Life Through My Lens - The day dawn is breaking...

I had planned on going in a completely different direction when choosing the photo to share this week.

Then as I was leaving for work on a brisk and foggy morning I captured these...

How could I not share...?

Heartprints...

Every month I, with the help of my faculty, choose a book for me to read to our student body. These generally are books that we try to link with positive character attributes that we want to encourage our students to develop.

On this Valentine's Day our book was Heartprints, by P.K. Hallinan.

The book describes a variety of ways to leave a "heart-print" including sharing a smile, lending a helping hand, providing a listening ear, and so on. The repeated refrain throughout the book as each act of kindness is described is - How many heart-prints will YOU leave today?

After I was finished reading the book to the students I encouraged each of them to spend some time in the next few days leaving "heart-prints"on the people around them. Each student was given a heart to write something kind they did for someone else, or something kind that someone else did for them. I plan on placing the hearts throughout the school to remind us how to treat others. (I got the idea from a friend who did something similar with his class - though he had his students do it anonymously. Maybe we'll try that next year... :-) )

Hopefully, it will make a difference. 

So, I'll finish my blog by posing to you the same question.

How many heart-prints did YOU leave today?

Life Through My Lens - Giddy-up...

Can you see it?

Abajo/Blue Mountains, near Monticello, Utah

The other day, I had the opportunity to drive through the rugged terrain of southern Utah. Near the small town of Monticello are the Blue Mountains. On one of the peaks of the mountain range the vegetation has grown in such a way as to create the illusion of a blaze-faced horse, leading it to be called Horsehead Peak.

It's a little grainy, but here is more closely cropped picture of the peak.

I love to see the Temple...

Monticello, Utah Temple 

I had the opportunity to attend the Monticello Temple with a friend of mine today. She was invited by the family of a young lady in our ward to be at the Temple when she went through for the first time. My friend didn't feel comfortable driving the distance on her own and asked if I would drive her down and attend the session as well.

Now I must admit - though I am ashamed to - that it has been far too long since I have taken the opportunity to attend a session.  Life just seemed to get in the way. College courses and assignments came and went. Workshops and conferences filled weekends. Family events took precedence. Visits with friends filled other hours. There were a thousand and one excuses I told myself each time I failed to follow through on plans to go. Many of them were valid and reasonable, but they were ultimately, just that - excuses. So, it was with gratitude, and a bit of apprehension, that I went today, hoping I wouldn't flub anything up too badly. 

Upon entering this sacred place I was greeted in hushed but friendly tones and guided where I would need to go. As I waited for the session to begin the quietness and peace of the room lent itself well to prayerful pondering. Removed from the din of the outside world I turned my thoughts away from the hustle and bustle of every day and instead focused on praying for guidance, healing, and peace for those whom I care and for myself. 

The familiarity of the experience, even after my long absence was soothing. As I went throughout the day, in many ways it brought to mind my own experience in going through the Temple for the first time over a decade ago. The quiet expectancy, the reverent tones, the beauty of the surroundings, the peace and comfort that fall upon questioning, troubled, and weary hearts were in abundance on this late winter afternoon, as they were back then.

I needed that today. 

I can't say that I had any startling epiphanies. I saw no burning bush. Manna did not appear from the heavens. Any angels who may have been in attendance were purely unseen.

 Still, I left the beautiful edifice feeling a sense of peace that I hope will stay with me for a while.

I truly do "love to see the Temple..."

Life Through My Lens - Perspective...

As I wandered the city streets I took camera in hand...

and tried to look at things from a new perspective...

Not a bad idea every once a while...

in photography...

and in life...