Pray-The Timeless and Priceless Tradition

    Today our parish celebrated four men from our parish, and are working their way through seminary discernment of their vocation.  It was a wonderful moment to see the men up there.

    One of the seminarians reminded us we were a parish of 4,000 families, and many more vocational discernments exist in a parish that size.  He asked us to pray for vocations from the men and women in the pews to continue filling our seminaries.

    I remembered what good priest told me about a year ago regarding discernment.  He told me all the hectic activities we do today divert both adults and children from prayer time.  Just think of the distractions we all face: secularized schools where God is forbidden up to ten hours a day, too many sports, too many dance classes, entertainment celebrating drunken and drug filled activity on every station and TV show.  Every marketing company seeks to get you attention with each second of your day to sell their wares though logos, tunes, and embedded messages on other media.  It creates a mess for forming individual prayer life.

   The challenge to each of us is to create the space and habit to pray in the midst of this clutter.  We need to pray in silence at first.  In a world filled with so much marketing this is actually the greatest challenge.  Adding sacred music and art in our prayer time later is a bonus, which when used properly, will draw our minds up to God.  From these mountains of life we can feel and see the glory of the Lord.

    When the valleys of life come our way (say a 3AM infant which does not want to sleep or the 3 year old having a really challenging day I am talking to between sentences) we can always fall back to our basic memorized prayers bring our daily life back to focus on God.  Using these prayers we still remain connected with God despite the noise around us.

    Whether we are young or old, we must learn the timeless and priceless traditions of prayer.  I am finally understanding this, at the age of 43. So there is hope for us all!  John Paul seems to prefer the early morning Rosary already...he made it a point to schedule me in three times already!  The boys have me each night for boy prayer time, and my big daughter seems to live her life as a prayer.  This is all just wonderful...and I hope a set of traditions we continue through thick or thin.

-ehw

P.S.  This photograph is a real challenge with my camera in one hand and three limbs trapped by a semi-sleeping baby.  Battery box attached to my forehead, changing apertures with a loose thumb...it was definitely not a textbook solution.   It worked though. 

Ready to Climb

    A playground always brings out the best in kiddos...open spaces and fresh challenges every day!  I always love to watch the little guys and gals climb the slide backwards for the challenge and shortcut to the top!  In the case of this mountain climber the hill will pose no obstacle!

-ehw

P.S.  for you tech-cats  this was the X-T1 sporting the 18-135 zoom.  A nice all around tool in good light.  When you hit the playground it is good to have a tool which reaches out and goes wide at a whim.  You don't miss too much action that way!  If you hire a photographer for an event, make sure he has the tools for the job you need done.  That is why a good guy will have to charge a little bit more...he has to pay for the right gear and it costs a good amount to purchase.

God, Family, Country

    As the sun sets on this 4th of July weekend I had wonder about the radical changes sweeping our country.  Lots of mixed emotions in this land.  I cannot believe how much we've changed as a people in the last 25 years.  I still need to sort it all out in my head.  Until then, I will snap up a few more pictures evoking the memories of the land I swore with my life to protect 26 years ago....before it disappears forever.

-ehw

The Big Guy

    This boy will be looking down on me in a few years.  He probably grew two inches in the last  four months.  His feet are ripping through his shoes as well!  He is working hard to be a good boy everyday and just finished up his first job this week!  Great news for an eleven year old!

My Girls

    After dinner and having fun on a lazy Sunday afternoon.  Playing with some light in a corner near the front door.  The hardest thing is to get the three year old to look up at the same time the bookworm is pulled out of her library book!

-ehw

Flowers for my wife

    What is an anniversary without flowers for your beloved?  Thankfully after 17 years of marriage I can tell by sight what she would like....I just wonder if she noticed I put some roses in this one for a change.  Red roses at that!  That was the sneaky item this time.

    I know you all wanted a portrait of my lovely and dear wife for my project!  No better time than an anniversary or Father's Day to get such an achievement done!  If your wife is at week 34 of pregnancy, feeling achy, nauseous, and reminding you it is all your fault than you should probably wait a little longer for a portrait opportunity.  it is best for the health of the photographer.  I am sure I can get a fabulous photo, but I don't know if I could live long enough to develop it.

