Category: Bright Spot Log!

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 101

· Leave a comment ·

LIFE LONG LEARNERS

Last night my oldest  daughter was working on one of her last essays and she  said this,” I can’t remember when I started school.” WOW! My job is accomplished here because I set out to make life long learners of my kids and this statement proves to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have accomplished one of my main goals in my home schooling journey. Just think of it, most kids remember their first day of school like this: Johnny with his cute back pack waiting for the dreaded yellow school bus that would take him away to a place where his real learning journey would actually end instead of begin. In the first few years of his life, his parents or main care takers were his main teachers and they allowed him the freedom to explore and learn on his own. Now as he rides the yellow dog he’s about to embark on  12 years of in the box learning where his natural abilities to soak up knowledge like the sponges they are at that age, will be curtailed if not squashed. So today I am a happy, happy teacher knowing that my kids love learning and they will carry that hunger with them to serve them well in their lives.

My daughter then went on to admit that as her home schooling journey wraps up, she will miss it because she can look back at all the ups and downs we’ve faced together and her heart aches because she knows from here on out it’s up to her to make her life the way she wants it. We both teared up

Funny, I told my daughter that on my last day of high school when the last bell rang and all the seniors let out a happy freedom cry, the last thing on my mind was whether I was going to miss 12 years of compulsory education. No way, I told her I was so glad my time was done. And here her sentiment was so different and my heart ached a little.

 

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 99

· Leave a comment ·

” DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.”

We sat around eating brunch this morning. Actually it was left over home-made soup from last night. We were discussing what Easter means to each of us. My youngest had posted on FB that Easter is lame because they have commercialized it  and now they make it all about the Easter Bunny and candy. My second daughter pointed out that Easter is different things to different people. She said for herself, it’s about her risen Lord and Savior. The rest of the family said today is a day of remembrance ; never forgetting what was done for us at the cross. My husband even said that it’s about never forgetting to pick up your cross daily not just on Easter.

I grew up Catholic and so Easter would bring the people out of the wood work on Easter Sunday. Every family would show up to church in brand new clothes and I remember wondering what all the big fuss was about since I had to go to mass every Sunday come rain or shine. The creepiest part of the whole week leading to Easter was on Good Friday , when we went to a Good Friday service and we had to kiss the feet of Jesus on a crucifix that was passed around by a priest.

Just now my husband came home and brought me some flowers to plant in a planter in my backyard. My youngest daughter and I just planted them and it struck me: Easter to me is about living life to the fullest. Jesus dying on the cross so I could live forever…there had to be a death so that I could have a life.  There had to be a sacrifice of an innocent life so that we who are guilty, can be absolved of our wrong doing. So for me Easter is about LIFE! Tonight we will have communion here at home with our family. Jesus said,” Do this in remembrance of Me.” He didn’t hype it up. He had a small, intimate meal with his closest friends and followers. Easter to me also is about remembering the intimacy of a love so deep and powerful that was given to me without reservation. Do this in remembrance of Me,” Love, Live and Celebrate in remembrance of HIM!

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 94

· Leave a comment ·

It’s Tuesday and I say we all need something to smile about these days. I hate hearing the news lately so I’ve shut the  idiot box off.  If I need to know about anything important I know I’ll hear about it on Facebook or someone I know will tell me. My husband is usually good for that; he’ll come home from work and tell me the latest news headline he heard while eating his lunch. In this age of information at our fingertips it’s hard not to keep informed, whether you like it or not.

So I challenge you today to focus on the GOOD that is happening and part of doing that is on purpose tuning out all the negative voices that try to drown out the good ones. Life goes on  in spite of high gas prices, high prices for everything in fact. Life goes on in an election year. Life goes on and bad news reports can do nothing to stop the marching of time. Take life and enjoy each day because  I ask you,  can anyone of us add a single day to our lives  by worrying? And isn’t it true that MOST of the stuff we waste our time fretting over never really happen?

