The Power of a Vision

I have a passion for photography! My first camera that I can remember owning was a Kodak 110. I don’t remember how old I was but I think I was around 13 or 14. In those days there were no digital cameras or for that matter not even a computer. I had the camera at Disney World in my shirt pocket. It was about an inch thick by about 4 inches long. I was jumping up and down on the rope bridge at Tom Sawyers Island and out came the camera just out of grasps reach and bubbled all the way to bottom of the pond. It may still be there some twenty five years later.

Cameras were a passion of my fathers. Some where from the early 1900’s and some were modern day. I am privileged now to have the collection since his passing. He even had a dark room at one point and developed some of his own pictures.

I find Photography fascinating and visually intriguing. You can never take two pictures just alike. Even of the same subject. You may have intended for one thing and something else shows up in the picture oblivious to you when you snapped the lens. It’s not always easy to explain or describe something you have seen. You may have seen a mountain with a beautiful white snow capped top and a small stream at the bottom and a deer standing in front of this magnificent scene. I gave you a visual description but there is no way I could ever do it justice like a picture could.

Jesus said without a vision my people parish. We must have God driven vision in our daily lives. We must continually be looking through the eyes of Christ.

As I become older my vision is not as good as it was in my teenage years. I now have glasses because of stigmatism. I don’t see as good at night as I did 20 years ago.

What God sees in people is exactly how photography works. The person or thing being photographed does not know what is being viewed from the lens. Only the photographer knows. Only God knows what he sees in us. You and I may see a person and say that would not make a good picture but God looks at the individual and snaps the lens of hope on that person. The next time you see a homeless person, a drunk, a drug addict or someone that doesn’t look like good subject matter remember God has the view through his lens.

Laceys Home

Lacey and my family made it home safely on Tuesday night. She is doing good. Her incisions look good. She has rested up for the past couple of days and has enjoyed being back home.

I can't wait until the weekend. It's been a long week and I am ready to chill out and rest.

Take Care,

Tim

Lacey is Coming Home

Lacey was released from the hosptial on Saturday afternoon. She is recovering at the hotel and they will be flying home tonight. She is feeling much better than the two days after surgery. Each surgery is always different as far as the recovery goes. As I said in the prior post it is amazing what the VEPTR has done for her.

I got home on Sunday and was very jet lagged. There is no place like home and sleeping in your own bed.

Thank you for all of your prayers!

Take Care,

Tim

Lacey's Surgery

Well it's that time again and Lacey had surgery on her back this past Wed. in San Antonio, Tx.

The surgery went well. They had to do a little more than expected so her recovery has been slower than normal. Lacey has great doctors and nurses here that take very good care of her.

She has not been out of bed for the past two days. Usually after day two she is a lot better. We are hoping tomorrow is her turn around day and she gets out by Sunday.

I am amazed after 24 surgeries of what accomplishments have been made in her life. She is such a strong child but this time she was really emotional about it. I guess because she is almost 10 and it seems to her that it will never end. I would gladly take her place as almost any parent would do.

You would not believe how she is walking since surgery on her knees. She uses a walker but in a store or at home she is taking off walking without it. We would never have dreamed of the success on her knees. You have to remember this a girl who never walked until she was eight.

She told her mother and I Sunday that we were the two best parents in the world to take off work and be with her during her surgeries.

We are a blessed family!

Tim

It's been a while

It's been well over a year since I posted anything on my blog.

I didn't run away and yes my Internet and computer were working. I will say it was a lack of commitment.

I have been thinking lately of two cousins that have been a big inspiration to me. I don't get to talk to them very often but this past weekend I left a voice mail for one of them to call me in hopes to meet up with him while he was in our state.

Today at lunch (now yesterday) my phone rang and it was him.
We talked a good 30 minutes about our kids, our jobs, church work and a host of other things.

I realized that if you and I are not careful we will let the busyness and lack of commitment rob us of a lot of great things and friendships in our lives.

For those of you who have checked my blog over and over to find nothing new. I commit to you something new.

PS

Lacey is doing amazing! Her surgery on her knees worked! She is walking with a walker and walking about 10 feet without it. There will more to come on her progress.

Thank you Dr. Kit Song and Seattle Children's Hospital. We will forever be grateful for what you did for her.

Until the next blog

Tim

Lacey's going back to Seattle

Lacey, her mom, and her nanny(Tammy's mom) are headed back to Seattle tomorrow until Dec 16th. She will be getting her cast off, her braces put on, water and physical therapy everyday except Sundays while in Seattle. We are excited and they are going to try to get her to stand.

It is supposed to snow tomorrow and Sunday in Seattle. They are excited about that since it has not snowed here in our town since 1977.

Please keep them in your prayers so they have a safe flight.

Friendships

This past weekend my wife and I ran into some friends at the mall who have been friends of ours for over 18 years. They have all moved away and we were shocked to run into them. They were in town for the Thanksgiving holidays to spend time with family. We were so thrilled to see them and their children and to see how they had grown. We reminisced about old times and talked about the latest news in all of our lives. It was such a wonderful time. I told my wife when we left how much I missed them after just spending a little bit of time there in the store with them.

That night I began to think about the friendships in my life and felt compelled to write the following about friendships from my prospective.

There are two types of friendships

Friendships for life

This is a friend that you will be connected to in some way all of your life. You may only see them or talk to them occasionally or everyday. They can be family members, a co-worker, a church friend, a high school friend or etc.

These types of friendships play an important role. They will always have some influence in our lives. When we see them it will be just as I described about seeing our friends over the weekend.


Friendships for a season

These are friends who been in your life at one time or another. It could have been a teacher, a coach, a peer, a person in a town you lived in and has since moved away.

Although you will probably never talk to them again or see them they played a valuable role as a friend at a certain time of your life. Their friendship meant a lot and when you think about not seeing them it makes you feel sad.

Both of these types of friendships have a place in your life.



What are the characteristics of friendships?

1. Memories : They contribute to a lot of memories. You have fun together. You cry together. You laugh together. You hurt together.



2. Honesty: You are honest with each other even if it hurts.



3. Confide: You can share your deepest secrets without the fear of it being told.



4. Unconditional: Friends give of their time and listen without expecting anything in return.



5. Disagreements: You can disagree in friendships and still have a relationship.



6. Forgiveness: There is forgiveness in friendships when things are done or said.



7. Others first: In friendships you will put your needs aside and your friends first.



8. Caring: Friends care about each other and are concerned about the welfare of them and their families.
   
   
9. Supportive: Friendships will be supportive and help you in difficult decisions.



10. Encouragement: Friendships will encourage you and help you in times of need.

As I was writing these thoughts I began to think of the many friendships in my life and to all THANK YOU for being a friend!

There have been so many that I could not list all of the people who have helped me in one of the 10 areas above.

I encourage each and every one of you to cultivate the friendships in your lives. As I reach the middle of my life I see even more the need for friendships.