   So until the better opportunity appears, you get a little memory of the flowers I picked up for my wife in the late summer sun on our front porch.

    Just a reminder...if you have art needs please let me know. I would be happy to help capture your special day, a portrait or make some special art for your home.  Ten percent of your final purchase price will go to charity..right now Regina Caeli Academy our family educational and spiritual home!

-ehw

Seventeen Years of Marriage

    Today my bride and I celebrate seventeen years of marriage.  The rings you see above display the weathering, scratches and soil of living as a couple.   These years included ten moves, five home purchases, four children (14, 11, 8, 3), one baby on the way (34 weeks thank you God), four miscarried babies in heaven, hundreds of friends across the country, illnesses galore (some very scary), tears of joy for children's achievements, arguments, resolutions, and deep religious growth granted by God's grace of faith to both of us inside the sacrament of marriage.   We each fear the premature loss of the other more than ever.  Just the thought takes our collective breath away.

    We now, through the years of experience, understand the deep commitment required to maintain this relationship.  We learned of the complex interaction between all the forms of love: agape (self gift), philia (friendship), ludus (playful), and eros (physical).   At this point of our marriage we can only say we are starting to to keep them all in proper perspective.  We find our marital joys multiply when we use these tools God built in us while building his kingdom here on earth.  This understanding is right on time.   Little kids normally only provide little problems.  Big kids have the big head hurting problems to deal with.  The next seventeen years should be more interesting then the last seventeen.  Therefore we have a lot more work to do on our relationship.

    My wife and I lamented the Supreme Court ruling yesterday.  It was wrong on a matter of states rights and morality.  More importantly it gave into the concept that everyone deserves happiness and love as they personally define it at this moment.  The concept of love people throw around in common speech today, has a diluted definition resulting from poor catechesis by churches and schools.  I also venture to say the concept comes from a lack of self reflection.  The constant bombardment of noise in our brains from so many media sources provides no silence in which God can be heard.  If our marriage followed such a fluid metric, we would be a separated wreck of humanity by now.  

    We will pray our country does not continue down this manmade path of tyranny.  This is of course the inevitable result in any country refusing to subordinate itself (and its rulers) to Natural Law principles.   This couple will continue to trust in God's compass, not our internally flawed guidance systems subject to radical narcism.  We will need it to navigate the scary world now before us.

    Thank you God for making my wife, and revealing yourself to us through the graces of his son Jesus Christ by  the power of the Holy Spirit.  I am grateful for the journey you gave us to travel together.  Amen.

-ehw

The Card Game

    As promised I continue the portrait work...here you see a portrait with a story.  In this case, " How do you make sure you can beat Dad?" It is quite simple actually.  Play Go Fish with a twist.  Deal Dad a six, leave two sixes in the stack, and sit on the fourth one.  My boys are genius!  

-ehw

P.S. What I think actually happened was Son #2 dealt the card fast and flung it at his brother,  Brother missed the card and did not notice it hit the seat.  He moved once and it went under his thigh....and Dad did not see it until we cleaned up and he stood up!  Photo taken with the Fujifilm XT-1, 23mm lens and processed in Capture One...

An Anniversary Present

    This is my third annual tribute to two of my Grandparents on what would be their anniversary month....my Babcha and DjaDja.  This was the flower Babcha loved dearly, and my grandfather scrounged up for all their dates during World War II in Boston, Massachusetts.  A special couple and full of love.  Through better and worse they made a good life together, and have a wonderful love story.  I miss my DjaDja and wish I could visit my Babcha more often...

    What is hard to tell here is that two years ago this bush almost died in the coldest winter in decades.  We had no blossoms last year.  So this year I am loving the sweet fragrance of these flowers, and their beauty before my eyes. 

   My next project is to get my Nana's favorite flowers so I can do the same in the memory of my other grandparents!  Such good people, and examples of time hardened marriages!  Their grey hair are crowns of glory as spoken in proverbs, and had so much to pass on I just did not have time or the experience to fathom.

