Color Finally

Our bougainvillea finally has some color on it. These interesting little plants are known for their pinks, purples and yellow. However, the reason they're so interesting is that it is not the flower of the plant that provides the color...it is the leaves. After many green leaves come out, finally some colored ones, in this case pink, to liven up the scene. We were not sure if ours would do it this year because this was a hold-over plant from last year. We kept it alive in the garage during the winter. It appears that they just take longer to "bloom" when they're not given the greenhouse treatment from the nursery.

Bruce A. Ulrich
1,000 Words Photography
http://bruceaulrich.zenfolio.com
Sent from my iPad

Once, Always

You hear the saying "Once a mother, always a mother," often enough in everyday life. It is one of those chides that only has meaning to those of us who are parents. For me, this has not been long. Therefore, until recently, I never truly knew what that meant. Now, I do. As I stood in our friend's house, watching my wife hold their new little baby, it hit me...Once a mother, always a mother. My wife held that baby and her face just had that, "I'll do whatever I can to take care of you, Little One," look to it. I love catching glimpses like is. They are such a treat.

Bruce A. Ulrich
1,000 Words Photography
http://bruceaulrich.zenfolio.com
Sent from my iPad

The World Before Me

Recently, my son began to crawl like this. All of the sudden, he would just get up on his hands and feet and he'd lumber along. He's gotten quite fast at it, in just a matter of days. I am just a little bit scared because I know the next logical step from here is for him to just let go with his hands and full-out walk. Yikes!

I don't think I'm ready for that.

Bruce A. Ulrich
1,000 Words Photography
http://bruceaulrich.zenfolio.com
Sent from my iPad

Loneliness & Solitude

Often, we think about loneliness as being a bad thing. At times, there is no other way to see it, but I'm here to tell you that there are other ways to look at loneliness. Solitude occurs in most of our lives, probably at many points in our lives. This is not necessarily a reason to be glum. Rather, think about this morning glory flower. It stands there, blooming its little heart out, and for what? No other flowers are around to socialize with. Nobody else is around for it to talk to. Think of this though...it's the prettiest thing around by far. Nothing else nearby even comes close to the beauty of this little flower...even in its loneliness and solitude.

Bruce A. Ulrich
1,000 Words Photography
http://bruceaulrich.zenfolio.com
Sent from my iPad

Admiration

Do you admire someone so much that even just being near them seems like a treat to you? How about if they ever gave you anything...would you treasure it, just because of the kind of person they are?

My son admires me dearly. I definitely don't take this for granted, because I really want him to continue admiring me throughout his life. I want to be the kind of person and dad that he CAN admire, as well as one that he WANTS to admire. What does this entail? It might be as simple as him always knowing how much I love him, just by my spoken word. It might be as simple as a meaningful tough or hug. Maybe even teaching him things that he will remember for the rest of his life? I plan on doing all of that...and more. Are you somebody that people admire? What can you do to become that person?

Bruce A. Ulrich
1,000 Words Photography
http://bruceaulrich.zenfolio.com
Sent from my iPad

He's Fallen, We're Free

Today, I got to take part in something that was quite special. It's not that I really liked the occasion for which we were all gathering, but more the honor that I'm sure it heaped on this person's family and comrades.

At 2:00 today, hundreds of people in Brandon and Pearl, lined the sides of Highway 80 for quite a few miles. This was not for something fun or a parade, but rather the homecoming of a fallen Marine and Brandon native, Jason Rogers. As we all waited with bated breath, American flags in hand, phones at the ready for photos, emotions ran high. Many hands swiped across salty cheeks, wiping away tears of sadness and pride. Sadness was a present emotion because this young man of 27 had sacrificed his life so that we all had the freedom to even gather in the street. Sadness that his family will experience for years to come due to the loss of this brave American. Sadness that there was even the occasion that we needed to gather in the street like this. At the same time though, pride was rampant among the attendees. Pride in the fact that such great respect was offered to the dead...with such pomp and circumstance it would flatter a king. Pride that welled up inside of each of us, as we stood there, looking around at all of the other proud Americans. Pride because of the simple fact that men like this kept our country free. The patriotism was unabashed. It was laid upon that stretch of highway, the whole route of this procession...welcoming home a great citizen...a great soldier...a great American.

Bruce A. Ulrich
1,000 Words Photography
http://bruceaulrich.zenfolio.com
Sent from my iPad

Trust Issues

We all have trust issues, at some level. Some of us don't trust anyone (I'd probably fall into this category...just a skeptical person) while some of us trust just about everyone. The lesson to be learned is from our young. They just trust. My son, for instance, shows that he totally trusts us everyday. When we are holding him, he has complete trust that we will not drop him. He doesn't even worry about it. When he's tired, he trusts us to care for him when he falls asleep. He will just pass out in our arms and not have a care in the world. Do you have people you can trust in your life? We all have those kinds of people around us...it's often just a matter of finding who they are. Now, the more important question, can you let your defenses down and actually trust them? Find that person or people that you can do this with and give it a try. It can lift the weight of the world off of you.

Sent from my iPad