Rediscover Your Childhood:"

Kids don't bring this kind of baggage to their life experiences. They're wide open. They look around and see fresh opportunities everywhere. They're constantly surprised. Some of this is just a matter of inexperience (everything really is new to them, so of course they find it more interesting), but some of it is attitude and perspective. It's how you choose to view the world, and how you react to it. The writer Franz Kafka said, "Youth is happy because it has the ability to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old." But how do you keep seeing beauty? It may sound obvious, but the only way is to open your eyes--wide. Look hard, and long. Artists and writers have sometimes spoken of trying to see the world through a child's eyes, which really means looking closer at things, studying and admiring details, as if you're seeing something for the first time. This is a great exercise for all adults, not just artists. Try looking at your own backyard that way, and you'll notice things you never saw before.

I always want to see things in a new light, so I am going to exercise this by looking at things as if I am seeing them for the first time. I am refusing to let no opportunity be wasted! How important it is for us to keep ourselves with "fresh eyes"--it may be just what we need for that added inspiration.