-ehw

Into the world

Back into the world

    The hardest part of any religious retreat is when you leave the protection of the cloistered environment and must return to the real world.  This weekend Father Jack presented a talk on living your faith in the real world, and not turning a faith community into a faith ghetto.  He said this at the beginning of the retreat.  It gave us each plenty of time to meditate, pray and plan for the afternoon exit.

    For Catholics practicing the magisterium, we face many challenges in the current political and economic climate.  In just a single keystroke any one of us can, and eventually will, experience a portion of the sufferings of Christ for our faith.  If we are lucky we will not face the physical harm being put on christians around the world, but this is also not guaranteed even inside the once secure United States.  The daily newscast is enough to prove these two problems a dozen fold.

    Despite these threats, traditional Catholics and christians cannot retreat from society.  We must continue demonstrating, even to those who hate us, we respect the image of God embodied in each person.  We hope and pray one day, all will celebrate in full communion with our faith as children of God.  We must in word and deed demonstrate the faith Christ taught us through the apostles.  This is the daily witness of the faith required by all, and the most effective means to evangelize one person and moment at a time.

    As a father I often find myself challenged when faced with worldly threats and my calling as a Catholic man.  Instinctively I possess a built in desire to protect my family from all evil.  I also have a desire to remove threats at their origin.   (I've had St Michael the Archangel as my working patron for 25 years, so yes I do mean protect from and root out all evil! )  Despite this, I am a practical man.  I recognize one day my number will get called, and I'll be walking with St. Joseph towards Jesus for a little talk.  If I do not prepare my children to assume the mantle of defense of the faith and evangelization, I failed my grandchildren's grandchildren a hundred fold.  

    The solution is easier to conceive than walk.  We must maintain the protection of children and families to permit evangelization of our successors in some type of safe environment.  As adults we must continue to engage the world as Christ-bearers everyday, no matter the cost to ourselves.  This is our cross to bear as we evangelize in word and deed.  As the generals of our households, we also must do what all great combat generals do.  Be willing to sacrifice the things we love most in this spiritual war.  This means slowly introducing our children into the conflict.  As their intellect and faith allow, our children must replace our tired bodies standing watch at the gates of the city of God.

    In the spiritual war, can we offer no surrender and no retreat.  For this is simply how it is in the real world.

-ehw

A Family Day To Grow in Faith

A day to contemplate our domestic churches

    Today we're taking a family day out to grow in faith at the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama.  It is also the shrine Mother Angelia led the development of for the Sisters of Poor Saint Claire.  We are blessed to have three priests from our diocease lead the retreat for the Regina Caeli Academy community.

     The domestic church is a central link between God and Man for salvation.  Throughout the entire Old Testament God builds his plan though families.  When Adam and Eve fall, God proclaims there will always be enmity between the offspring of Eve and the devil.  It prefigures the birth of Christ through a new Eve, we now know as Mary.  The creation and nurturing of the covenant relationship between Abraham, Moses, and David reaches its fullfillment in Christ the son of Joseph of Nazareth.

    Joseph was an heir of the of the covenant, and a decendent of King David.  He lived the law handed down for thousands of years.  When Joseph adopted Jesus, he did so under Jewish law.  In Jewish law there was no step-father status,  You were a father, or just another man to a child.  Jesus became entitled to everything Joseph had through adoption, to include his birthright as an heir of the King.  It also bound Jesus, our savior, to the same covenant relationship that each of his earthly forefathers lived under.  Joseph taught Jesus the ways of Jewish life to make aliving and as spiritual as head of family.

    Mary, was the daughter of a temple priest.  Ancient legends also say she also played her part in the temple sewing the sanctuary veil.  As a child, Mary possibly worked on maintaining the physical  barrier between God and the people of Isreal.  As a young woman, Mary broke the barrier by nurturing the Son of God from conception to death.  Through Mary, Jesus Christ inherited the bloodline of a priest of Isreal.  

    In Jesus final moments of life on the cross he also used his role as head of family to make this circle of family ties complete.  As the family high priest he offered himself as the sacrifice for our salvation.  As the head of household, put his earthly affairs in order by ensuring his mother was cared for.  Christ turned to the disciple he loved, and told him Mary was his mother.  Jesus then told Mary the disciple was her son.  Jesus adopted the disciple, and as such Mary was the disciple's mother too.  In this act, Jesus passes the new covenant he set forth and the Queen Mother on to his church family for all eternity.  

