Commitment

December 4commitment;rings;hearts;love

I am thankful for commitment. With commitment, we know that our significant others will stick by us through good and bad. Without true commitment, our relationships are shallow. Love is a necessary requirement for people to become committed to one another. Commitment can also be something that seems trivial like keeping your word or your promise, but in fact, is the cornerstone of trust.

I learned this technique in an article on wedding photgraphy. You put a wedding ring in the crease of a book, here a Bible, and shine a light at just the right angle, and presto, you have a heart shadow. I tot the idea of joining both man and woman rings to produce interlocking hearts to represent commitment. This is Bebe's engagement and wedding rings and my wedding ring. The page from the Bible is from First Corinthians chapter 13, which is all about love. "Love is patient, love is kind..."

commitment

i give this promise to you

there will be times

when i will make little sense

there will be times

when i will be rather dense

and there will be times

when you will want me out

and there will be times

that i will make you shout

but in those times

this my promise so true

that i will always hold on

and will always love you.

© rt tulley

Peace

December 3peace,dove

I am thankful for peace. Unfortunately, there is far too little peace in this world. But we can enjoy peace, at least in select places in the world. Even though there seems to be war going on continuously, I suppose if you looked at the entire world, there is a majority of peace at any one time. We can all pray that it will continue and expand. In this holiday season, we can look forward to "Peace on Earth, good will to men."

This is a dove ornament that I saw during some holiday shopping last weekend. Doves have long been symbols of peace.

peace

peace must begin at home

and branch out wherever we roam

on the street

on our feet

we are the peacemakers

to everyone we meet.

© rt tulley

Highways

December 2highways;city park lake,I-10 bridge

I am thankful for highways. Highways are paved, generally smooth, pathways for us to drive our automobiles upon in order to get to destinations in a relatively rapid and safe manner. Likewise, to take this to the analogy level, a highway is a laid out path spreading out in front of us. Usually there are multiple roads we can take to get to our final destination. Many roads may lead to the same destination but more likely, most alternate roads take to to completely different destinations. Often, the destination is not the most important thing, but it is the journey and how we proceed that is more important than where we go.

This is an HDR photo taken at City Park Lake in Baton Rouge looking toward the I-10 bridge over the lake.

the journey

i looked forward

long and hard

to a journey

i would soon make

i watched and waited

mapped and calculated

the direction and path

that i would take

packed, unpacked, and repacked

busied with the daily chores

purchased clothing and supplies

looking ever forward

focusing straight ahead

stepping toward

that wondrous goal

that was sure to open

many a new door

and off on the journey

i did set

drudgery and begrudgery

pain and fussery

on the way

which lined the path

anticipation and worry

for what lie ahead

would it be excitement

or would it be regret

and then i did reach

the place i held in such esteem

so this is what

i worked so hard to see

this is the destiny

that they all call

the so-called place to be

i was here

after long last

as i settled down

to the role i had in myself been cast

and there was plenty of time

for to look back

over that well worn path

which i had just traversed

it was littered with before unseen pleasures

like rocks tossed to the side

and i saw that enjoyment lay

not in getting or being there

but in the journey

and in the ride.

© rt tulley