Clara Chambers Photographer Blog

A sweet song for you for Valentine’s Day

Enjoy!

I was reading last night about a missionary named Ella who worked for fifty-two years with the pygmies in Africa and lived in extremely primitive conditions yet was able to live a life of total contentment.  Her daughter, Mimi, found in an old journal of her mother’s her prescription for contentment that I would like to share:

• Never allow yourself to complain about anything – not even the weather
• Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else
• Never compare your lot with another’s
• Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise
• Never dwell on tomorrow – remember that tomorrow is God’s, not ours

That really convicted me.  One,  to not complain or compare.  But, also, to realize how freeing that is to let those things go.

This came from a book I just began reading called Calm My Anxious Heart, by Linda Dillow, and the author continues with another description of internal contentment from Shakespeare’s King Henry VI:

” A king is wandering in the country and meets two gamekeepers. He informs them that he is a king.  One of them asks, “But, if thou be a king, where is thy crown?”  He replies:

My crown is in my heart, not on my head;

Not deck’d with diamonds and Indian stones,

Nor to be seen; my crown is call’d content

A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy”

I am wondering . . . how many people do you know that wear this crown?   I would like to be one of them, wouldn’t you?  I welcome your thoughts.

So, I want you to meet my new pen pal, Lindiwe!!  Isn’t she the cutest??  She is my sweet friend that I am sponsoring through World Vision and she is three years old.  We actually share the same birthday and so in a month (hint, hint) she will be a whopping four years old.  This has been a huge blessing for me already to pray for someone across the globe!  I am hoping that one day much later after we have had years of corresponding that I can go to South Africa and meet her.  Since she is too young to really communicate well with the translators that write the letters back to the sponsors, her grandmother speaks to the translator on her behalf until she is older.

Let me know if you have a World Vision BFF also!  If you are interested, check out the site – they are a great organization!

Okay, is there anything more lovely than a hand-written letter?  These is something so perfectly intimate and caring about receiving a note in the old fashioned mailbox, isn’t there?  I have decided to write more hand-written letters this year.  And the timing is perfect because one of my favorite pen pals is celebrating her birthday this week so I should have no excuses.  It should be interesting to try and remember how to compose full sentences and actually spell words in their entirety rather than omit the seemingly superfluous vowels as in texting.  It may even be difficult to forego the occasional OMG or LOL.  I wonder if I can properly convey that I am indeed happy about something rather than rely on the emoticon of choice . . .  yikes!     I actually do love the instant fun of a little texting session, but I am going to try and reclaim that lost art, as well.  Anyone want to join me??  :-)

What, you may ask, is a Couture Portrait Session??  Well, it is my way of celebrating your natural beauty with Contemporary, Fashion Inspired photography.  Haven’t we all looked through the magazines and thought “now THAT is a beautiful photo . . . I would love to look like THAT”.  I would like to take a little walk with you to reveal to you that you definitely can!   It is a session that includes professional hair and makeup, wardrobe styling, lovely natural lighting in a comfortable, cozy environment with lots of encouragement and FUN!  It will change the way you feel about yourself!  Here’s to a New Year!!