second monday (and a challenge)

One thing I have enjoyed so much about doing this little Advent project with my sister, has been the excuse to spend some time looking back through old photos with new eyes. A fun exercise for my brain and soul has been to try illustrating specific ideas with photos. In some cases, a picture has come to mind and I've set out to capture it new, but in others, I've found meaning and stories in snapshots like this one, taken almost a year ago with little thought at the time beyond exposure and focus.

Photographers or not, fancy cameras or not, I bet you take more pictures than usual around the holidays don't you? Well, I'd like to encourage you to try something. I'm going to list below a few of the words and thoughts that I have carried around with my camera for the past few weeks. Read the list and ask yourself, what does that look like? Then pick up a camera and start clicking. (Don't have a camera but have a smart phone? You might find inspiration in a fun app like the Hipstamatic or Instagram -some of my favorite pictures have come from my phone.) Once you've thoroughly impressed yourself with creativity you never knew you had, and once you've begun to see Advent all around you, share it with us. Join the Flickr group and help grow that beautiful stack of images, bringing Christmas into focus for us all.

Alright, ready? Here's that list...

*darkness*waiting*stillness*silence*expecting*hope*love*watching*

*a community in celebration*when ordinary sparkles*making traditions*the greatest gift*
*bright, shiny & new*when all was broken & lost...*why angel's sing*joy*peace*

and be sure to read Christie's beautiful poetry selection for today-
 Advent (Day 9)

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{Please join me each day until Christmas at There is a River with my sister, Christie Purifoy, as she shares beautiful thoughts, poetry, and prayers for Advent against a backdrop of the images you will see here. You are also invited to contribute your own photos to the Advent Flickr group. If you are not a photographer, we hope you will still join both of us there to watch as the season quietly unfolds in pictures.}