Today’s picture took me several tries to shoot it the way I wanted it. The wind was blowing hard that day and I wanted to capture our flag waving in the wind to remind us all that though the winds of adversity are upon us we WILL come out of this because we are a people who’ve never quit no matter how hard things have gotten now and in the past. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 92

· 3 Comments ·

I love photographing kids because they are fresh and unpretentious. I took this shot of my youngest while we walked around Rodeo Drive. I was people watching and I oticed so many people trying to be cool.  I asked my daughter to pose in front of one of the most recognised addresses in the world and she wasn’t even phased; to her it was just another chance to look cute and make a memory. To others, Rodeo Drive is a status symbol. To me, Rodeo Drive is just another place to take cool photos.  Happy April Fool’s Day 😀

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 90

· Leave a comment ·

A few weeks ago I was sunning myself in my back yard. It was around 2 in the afternoon and I was thinking that I’m so glad to live in a desert climate where the winters are mild and I can enjoy the sun, while my relatives who live back in the midwest are freezing their butts off 🙂 The yard was quiet when suddenly I looked  up and saw the most wonderful creature hovering just 3 feet from where I sat.

My hummingbird, as I’ve called him since then, just stared at me in flight and we beheld each other for several seconds, neither of us afraid  and at perfect peace with one another. Time stood suspended for an instant. I held my breath, afraid that if I exhaled, he would leave. Then as quickly as he came, he was gone. He flew to a nearby Oleander bush and I begged him to come back. I wanted to hold on to the moment but he was done. I looked at him high up on the bush and I said good-bye knowing it was over.

That moment I’ll never forget and I immediately called my Mama and told her about it. She told me that because I’m such a calm person my good energy drew him to me. I like that!

My son loves how I can draw flowers and birds. He has asked me to do some detail work on his acoustic guitar in the past and I love indulging him. This week he asked me to draw him a humming-bird because he had gotten tired of the old design that had been on his guitar for a couple of years now. So I did and I’m sharing it with you on today’s snap shots of life. I wish you a wonderful start to your week end!!

Hummingbird Symbolism

The hummingbird symbolizes many different concepts. Because of its speed, the hummingbird is known as a messenger and stopper of time. It is also a symbol of love, joy, and beauty. The hummingbird is also able to fly backwards, teaching us that we can look back on our past. But, this bird also teaches that we must not dwell on our past; we need to move forward. When the hummingbird hovers over flowers while drinking nectar, we learn that we should savour each moment, and appreciate the things we love.
The hummingbird has powerful spiritual significance. In the Andes of South Americathe hummingbird is a symbol of resurrection. It seems to die on cold nights, but comes back to life again at sunrise.Hummingbird is the creature that opens the heart. When the hurt that caused us to close our hearts gets a chance to heal, our hearts are free to open again.

It is not commonly known that the fluttering wings of the hummingbird move in the pattern of an infinity symbol – further solidifying their symbolism of eternity, continuity, and infinity.
By observing the Hummingbird, we see they are seemingly tireless. Always actively seeking the sweetest nectar, they remind us to forever seek out the good in life and the beauty in each day. Amazing migrators, some Hummingbirds are known to wing their way as far as 2000 miles to reach their destination. This quality reminds us to be persistent in the pursuit of our dreams, and adopt the tenacity of the Hummingbird in our lives.

365 Snap Shots of Life” Day 89

· 8 Comments ·

The Sacred Hides in the Ordinary

Have you ever ordered something from Ebay and when you received it you were disappointed because the item you purchased was smaller than the picture on the ad showed? That happened to me this morning when I received my Feng Shui wind chime. So I hung it up on the patio and it’s so small, the backyard swallows it up. Then I set out to find the positive in the negative as I normally do. I reminded myself I like small, dainty things and that helped. Then I thought about returning it and it wasn’t worth the hassle. I decided to keep it.

