Thursday, October 22, 2009

Struggles and Butterflies...

One day a little girl found the cocoon of a butterfly with a small slit at the end. She sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to squeeze its body though that little hole. Then it stopped, as if it could go no further.
So the girl decided to help the butterfly. She took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
She continued to watch the butterfly because she expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body. Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its shortened life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly.
What the little girl, in her kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings. And once the butterfly achieved its freedom from the cocoon it would then be ready to fly.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Marines

Cynthia Martinez with Words of Comfort, Hope & Promise asked if I would like to photograph a special day for the Marines. I was honored to take part. I called my buddy Sara Kross to see if she wanted to tag along with me.
The event was held at Camp Pendleton. This is the 4th event I have covered and it never ceases to amaze me all the volunteers that come out to support the men and women who are sacrificing their lives for our freedoms. The freedoms we so often take advantage of. Sara and I were touched by so many lives and look forward to the next event.
Churches banned together and set up booths with food, games, free services, massages, jewelry, desserts, etc. There was a bounce house and slides for the kids to petting zoos and pony rides. There was entertainment throughout the entire day along with amazing raffle prizes (which were ALL donated). Karaoke sing off contest, line dancing contest, watermelon and pie eating contest to volleyball tournament and Tug-A-War. It turned out to be a huge success. They rolled out the red carpet for their grand entrance to the event. The hundreds of volunteers were shouting "thank you" and shaking their hands as they came through. It is hard to describe those moments in words. The Trabuco High School Cheerleaders came out to show their support. It was so awesome to be standing up on the stage looking down at the huge crowd as the ceremonies began they opened up in prayer. Heads were bowed, the beach was still. It was a very special moment one I am very thankful for. I was reminded of all the freedoms we are blessed to have.Petting Zoo and Pony Rides...Tug-A-War...Watermelon eating contest...Pie eating contest... Cynthia has devoted herself to these men and women. She is always looking for volunteers. Whether it is a service you provide, funds, gifts for raffles or you would like to come out and help at one of her events be sure to visit her website for more information and contact her anytime throughout the year. She is doing amazing things but she cannot do it without our help!