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(C) 2020, Allen Pearson Photography |
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(C) 2020, Allen Pearson Photography |
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"Christmas" Photo by Artem Kniaz on Unsplash |
The joys of Christmas. There are so many. As we celebrated Christmas on Friday, I found myself enjoying the company of a friend, my wife, and her father. We had a delicious meal together to celebrate Jesus's Birth, our friendship, and family together. Also, later in the day, I found myself thinking about past Christmases with family and friends as well as looking forward to next year. Who knows what next year will be like. Since my parents passed away, Christmases have been a challenging season because I miss them. This year, I made strides to going forward creating new memories. I think about this Christmas and what went well to repeat next year. It was a good season.
When my Pastor asked, "what is my favorite Christmas memory?" I didn't have to think long about his question and I quickly realized that it had nothing to do with any gifts I'd been given over the years. I have quite a few great Christmas memories with my parents and my wife. I have to say I have two favorite memories. These were created when I was less than 7-years-old. My parents, brother, and I were running errands of some sort. At a traffic light, Santa Claus pulled up next to us in a station wagon. When he saw us, of course, we were so excited as he waved at us. The other favorite memory was when Santa Claus decided to stop by our house and ask what if my brother and I were still being good boys and what we wanted for Christmas. I still smile when I think of those memories. As I grew up, there were many other Christmas memories. One year, my wife snuck behind my back getting with the family about buying a set of Grove's Music Dictionary of Music and Musicians as my gift that year.
I think my favorite memories are going to be changing though. This year was a very challenging year. Yes, COVID-19 and the political leadership were extremely annoying but my wife and I were given a blessing from God which cannot be matched, unless by Him. My wife fought some health battles this year. She faced some challenges which she handled very positively. During her challenges and many doctor's visits, she helped others by sharing her experiences when asked. Often, she told me that she felt calm and had peace in her heart. She knows it was God taking care of her. She has made it through and the doctor has said she is well. That is my Christmas present for 2020! For which I am thankful.
The joys of Christmas aren't lost after all the presents are opened nor after the last bit of food is swallowed or the party is over. Jesus's Birth brings joy to our hearts and lives, contentment to our souls with a peace that truly passes all understanding. My wife and I experienced, once again, the peace within our hearts as she went through her challenges. It's not even the gifts and meals we have at Christmas which does any of that. Not at all. It is the Gift of Jesus's Birth and the acceptance of God's Gift of Salvation that does it.
Accepting God's Gift of Salvation doesn't mean that you will have a perfectly healthy life or you will be healed from any diseases. I wish that were true as I have several I would like to be gone! It doesn't mean, you will have riches or wealth or never go through any of life's tragedies. I share that first to say, that it does mean when those times of challenging life events, once you have learned to place your faith and trust in Jesus, you will notice how He gives you those calm and quiet or the peace that peaces understanding in your heart.
This Christmas season, why don't you open the Best Christmas Present you could ever get from anyone anywhere anytime and begin celebrating life as a Christian?! Please visit Peace with God to learn more.
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"The Nativity" Photo by Dan Kiefer on Unsplash |
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"Decorated for Christmas!" (C) 2020, Allen Pearson Photography |
"Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific Lead Mixed Freight" (C) 2016, Allen Pearson Photography |
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(C) 2020, from The Dog's Paw! |
"Railbox Cars Roll by Nokesville, VA, Art of the Freight Car, Rail Art Series" (C) 2020, Allen Pearson Photography |
My favorite aspect of railfanning is watching freight trains roar by! Over the years there have been many box cars to grab my attention. In the early days, it was the blue Chessie System, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, and the Southern Railway boxcars. No, I'm not sure what it is that catches my attention about the freight boxcars but they do and have for some 50 years. It will probably continue for another 50 years!
With my interest in freight boxcars, I've developed a series of photographic images that capture the art of the freight cars as they go roaring through. Some images have graffiti as this one does while others will have various artistic views.
Please visit my photography gallery at Allen Pearson Photography, Art of the Freight Car, Rail Art Series.
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(C) Allen Pearson Photography |
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"A Colorful Nativity" Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash |
Whatever is going on, you cannot cancel Christmas. The "cancel culture" might think so but you cannot. No one can. While you might not be able to go shopping at the malls or department stores to buy gifts for your family and friends or have office parties, or parties in your home, or family dinners, but that's not what Christmas is all about anyway. Maybe it's time we quit focusing on all of that and discover the true meaning of Christmas.
The true meaning of Christmas? Christmas is a day of celebration in the Christian life of the Birth of Jesus Christ. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life on earth, was crucified, and died on a cross to give us eternal life in heaven with Him. We do have to accept His forgiveness, despite what some may say, it's not an instant or automatic thing that we go directly to heaven at death, there are two options. You do or you don't. Pretty simple. To make a decision to ask Jesus into your heart and forgive you of your sins. To learn more, I recommend visiting Peace With God.
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(C) 2020, Allen Pearson Photography |
With all the craziness in the world these days, remember to focus on the positive in your life, love your friends and family, and enjoy your Thanksgiving Day!
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(C) 2020, Smugmug, Inc. |
A disclaimer: I am an affiliate of Smugmug, Inc. Therefore, I might earn a small payment if you purchase their products from links in this post.
A few years ago now, I decided I wanted a new photography website. I wanted a brand new site with a brand new modern-looking design. Before deciding on a product, I compared many products. Being a small local photographer, I needed to pay close attention to expenses too. A product that would allow me to begin with a basic website and grow to offer e-commerce if I want to in the future would be great.
I have to admit, I didn't immediately switch to Smugmug. I did an internet search and reviewed many products in-depth. After reviewing and testing products, I determined the Smugmug is a great product and my choice. Three considerations that weighed heavily in my decision were the ease of creating and personalizing a website, updating it, and uploading images. Smugmug won out.
Why do I like Smugmug? I decided to select the Power product. The Power product offers customization of the template so I can create a website that reflects me and my work. All for $85/yearly. If I decide that I want to add e-commerce, I can do it by easily upgrading. I find the customizing, including a custom URL and email address, to be very easy to do.
Every once in a while, I want to refresh the website which is easy to do. A favorite feature is if I goof up, I can go back and start over. If I really screw it up? Smugmug has a great support team willing to help! The great part of this for me is I am using a template that Smugmug designs and did all of the techy work required for a website to work. I just customize!
Another feature I enjoy with Smugmug is the ease of uploading my images to selected galleries and creating descriptions with keywords that make it easier for people to find my work. Once I finish working with an image, the last thing I want to fool with is uploading it to my website. Smugmug seems to understand that.
Curious? Visit Smugmug's 14-Day Free Trial and see for yourself.
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"Studying the Bible" Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash |
"Branches to the Skies! The Art of the Tree!" (C) 2020, Allen Pearson Photography |
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(C) Allen Pearson Photography |
"Splashes of Fall's Colors" (C) Allen Pearson Photography |
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"Voting!" Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash |
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(C) Allen Pearson Photography |
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"Norfolk Southern Locomotive 9770 - Helpers" (C) 2020, Allen Pearson Photography |