fitting in...

I ran across this photo one day, and for some reason I was struck by it...
Yes, it's definitely cute. And fun.

But, it also reminds me what I feel like sometimes... like I'm trying to fit in, trying to find a place where I belong.

No matter how I hard I try to be like the others, I'm still a cat...not a raccoon. I can put on a mask... but it doesn't change who I am.

This applies to our Christian life-- we are not of this world. We will never completely fit in here. We will never be completely at home here.

It also applies to my own life and how I see myself. Sometimes I feel so out of place, so not-belonging... and I want to wear a mask to fit in. I want to belong. I want to be a raccoon and fit in nicely with the other raccoons. But, I'm not a raccoon. God has made me unique...in just the way He wants me to be. He has made me just as it pleased Him... and I must remember and delight in who He has made me to be!

"For You created my inmost being;

You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Your works are wonderful,

I know that full well. "
~Psalm 139:13-14

I will praise Him... for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I know that full well. Thank You, Father, for creating me as I am and for loving me as You have made me!

curiosity...

I don't know about you, but I am the curious type. I like to know things... to investigate... to explore... to discover! I love to use my macro lens to see into the micro world. I love to look under rocks and logs and behind trees and into the center of flowers. I pick things up and put them in my pockets. I've always been that way. My mom said I was always curious as a child. I guess it's the way I was designed... with an extra measure of curiosity.

So... what does one do when one is created with a huge amount of curiosity and one finds a hole in the ground?? Questions fly faster than Mercury.... what made the hole? what lives in there? I must know!! I must investigate! I must find out!!

My nephews found this hole while I was visiting them in Georgia, and they were as curious as I. They patiently stone-still and waited by the hole... and waited ... and waited...

...and waited...

and then...

there it was....

...the inhabitant of the hole!
...so fuzzy...

...so leggy...

...so many eyes!!

...and curiosity satisfied...

{sigh of contentment}

God made the wild animals according to their kinds,

the livestock according to their kinds,

and all the creatures that move along the ground

according to their kinds.

And God saw that it was good.

~Genesis 1:25

the deep...

I know God has a great imagination! If you have any thoughts of doubt about that, just take a look at the platypus...or the ostrich... or the venus flytrap...or so many other strange and wonderful creatures that can be found on this earth...or under the earth...or in the sky... or, as I saw today... IN THE DEEP!!!

I watched an amazing dvd today of THE DEEP (BBC's The Blue Planet, "The Deep")... some of the very deepest parts of the ocean. There were incredible and strange worlds down there that only the greatest Creative mind could have imagined and designed! Creatures adorned with beautiful colors and lights, wild and wacky toothy creatures, and entire ecosystems existing--living, growing!--without any use of sunlight whatsoever!

They said that more people have been into space than have ventured into these worlds in the deep sea. What an incredible thought! And, to me, even more spectacular is that God created all of these unusual and crazy and lovely creatures knowing that very few human eyes would ever see them--for His own delight and pleasure!

" So God created the great creatures of the sea

and every living and moving thing

with which the water teems..."

~Genesis 1:21

These photos are of just two of the wild and crazy fish found in the depths of the sea! Look at those giant eyes and that glowing "fishing lure" (on the head of the Anglerfish)!

I found a short clip from the dvd, and it is well worth watching just to whet your appetite for the strange and wonderful world of THE DEEP!!! (I especially love the amazing red jellyfish in this clip!)

(if you would like to see more incredible discoveries, watch the other clips on Youtube or order the dvd on Netflix! it really is amazing!)

beautifully flighty creatures of Georgia...

When I was in Georgia, I was treated to seeing some of the little creatures that live in that country. Some of them even were kind enough to sit still long enough for me to photograph them! Like, this fuzzy little baby butterfly: (well, it IS, you know!)

I have no idea what he will look like in his adulthood, but I thought he was quite lovely in his "worm" state! Look at the patterns...and that wonderfully red head!!

And, here are several butterflies I was able to capture...

This little guy below sporting the black and white and yellow was especially calm and cooperative!

He was hanging out on a stick, and he let us hold him up close for examination...I think he may creatively pose as a bee to ward off predators. God gave some of his creatures the best camoflage tricks!

I especially love the shot below...

it looks like this one is ready for take-off!

...and here is one that has just come in for a landing...