Just now Esther, my second daughter came home from having gone to lunch with her youngest sister. She was so excited because she brought home a butter fly. I looked at it as it sat contentedly on her index finger. Esther thinks it’s injured, I think it likes her. Then I remembered the little wind chime I hung this morning. We have to have eyes that see and ears that hear what isn’t obvious. My small mini wind chime , that tiny butterfly reminds me that the most precious things in life aren’t usually perfect. We have to be awake enough to appreciate those serendipity moments that come to us in our every day lives. Esther’s butterfly felt   enough at ease  with her positive energy to come light on her finger. Is it injured, as my daughter perceives,or  perhaps it didn’t want to die alone.

In this world we live in where perfection is demanded at every step, you have to on purpose make yourself slow down enough to look past the imperfections in things and people so you won’t miss the sacred in the ordinary. After God created everything He said His creation was good, NOT perfect. Maybe He left it open to interpretation and what I get from that is that He made things good-giving them the room to  become BETTER. So next time you deal with a disappointment, challenge yourself to see the sacred in it. It’ll be hard at first but the more you practice that, YOU will become better.

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 88

· 1 Comment ·

The Stage

Have you ever felt like you’re the one everyone depends on for seemingly everything? You’re the one people try out their best  and worst lines on. You’re the one they leap, twirl, tip-toe, prance  and dance on. You’re covered will all sorts of scuff-marks and scratches. There are days you don’t feel special; in fact you have days when you’re so exhausted that you just lay there.

Welcome to that part of life I’ve come to embrace and dubbed “The Stage”.

If you’re a parent you’re acquainted with being the stage for your kids. You’re the one they try their best and worst lines on. You’re the one they try their firsts on; from crawling, to first steps, then jumping, running and eventually dancing. You’re covered with all sorts of scuff-marks and scratches but you keep going nonetheless because out of those, you know dreams are launched. And, as parents we all have days when we feel overlooked, ignored and forgotten. The activity continues though because you know the show must go on.

You know that at the end of the performance you’ll get no credit. The actors will be lauded. The director and his crew will receive pats on their backs. The lights will shine but you’re underneath it all. Still you don’t care because when you’re called to be the stage, you know that without you, they won’t have a place to stand on. Without you dreams won’t come true. Much is said about great performances; little is ever mentioned about the stages they played on. It takes great confidence to be a stage. You must have a firm grasp on yourself; a knowing that you are a vital part of the show’s success.

When the lights go out and the audience goes home, you’ll just lay there, quietly fulfilled, resting for the next performance.

-Eva Santiago 2012

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 86

· 7 Comments ·

CONTENTMENT IS A GIFT

I went to the store yesterday and I bought a wind chime and a hummingbird feeder. Once back home, I put the wind chime on my deck in the back yard. I hung the feeder from a limb on my olive tree with hopes that they’ll come to visit me. Then after dinner I sat on the swing listening to my wind chime sing as the wind caressed the pipes. My son came out and sat next to me. He said he found it amazing that I take pleasure in such simple things. And I told him it’s because I’m the kind of person who can enjoy a $10 wind chime more than a big screen TV.  Why is that?

I found out a long time ago that contentment is a choice as well. When my kids were all in the toddler stage, there were days where I found it hard to be content because back in those days they were my main focus. I had no time for myself and when I did make time it was to gather my scattered thoughts on paper to try to make sense of what was happening inside of me. That’s when I decided to purposefully sit back and watch my kids play and interact together and that day I found a sweetness in my choice to be a stay at home mom.

Not too long after that, I would listen to Joyce Meyer on the radio and she’d talk about being content no matter where you are in life. Gee,  everyday I tuned in , it was the same message. Being a quick study, I caught on that I was right where I needed to be and that in order to be content in my present state, I had to appreciate it first. So I decided to get down with my little ones and finger paint with them. This is what awakened the artist that I’d never dreamed I was before. Contentment brought me to a place of self-discovery and I’m so glad I chose to make friends with her. She’s a gift that keeps on giving!

So I invite you dear reader to examine your life and see if you’re lacking contentment, ask yourself what can you do about it. What’s robbing you of finding true contentment? If you’re content already, hang on to it no matter what because you and I both know it took some time and struggle to attain it.