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What makes us deserving of our human dignity? Are we always cognizant of the vulnerably and value of everyone, or do we gauge our measure of people’s worth on external things? What determines the criterion on which we place our evaluation of someone?
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While working in my garden Sunday, June 23, I found this cicada nymph coming out of a hole in the ground.
The cicada was climbing very slowly out of the hole it had created. This cicada nymph will take several hours to as long as possibly three days to climb a tree and shed its exoskeleton.
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The repeated line in a poem by John Moore is, “I’m drinking from my saucer, ‘Cause my cup has overflowed.” The poem’s narrator is reflecting on the richness of their life as a cup filled with family, friends and faith. Holding their wealth in a cup has caused such an overflow that they must drink...
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This is a damselfly. There are nearly 3,000 documented species of damselflies across the world and on every continent except Antarctica.
Damselflies are smaller than dragonflies and, if you see one sitting on a blade of grass like the one I photographed here, it will be at rest with its wings...
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This is a spiny softshell turtle. It is a common water turtle in southeast Missouri although it is not often seen. It seldom if ever basks on partially submerged logs like red eared slider turtles do. The spiny softshell prefers to sun itself on a dirt bank only inches out of the water where it can...
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I have always been one to meditate on life, in general. Life is so awesome and filled with treasures that it’s too big and too great for one to fathom.
I recently said goodbye to visiting members of my family. They had to get back and again settle into their routines at home. Life goes on. I...
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When a building is scheduled for demolition by implosion, a series of strategically placed explosives are placed throughout the structure. When ignited, they cause the building to fall inward. Rather than explode, sending debris everywhere, the building implodes on itself.
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This is a dragonfly nymph (larvae). There are many different kinds of dragonflies in Missouri, and I’m not a bug expert so I won’t try to guess which dragonfly this little guy will transition into.
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A chill crept over me, as I witnessed the look on the face of the young man. He was standing alone in the room seeming so dejected and sad. As I approached him, he bravely raised his head and began to talk. Murphy was trying to hold his own and follow his chosen path of going to college. ...
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A beautiful red bird landed on the limb of a dogwood tree only a few feet from my face. I was lucky to have my cellphone camera on and was ready to snap a photo. The bird seemed surprised to see the camera and stared at it long enough for me to take several quick pictures...
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I’ve been secretly conducting an experiment to measure the impact of my words, their tone and their delivery upon myself and those around me. My theory, based upon the Bible, is that by consciously using life-giving words and tones, both my demeanor and those around me will be impacted positively.
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I found these tiny mushrooms in late May under a canopy of tall sweet gum trees. They were in a place that had been under water from heavy rain two days previous. The ground was very wet. I held one of them between two fingers without pulling it from the ground. It was similar in consistency to a...
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Did you, somehow, at some time, believe that you would never change? You liked the way you were and you knew that your opinions and outlooks were right ones? You plowed ahead, nonstop, following your dreams and ideas of what is important in life. You thought your logic, goals and aspirations would...
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I found this beautiful moth after a heavy rainstorm the morning of Sunday, May 26. It was helpless, lying in some grass with tattered wings.
The spicebush silkmoth is about the size of a large butterfly. It lives in trees and bushes. The one you see here is a female. Males are much darker. The...
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The writer of Psalm 77 is greatly discouraged, overwhelmed and alone. They feel deep and great discomfort in their soul. Worse, they feel that God has abandoned them when they need Him the most. To which many of us reading the Psalm would say we have felt similar.
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The big green apple in this photo is the fruit of a plant commonly known as the May apple. The May apple plant is a native woodland wildflower that grows in colonies from a single root system. Lying dormant underground during winter, in spring it pushes a stem up through the forest floor. It blooms...
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How many people, like us, have been told to “stop daydreaming and get to work? You can’t make a living with your head in the clouds.” Well, I dare say that most have heard those words directed toward ourselves. There is some truth in the statement and there is some erroneous advice, as well. Does...
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I found this odd looking bug the morning of Wednesday, May 8. I can’t remember ever seeing a bug like this one. It is shiny lime green with pink legs. It was a little more than an inch long.
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At some point last fall, I came across Psalm 20:4, which reads, “May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans.” Psalm 20:4 is a prayer of blessing, invoking God’s name, character, and sovereignty to bless another. Immediately upon reading, I thought, if given the opportunity,...
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This is a strange sight. It is hard to imagine what might have made these things that look like baskets with rocks in them. They are not man made and were not made by any animal.
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As I sat, gazing out my family room window, I reminisced, somewhat, about my childhood and adolescent years. I am not one that looks back on, or lives in the past, but I meditate on people’s attitudes — and, mine — to see the connections between what happens in in those lives, ultimately.
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The quick answer is “no”. Shown is the flower of a vine called crossvine. This plant is native to Missouri and places south and east in southeastern United States.
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The butterfly in this photo has a wingspan of about 1 inch. The wildflower it is sitting on is a daisy fleabane, which has several small flowers when it blooms.
This little butterfly is called a red-banded hairstreak. It is easy to see the red or orange diagonal streak on the underside of its...
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I have had an "It’s A Wonderful Life" moment. If you are unfamiliar with the movie, let me briefly recap it.
George Bailey dreams of traveling the world and building majestic structures. However, after his father’s sudden death, he reluctantly embraces his family and community responsibilities...
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Of course, summer is coming. Your summer is coming. There are many different views as to whether summer is a time of joy or is it a sweltering balloon of heat trying to burst and spread its humidity and discomfort throughout the world? I reside within the Southeast Missouri area and there are...
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I took this photo Thursday, April 11. What you see here are tiny berries growing on the limb of a native North American red mulberry tree. In early April the red mulberry tree begins to put on new leaves along with new fruits.