Another Turn Around...

Time moves fast. One moment you’re thirteen, feeling cool and surprised by birthday cake at school. The next, you’re asking yourself, What happened to that kid?

God has been merciful, lavish with grace. Days came and went, stacking quietly, and somehow landed me here: at peace. It took nearly half a century to understand boundaries and self-worth, and when to honor both.

I’ve carried my camera with me a few times over the past weeks and the images rendered have left me wondering why I fail to run back to this love of mine. Years ago, someone taught me about composition, the Rule of Thirds, and also told me my photos didn’t do much for him. That I should understand more before simply pressing the button (it was more of a reprimand than an uplifting lesson).

Funny how life and art meet anyway. Here I am, standing at the intersection of time and creativity. My path has known heights I never earned. I’ve learned to walk humbly, speak softly, and stand firm, while the world keeps spinning, steady enough for life, never perfectly still.

We live in an age of noise: fear, division, people swept into emotional currents fed daily by curated outrage. Too many forget how humans are meant to live, too many people live in fear that is draped in a displaced understanding of truth. No one dies the richest, no one dies being "right", they simply die and then those who remember them get to tell their version of a story.

I recently completed another trip around the sun. It was marked by laughter and love, and that was enough. The day I start praising myself is the day I’ve lost my grip. Being thought of matters. Being recognized as human matters more.

If I’m granted more time, I’ll be grateful. And if my days are few...

Just look at this picture and know I was on my way home. I hope your stories capture my light and I also hope you use the proper composition.