My absolute favorite little butterflies, however, were very small and very fast-flying blue ones we saw in one of the villages in the south part of Georgia. It was a small village out in the country, and we saw the blue butterflies flitting all over the place. I tried and tried to get a close-up shot of them, but they would NOT hold still! (I think they were a bit overly-caffeinated or hyped up on some sort of super-nectar!) They weren't very remarkable-looking on the outside of their wings--sort of a pale brown with just a hint of powder blue.

And then,

finally,

one landed

and sat still

for just a few seconds....

just long enough

to capture these...

Isn't it beautiful??

(and especially against the dusty brown backdrop)

...lovely, lovely blue...

...the fuzzy white body...

and look at that adorable face!!

Ah, isn't traveling delightful?

before and behind...

When I was in Michigan last month, we were driving past a pond, and I was treated to the sight of a family of Canada geese. There was a mom and a dad and about 8 or 9 babies as well as a few other adults here and there around the pond. I enjoyed watching the way the parents were caring for their young--leading, following, watching out for them. The parents led them into the water to cross the pond--one parent in front leading the way and the other at times behind them all or in the middle of them.
Then when they reached the far side of the pond and waddled out of the water, one parent took the front position and one the back. They were always aware of where the babies were and were continually on the look-out for any signs of danger. One parent led them through the tall grass and one followed behind to be sure none fell behind.

Once they reached the grassy meadow area where they were going to feed, the parents (and another solitary goose) took up guard positions. They watched the various directions for any danger while their goslings were deep in the grass intently looking for food. The babies didn't have to worry, as the parents were on the look-out for them, protecting them and watching over them.

Watching them, I was reminded of how God, our Father, is with us. He goes before us to show us the best path to follow. He walks alongside us on the journey. He takes up the "rear guard" and watches behind us --He is always on the lookout for the enemy and stands guard over us.

"...for the LORD will go before you,

the God of Israel will be your rear guard."

~Isaiah 52:12

And, just like these geese parents with their goslings, He cares for us with attentiveness and concern for our best. With the geese, it may be God-given instinct which causes them to care for their young in such a way. With us, it is God's intent to guide and to protect and to care for us as we waddle through these lives of ours. "As a hen gathers her chicks" and as these geese guide and protect their young, so our Father cares for us... what a beautiful example.

Before me,
even as behind,
God is
and all is well.

~Whittier

kissing toads...

I've been told that a girl has to kiss a lot of frogs to find her Handsome Prince...

Is that a volunteer I see?

Ummm...yeah. It looks like a toad to me...

...a toad with a purpose...

...and determination...

Hmmmm. I just don't know if I'm ready for this kind of a commitment...?

Pucker up??

Sunday brunch...

My last Sunday in Michigan, I went with my sister to her little country church. It was a small congregation but everyone was very warm and welcoming. It was a great message, and I enjoyed the service.

I loved that this was the view when we came out of the church after service: Just some happy country cows eating their Sunday brunch...

"Hey! Where's the champagne??!"

a rainbow of birds...

While I was in Michigan, I saw and heard so many different birds! I awoke every morning to the sound of the Canada geese flying over, heard the cooing of mourning doves, the cry of the red-winged blackbirds, the rat-a-tat-tat of the woodpeckers, and in the evening the sounds of the whippoorwill. Blue jays shriek as they fight all the other birds for the best food, and hummingbirds, like little F16 fighter jets, zoom back and forth to their nectar feeders.

Though I wasn't successful at capturing all the birds I wanted to--some are just too quick for my shutter finger--I did shoot almost a full rainbow of birds! (I never did find a purple bird. Grackles have a purple iridescent shine in their black wings, but I couldn't quite snap it when the light was shining right on one.)

Representing the reds...

a male cardinal!

I love the shot above of him in the grass--so very bright and visible!

And my favorite shot...

with the sunset glow on his breast and face...
I know the robin is technically called "Robin Red-breast"
but this robin gets to represent orange...
Yellow is displayed by the Goldfinches...
hungrily eating their favorite--thistle seeds.

And wearing shimmering green is

a ruby-throated hummingbird!

Proudly sporting blue are these mallards.

And, last but not least, I'll let the Blue Jay,

though he is bossy and pushy and rather mean to the other birds,

end the post with his lovely display of blue, too.

(They're also very fast, and this was the only shot I could get though I saw many of them during my stay!)