    Through the language of family, Christ completes the circle the covenant relationship.  From the family cornerstone our parishes, diocese and universal chruch obtain their form.  It will be a day well spent to contemplate means to strengthen and nurture this critical institution ordained by God himself through natural law at the dawn of the world.  I hope you can find time in your day to do the same!

-ehw

The Growing Harvest

   The crops are in, and working towards their harvest this fall.  This leads me also to wonder what are we doing with the talents God put in each of us. Are we tending to the harvest as we should? Sounds like a good thought for prayers and meditation tonight!

Live Love Not Vanity

    Two days ago I attended the funeral for a friend's husband.  He passed unexpectedly after a bout with cancer.  I heard testimonials from several friends of the deceased.  They told the story of a man who lived a life of love for his fellow man.  From what his wife told me in the months we've worked together, these were no exaggerations.  These tales exactly described his character.  

    This gentleman was a leader.  He bore other's burdens with joy.  He called out other men to be leaders in their homes for their wives and children.  He was the rock on whom his wife and boys could lean at any time of the day or night for support.  From what I heard, and knew from his wife, he was also not a man who allowed blind love of another person to cover up their faults in his eyes.  This man called all people to raise themselves up to meet the challenges of life.  He carried the same attitude when he looked in the mirror as well.  He had confidence in himself, but never a vanity for himself.  So when he did not know answers to life's hard questions, he reached out to a trusted circle of friends and the Lord for guidance.

    Good men seek challenges, camaraderie, glory in the Lord, and lay down their life in service.  Somehow the best of the good men do all these things with a smile.  Obviously this gentlemen was all of these things.

    So as we stood at the Canton American Military Cemetery, I looked out at the headstones and thought of what this fallen soldier could teach others in one sentence.  It really came down to what all good military men have in common.  He lived love not vanity.

   Please pray for this family.  My friend and her two good sons lost a good husband and father.  Now they will need the strength to carry on their own lives, with the direction left by a good man in the example of a life well lived inscribed on their hearts.

-ehw

PS  Just a note about the photo above.  In American Military Cemeteries on US Soil we are not legally allowed to photograph the names on the tombstones (per the custodians at the Los Angeles National Cemetery).  So in the four minutes I had to take a few photos before a huge thunderstorm...I got a few quality photos...under that specific guidance.  Took some adjustments to make sure I stayed in the law, but I think it worked out.

Trouble in River City!

    Our school put on one of my two favorite musicals this year....Musicman!  If there ever was a show I'd want to be the male lead in, it would be this one!  The directors did a great job with the kids on this production.  Having been in plays in high school, and our class production at West Point for 100th Night, I am ever in awe with how much work everyone puts into making such a fantastic night.

    The teachers and cast turned an old stage into a place of magic for this old soul for just a little while.

    For right now I can say I have three of my children who performed on stage for the first time tonight.  My daughter did her favorite thing...sing and dance.  One special music teacher has my big girl singing with confidence for the first time in her life, and it is a blessing from heaven to see her smile when she sings!  One teacher let my daughter dance, and taught her to act.  Another teacher took my sons...one who did not act and one who is a natural...and brought out something special in each for a night they are taking into next year in the lower school play.

    More later...late night is just about done.  I just got all the photos ready to push out to parents from both upper and lower school performances.  Only a couple hours of work...learning a lot of tricks and techniques building my style and processing plans.  It really is my only contribution to the work the teachers and kids put into it.  I hope they like the album and can just sit back and enjoy their hard work with these memories I give them tonight.

-ehw

Timeless

    One great part of recitals are the timelessness of costumes and many dance moves.  I often think this is why so many parents return to sports fields or the arts.  We can literally put ourselves right there in the center of the action if we simply suspend belief in our current age.

   In this photo I simply waited for the girls to assemble for their final pose, and snapped away.  With the classic hair and costume it was easy to go black and white to add to the timelessness of the image.  I wanted to to make viewers wonder if this was last week, last year or ten years ago.  

