Somethings Missing December 29, 2009

Late December Day, originally uploaded by picturethepromises.

After a Christmas Blizzard we were finally able to drive to northern MN to celebrate Christmas with my mom, dad, sister and her family. We arrived before lunch and that afternoon I needed to go for a little walk. (Mom always feeds us very well!) It was cold, but a beautiful afternoon. A couple years ago I took a similar photo but this year there were a couple things missing. The beautiful barn that had been there finally lost it's battle with gravity. Here is a shot taken on a blustery day. http://www.flickr.com/photos/9199449@N08/2144179488/in/set-72157603198719734/ and this is a closer look http://www.flickr.com/photos/9199449@N08/2162139649/in/set-72157603198719734/. Also missing is this wonderful old pickup http://www.flickr.com/photos/9199449@N08/2039768268/in/set-72157603212215570/.

Looking towards a new year you may notice some things that just aren't there anymore. Children off to college, a job no longer yours. Broken relationships or loved ones passed on. Our stuff gets old or we have too much so we sell it, throw it or give it away. Sometimes it can be a good thing to remove "clutter", sometimes loss is just plain painful. When I look at this scene, I know what is missing and there is sadness for what's been lost but I also see beauty and potential for the future. Sometimes we can work to restore what's missing, like a broken relationship. Sometimes we have to accept the reality of loss and move forward. It is my prayer for you that as you let the past year slip away you'll find beauty and potential in the year to come.
Blessings~

After....December 28, 2009

After...., originally uploaded by picturethepromises.

I took a few photos today just before sunset. That is my favorite time of day, my favorite light to shoot by. Much of the landscape in this area is flat, flat, flat. No hills, mountains, buttes, waterfalls or lakes. Lots of land as far as the eye can see. In the summertime this field may be filled with wheat or beans or beets or corn. We watch the little plants pop thru the soil in rows. They grow and grow and soon we have the beautiful colors of fall when the crops are ready for harvest. Then comes the winter. Sky and snow. But if you look for it you can find the beauty. I have two shots like this on flickr. One of them is right out of the camera. Nice...
This one I enhanced using picasa. I hit the auto contrast button and the auto color button. I liked what I saw. Sometimes it's ok to add a little color, a little drama to the ordinary of living.
Blessings~

Note: if you click on the photo, it will take you to my flickr account, you can compare the two photos.