The These Beautiful Parts

This little guy (I believe it's a cicada) was found on a field trip with my kids. He joined us at lunch and he seemed to really enjoy having his picture taken. He was surprisingly tame.

I always like seeing things like bugs and plants up close and in detail. It reminds me of how we are each so intricately made. We look at other creatures and see how detailed and beautiful they are, but when was the last time you looked at your hand and thought about how perfectly all those muscles and bones and tendons work together just right...?

Praise the LORD for we have been wonderfully made.

This was a beautiful sunrise last week when we were visiting my parents in Indiana. It was an incredible fall day. Beautiful weather, beautiful family. Sometimes we make fun of Indiana (my self included), but it is actually quite nice. It is often this beautiful - and it is very peaceful. In the end it wasn't such a bad place to grow up.

It's good to remember that all things work together - past, present, future - and that we really are a part of a whole: this big beautiful world that He made.

photos 1 & 2: f/4, ISO 800, shutter 1/7 sec, flash bounced off the ceiling

photo 3: f/29, ISO 800, shutter 1/80