    A great photo is really a timeless.  That is what I want to keep learning to do.

-ehw

The Recital

    Something happened on the way to her fourteenth birthday...see found grace, beauty, poise and calm.  You see here a little lady making her Daddy proud for her dedication to rehearsal, and making the most of every opportunity she gets to dance.  It is with gladness I see a strong Catholic woman growing before me, and sadness when I realize how fast my time with her is drawing to a close.  I also find touch of humor when I find a grey hair or two popping out after a night like tonight.  I just hope it means I will get a crown of glory like proverbs promises!

-ehw

P.S.  Yes this was done on my Fujifilm X-T1.  Mirrorless has come a long way with autofocus and sensor tech.  It is still one of the few nights a year when I long for a 35mm sensor DSLR on a tripod with a good F2.8 lens....But after looking at this I really cannot complain...I got a few great shots and that is all I need.

Our Father...

    The "Our Father" is the perfect prayer since Christ himself taught it to us.  It is therefore so fitting we say it just before we approach the altar to receive communion.  I reminds us of the awesomeness of God, the reverence for his name, the greatness of his kingdom, the submission to his will required to be part of the kingdom on earth and in heaven.  The prayer then foreshadows the transubstantiation of Christ in the Eucharist by asking for our daily bread!  Finally it asks for forgiveness of our sins, and the openness we must have to forgive others who also come home to the Lord.  Why?  We are all sinners in a fallen world where temptation lurks everywhere.  We will all fall from time to time, and have a need to come back into the good graces of God.

-ehw

PS  Sorry my thoughts are so jumbled this week.  I feel like I have a huge case of writers block!

The Request Granted

    Tonight I finished up a long deployment worth of work far from home.  I took a walk and for the first time was able to enjoy a few minutes of golden hour sun bathing the sights around me.  The Cathedral was already locked up tight, so I could not visit the Blessed Sacrament one last time before I went home (Mass was wonderful yesterday morning though!).  Then my little phone buzzed.  I saw a note from my friend, fantastic photographer and master marketer Kristi Church (Here is one of her current projects http://infinitereachagency.com/) while I sat at the corner of the street in front of the church (cool..Mrs Church sends a note while I am at the church).

    In the note she asked me to post my photo from a few days ago...well I looking at the light I said there has to be something new I can do for her.  So here you go Kristi!  A new photo session just for you!

    This photo goes to my Americana side of my artwork.  This statue sits in front of the Federal Reserve Band of Cleveland.  (You can find out about the Cleveland Fed at this website)  The statue reminded me of my youth, when John Wayne and my grandfathers seemed to me made of the same cloth.  A cloth of masculine strength and obedience to a power far higher than they.  The monument still bursts forth more symbology telling a story through timeless allegory.  Through the story I could understand the mission of the organization housed inside, and a mission greater than merely survival.  I could sense a call to greatness.

    Then I turned to some fascinating modern architecture adjacent to this site.  It was rich geometry, but devoid of character.  No story do they tell, and no greatness other than self importance do they speak to.  They also can change like the wind, by merely changing the sign you change their purpose and function.  In modernity I found no timelessness enduring story, only narcissism for serving a purpose here and now.   Sadly I could see in it those modern buildings a desire to replace the role models of my youth and American heritage with a one world order world.  A skyscraper here is the same as Dubai, Mexico City, Tokyo or Shanghai.  Scary thought, but the symbolism stood starkly there before me.  

    So here is the request granted Mrs Church!

God Bless

-ehw

Using Constraint to Grow

    Today I walked out on a perfectly dreary overcast day.  No lighting existed for making magical images the eye naturally follows.  Instead I found myself working towards composition to make an interesting photo.  I had on my camera a trusty 35mm prime lens (it is a normal 50mm equivalent on my APSC).  This is a hard lens for me to use.  I really see the world normally at more of a 23mm view (a 35mm lens on my APSC sensor).  I found myself already constrained twice, so I added another constraint to my day.  Compose everything for black and white as well!

   I should have felt depressed and boxed in.  Somehow that did not happen.  I found myself invigorated to look at the world in a whole new way instead.  The resulting shots were some I'd never thought to do if I was just plain being normal.  I grew, maybe, a little in my versatility and creativity because of this experiment.

