The Call: Guess What’s for Dinner? — Jessica Narrative. Story. In certain photography circles it’s a big deal and a constant topic of conversation. The ultimate goal is to tell stories with your photographs. But a story has a beginning, a middle and an end. How do you translate that into a single frame? I […]
The Call: Remembering Souls — Cheryl The study of history fascinates me, but it’s not the big events, the legendary battles or significant court cases that capture my attention. The individuals who, while simply living their lives, dared to stand up for justice or freedom or someone who just needed help; found themselves in the […]
The Call: To Become More Eloquent — Jessica Oh to be more eloquent! It’s a never ending quest — to write more beautifully, to photograph more elegantly; to say things that are not only easily understood but in a manner that is both pleasing and memorable. That is my goal. And I am far, far […]
The Call: Henry and a Good Book — Cheryl O dear Jesus, I humbly implore you to grant your special graces to our family. May our home be a shrine of peace, purity, love, labor, and faith. I beg you, dear Jesus, to protect and bless all of us, absent and present, living and dead. […]
The Call: Begin with the End in Mind — Jessica I’ve never read Stephen Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. But somehow I’ve come to know what a few of the habits are. Not that I’m good at putting them into practice. I should probably read the book — it might make my […]
The Call: Red Hot — Cheryl My tastes are rather basic and pretty simple: chocolate, vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, garlic and cayenne pepper. My, how I love cayenne. If I’m making chicken for dinner, cayenne’s in there somewhere. Black pepper on steak? No, thank you, but shake some cayenne on top. Pizza sauce, marinara sauce? Yes […]
The Call: Traffic Sign Truth — Jessica “Metaphor is the lifeblood of all art, if it is not art itself. Metaphor is our vocabulary for connecting what we’re experiencing now with what we have experienced before. It’s not only how we express what we remember, it’s how we interpret it — for ourselves and others.” […]
The Call: In the Corner — Cheryl I equate penance with discipline, but I no longer equate discipline with punishment. My kids, I think, are thankful for that. Discipline comes from the word “disciple,” which refers to a follower, not to an underling, a slave, or an inferior. My children are my disciples (I know […]
The Call: Computer Team — Jessica Teams form naturally in a large family. Certain kids will tend to hang together and (more comically) form alliances to get things that they want. Usually it’s the younger set versus the older set. Although that isn’t always the case. I’ve had the little kids come to me to […]
The Call: Messy Room — Cheryl There are so many things I could write about the word “aggravating,” but I’m sure I’m not alone in this. The trick, I think, is being able to let it go. In fact, I’d have to say that letting the little things slide is how I manage to stay […]
The Call: Homemade Tomato — Jessica It may not be very pretty but it’s special because it came from my garden. Or rather my corner of my friend’s garden. She let me plant a few tomato plants in a section of her plot at the community garden. And now, a few weeks later, I’ve got […]
The Call: Moving Parts — Cheryl When I think of the adage, “Curiosity killed the cat,” I don’t often think it applies to me. “Caution saved the mouse” would be a better motto in my case. But that doesn’t mean I’m not curious. It’s just that my curiosity manifests itself in ways that are generally […]
The Call: Baptismal Font at St. Catherine’s, Great Falls, Virginia — Jessica O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance your mercy upon us and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass […]
The Call: Still Life with Chocolate — Cheryl What is essential to life? Looking at the question academically turns up some obvious, but mundane, answers: water, proteins, air, shelter, food. My list of essentials goes beyond the basics. The books were the first items I collected for this still life, as I can’t imagine life […]