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Monday, July 23, 2012

The Choices We Make

When a tragedy happens like the one that occurred in Colorado last week, I begin to think about life's journey and what brings most of us to live good lives.  Not perfect and certainly not without pain, sorrow and loss but usually filled with joy and blessings.

As a young person growing up I would classify my life as happy except for the chore of babysitting my younger brother every summer because our Mom worked.  Oh could I tell you stories about those trials, but another day.  I grew up in Dallas, TX in a typical suburban neighborhood, riding bikes, swimming, playing in the woods (who would let their children play in the woods today?), hide and go seek after dark, summer camp.



And then you wonder what kind of a childhood did the gunman have?  He may have led the same kind of life I led, good parents, good schools, not rich, but not poor either.  And as we grow older, decisions are made....crossroads enter our life.  Some of us make the right decisions, chose the right paths.


We become curious about other people, places, or things and certainly other ways of life other than the familiar...


We begin to discover new friends, get new jobs, try new things.....


We begin to discover the wide world that is open to us to discover and enjoy.....


We know there are many roads that we can decide to travel on, some lead us to happiness, some are better left untraveled....


Some have twists and turns....


As I look back on the roads I have traveled, the choices I have made I do not have one regret.  Some choices may have not been ideal, but sometimes those lead to making better choices later on.  And again, I wonder what kind of choices did this young man make in his life that brought him to taking away the lives of others.  I am sad for all those that have lost loved ones, for those that have been injured, for those that will now feel unsafe wherever they go, and I am sad for the family of the gunman, their lives are forever changed and scarred by their son's choices.  I pray for them all.

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm and Rosie's Color Me Weekly

"We are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not.  Our actions and states of mind matter, because we're so deeply interconnected with one another." ~  Ram Dass

Until next time.....



29 comments:

  1. your beautiful photos seem to restore order. thanks, deanna.

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  2. Gorgeous photos. Love the barn!

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  3. you are so right my friend. we always have to look to our past & see where it gotten us in our lives. i love to look in my past & see how i've changed & made the best decisions. even though at the time i felt hesitate about them. now i realize it was the best & lead me to where i am now. with a man who is best gift i ever needed in my life. our lives together are wonderful. & although i will be truly sad when my parents & his parents do move on the eternal land ... i know he is there by my side & will hold my hand through it all. GOD is good & thankful daily for those "unanswered prayers". i am where i am because i'm meant to be here. big hugs my friends. excellent post & i love how you used these views to make the point. well put. big smiles from me. (:

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  4. I can't even imagine what could bring a person to that point. Your photos are lovely. The barn photo almost looks like a painting - truly beautiful.

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  5. Beautiful photos! I love the fence and the barn photos and the colors in the first one, gorgeous! And well said.

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  6. Hi Deanna you nailed it! I believe that we are the result of our decision and choices in life. Like you I have decision and choices that are not pleasing and ideal but I make a good turn from where I left and made right choices, judgement for the rest of where my steps lead me. Love your photos and your words inspire me. ^_^ Thanks for sharing.


    Kim, USA

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  7. Beautiful photos and words. We can only pray for all those whose lives were touched by this tragedy.

    I love the photo of the barn!

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  8. Great post and beautiful pictures!

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  9. Beautiful, beautiful pictures and calming words to go with them.

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  10. Really truly inspirational. That tragedy is beyond comprehension. I'm praying for all the victims.

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  11. Loved your photos and inspiring post!

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  12. Your post and photos are wonderful! Very inspiring!
    I wonder if we will ever know why he did such a horrible thing. Praying for all those affected.

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  13. Your photographs are every so pretty especially the barn with the palette.

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  14. Beautiful post and gorgeous shots, love that cute horse and the barn is so charming! :)

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  15. Your words are wonderful as are those gorgeous goreous photos! x

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  16. Your photos are beautiful and I love the colour palette with that wonderful barn. Very wise and thought provoking words too.

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  17. Deanna, can I just say that you are very profound and speak what many are thinking. I'm also going to tell u that in the short time I've been following, you've grown leaps and bounds with your photography!! Gorgeous gorgeous work

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  18. Such beautiful captures... gorgeous, actually! They're all amazing, but I esp LOVE the barn & the fence shots! WoW!

    Thank you a bunch for joining =)

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  19. Love. LOVE your captures this week! The texture application is perfect too

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  20. good post Deanna, I think we or me lived in a more simple time and it was an easier way of life. I also wonder what is happening to our world as I am sure my parents wondered. My DIL sent me a short video last night of my two grandboys playing inside a big box, not battery powered but just plain old fashioned fun, a simple type of play like I had in my childhood. I am just at a loss to the news latly and makes me very sad and very fearful for my grandkids.

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  21. Thank you for this post. I pray for them too.

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  22. A thoughtful post. I haven't a clue as to why some people do the things they do. He looks like very disturbed young man.

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  23. Last week's event reminds me that evil exists, and it is not confined to one group of people. Your images are so refreshing in such a sad story.

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  24. Oh let me try this again, my electricity went out as I was commenting! haha

    I echo your thoughts Deanna. The world is different but at the same time it's not. Certainly things have changed since I was a kid and played down the street ALL day long making it home in time for dinner. But our ability to know worldly things, both good and bad is almost instantaneous with all of our gadgets. In some ways that is not an improvement in our quality of life. What saddens me is that it seems so many people want to wallow in negativity these days and if you are a person who's glass is half full you feel like an odd ball. I feel like an odd ball because I don't want to subscribe to it all....the gossip, negative comments....

    I could go on and on, but one thing I will say is that after being president of my son's athletic booster club over the last year, there are a lot of out of touch parents and teachers and communities as to what these teenagers deal with on a daily basis. I saw things, heard things . . . that went unknown and undealt with. Oh I just need to stop here.

    Wonderful photos, incredible actually. The fence with the flowers, and the cows -oh the cows, and the horse AND that barn and the path......sigh

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  25. I wondered too, what in the world would possess someone to unleash such horror on others. I felt very sorry for his parents without even knowing the whole story. It's really hard to understand why. My heart just breaks for all involved. Well, your photos certainly are bright and cheery, reminding us that there is still good in the world.

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  26. Deanna,
    This is a powerful post. I love the words and thoughts you share. Your photography is great too.

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