Test this, test that...

I have been absent for the past few days because I have been spending my days treating my sore spots after being rear ended last week. I have been monitoring my symptoms closely and I've gone to the doctor AND physical therapy.

I believe I'm going to be fine. However that doesn't stop the testing and testing and testing and testing and... do this exercise and do this stretch and do that exercise and do a cold compress and do a warm compress...and do it every two hours. AND call this doctor and that doctor for more testing because "you may have some nerve damage"...etc, etc.

Oh goodness gracious.

Sooooo...I decided to do some testing of my own. And that testing would be over things that I enjoy. I took pictures for the blog via my phone. The reason I'm testing is because I have taken pictures previously and didn't like the way they looked in a blog post. I've used my phone camera directly, the blogger app camera, and the Instagram app.

Believe me. This post is more just for me so I can feel more comfortable to post pictures from my phone in the future.  I mean how could this "photographer" share snapshots that the reader can't even make out what it is?

Oh the humanity!!!

So for now, a test. Here are the pictures of our milkweed in full bloom. Goodness how I wish there was a smell-a-vision app because these smell AMAZING!

My heart

Today has been a terrible day.

So I decided to sit down for a moment and catch my breath while looking at some recent photographs I've taken.  I breath in what I see and it pulses through my veins because I remember those moments captured.

I know God uses it.

I see this snapshot and I feel my heart beating outside of my body. I see them, our children, and I smile.  There is an enormity of love I feel for these two and I find great joy in watching them explore the world around them...even if it appears scary to them at times. I know they will be fine.

I smile again.

As I get myself ready to go to bed and reflect on the day, I will imagine that God has scrolled through the snapshots of me going about my day today...and smiled. It's the kind of smile that comes from a love that only a parent can have for their child.

It's so good to feel that kind of love.

Blessings for your day,



Children holding hands photo by Lisa Arnold taken with Canon PowerShot SX120 IS - Digital camera - compact - 10.0 Mpix - optical zoom: 10 x - supported memory: MMC, SD, SDHC, MMCplus - black

Shouts of Joy

From our children's devotional:

"He quiets the raging oceans and all the world's clamor. In the farthest corners of the earth the glorious acts of God shall startle everyone. The dawn and sunset shout for joy!" (Ps 65:7-8 TLB emphasis mine)

Which reminded me of one particular night.

The children and I went to watch their daddy play on our church's softball team. While they watched their daddy, I also watched our Daddy God paint the most amazing sky with purple, pink and orange.

And although no camera could ever truly capture the beauty of it all, I decided to keep all photo editing software away from these photos.  Because this sunset, on this particular night, seemed to "shout for joy" and I wanted you to see what I saw.

He is all around me, my husband, our children, our family, our friends...us.  If the heavens can shout for joy, then so can I and I'm so thankful for the reminders.

Blessings for your weekend,

Sunset During Softball photos by Lisa Arnold taken with Canon PowerShot SX120IS 10MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Images Stabilized Zoom and 3-inch LCD

Inspired by silence

As you know and I hate to admit, I've had a very difficult time putting thoughts into words.  I'm not exactly sure why but I've noticed that many writters and other bloggers are having similar problems. It's frustrating because I have so many really cool [ninelittlewords] encounters that I want to share but I can't seem to them into words.

However, this isn't going to be a hum-drum, whoah-is-me post. I'm actually going to do what so many other bloggers are doing through their own writer's block. Posting anyway.

One of the purposes of naming this blog "...and other snapshots along my path", was to also share with you my visual experiences and how those moments inspire me...and maybe inspire you.

So out of my silence today, I will share a picture of a place that was teeming with life and reminded me of Psalm 1. 

"Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish." (Ps 1 NIV emphasis mine)

It is not the fear of being blown away like the chaff of wheat that motivates me.  It is the desire to feel myself "teeming with life" that brings me to a place of delight, where He is the first One I think of when I wake up and my last thought as I fall asleep.

As I meditate on His Word, I know my Lord watches over me and my family. I drink that truth every day and find peace in it, no matter what storm of life may rush over us.

Blessings for your day,


Tree by stream photo by Lisa Arnold with Canon PowerShot SX120 IS - Digital camera - compact - 10.0 Mpix - optical zoom: 10 x - supported memory: MMC, SD, SDHC, MMCplus - black