    When you really think about it, it is the same in a lot of endeavors.  One of which I may get to discuss tomorrow night.  As for now, I hit the constraint of time available in a day.  It is off to bed with me now.

God Bless

-ehw

PS Fujifilm XT-1 with 35mm.  Fun gear!

Sense from Tragedy

    This week two sisters lost their babies in child birth on the same day in childbirth just hours apart.  One of the sisters, and her children, are friends of our family.  The loss struck home after our two miscarriages last year, and with our anticipation of Baby Echo's arrival in August.  We know of their pain, and pray for their families to weather the storm of emotion which comes with it.   The event brought back common question from a few people I talked to: "How can God let such pain enter the world if he is so great?"

    Maybe this can help explain a little bit...

    A little over a week ago some criminals broke into my car, and emptied it out of everything they could make money from.  I was mad, scared, embarrassed, the whole range of emotion.  I of course went to mall security, called the cops, and asked if they had anything which could help my situation.  As I walked with the security manager to my car we started talking.

   As we approached my car he identified how they crooks got in from previous robberies.  Then we waited for the patrol unit to arrive with a detective.  As we waited I popped the trunk and in it only three items remained.  One of them was a 14 year old army camouflage folding chair issued at only one place in the Army.

  He looked at it and said, "Were you an OC in the desert?"  Well yes I was...  Soon I found out he was Sidewinder 39 Ancient, and he found out I was a Cobra 13 Ancient at the Army's National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.  He threw artillery fire, and I chased armored companies across the desert floor.  We roamed the desert  for two years together, possibly only meeting at a dinner or two for mere minutes...but we effected each other's work and knew the call signs. 

   I asked him how he liked the tour, and he responded it was a tough tour.  During their tour out in the desert he had a stillborn baby in 2001.  It was then my heart sank, and I knew the other side of a story.

  Almost 14 years ago in a desert far far away in 2001:

   When my wife had our first pregnancy her blood pressure spiked greatly.  The doctor scheduled extra checks, and on her week 38 visit the blood pressure was still at the same spot...high...as the week before.  The doctor then said abruptly, "One way or another this pregnancy ends today."  Just the tone of her voice put chills in our hearts, and the words sunk into our heads like lead weights in water.  After a quick trip home to get our hospital bag we had our baby girl in our arms just four hours later.  My wife's blood pressure ended up causing no problems, and quick action by the doc kept the cord around my girl's neck from causing lasting harm.

   As we held our baby a few hours later I asked the nurse if the doctor was always that curt in her bedside manner.  The nurse said no.  My wife however matched the profile of a women who lost her child in the clinic earlier in the year.  The doctor would take no chances with this pregnancy, and wanted to protect the baby at all costs.  This was why the doctor was so focused during our delivery day.

Ten days ago...

   I put my hand on that Security Chief's arm, and told him his baby saved my baby's life.   I know my words can do nothing to ease the pain of such a loss, but I had to say them.  I was happy to then hear his other children are now strong adults.  He is proud of them, as he should be.  I did however remember him and his family in my prayers at some point in the days since that moment.

    So here is the answer to the question about pain and suffering in this world right under the nose of an all powerful God.  We live in a fallen world feeling the effects of original sin.  Fallen worlds have sickness, death and people doing their selfish will rather than working for unity in God's will.  Through all of this God, still gets the last laugh.

    I know babies born without the breath of life go straight to the embrace of God.  Then you have incidents like the losses of these three families.  I know the crooks got away with my stuff, but in their evil I met a man thousands of miles and years later who's family's sacrifice saved the life of my lovely oldest daughter...my Desert Rose.  What will come out of the losses of these sisters today?  I do not know yet, but I know there is seed sown for great and redeeming works of grace which may not bloom for decades.  When it blooms the name of two cousins will be on it, and they two will rejoice in its bloom as they dance with the Lord.

    Until the day this new grace blossoms, I will enjoy the dancing of my blooming Desert Rose as I reminisce on this chance to see how God works his will through both the good and the bad.

View fullsize