Today's Picture to Ponder Photo
Red Roses and Baby's Breath, from a bouquet generously gifted to me by Heidi Richards of Eden Florist in Florida (Fort Lauderdale area) when I went to pay a social/networking visit

I was moved by the gift and when I got home I felt compelled to photograph the flowers from all different views, including the beautiful bow. In addition to some inside shots, I posed the roses out on my lawn using the late afternoon lighting. Today's featured photos were actually taken a day later, as I played with flash and a black background.

Ultimately, there was something in the textures and feel of the two red rose photographs featured above that drew me in, to simply "be with" and enjoy them. To enjoy a few of the other photos, plus a 50 second slide show video, with the roses mostly on the grass, click on Heidi's Roses.

Self-Reflecting Queries
Thinking about queries for today had me all over the place. I had spent an inordinate amount of time with these flowers - taking photos, creating the slide show, looking for and deciding on music and relearning programs that I haven't used in over a year, then taking many more photos, with different backgrounds and lighting today.

Actually, when I started taking pictures today, I had an idea for queries around what happens to the background when you flash your light on the center of what interests you - not just when photographing, rather in your life as a whole. Although my theory worked in the viewfinder, the resulting photographs turned out to be faintly blurred. I almost dropped the whole "Red Roses for Today" concept to move on to something else.

The point of all the above? It comes down to following queries:

1. Are there places in your life, where you are working hard at forcing an outcome, or outcomes, based on a theory of yours, or opinions you have? If so, I invite to look closely. Might something new or more powerful become available were you to let it go?

2. When you let something go, do you make a shift or are you likely to simply quit? I could have quit today and then decided to trust that there is something either in the photos that will have an impact on you, or in the story of my experience.

3. Are there places in your life where you feel so frenetic it's almost like you are spinning? Adding to my frenzy were the 135 photos I had taken along with the quest to choose the "right" ones and choose the "perfect" approach.

As always, the answer was to slow down and simply act, taking one step-at-a-time, trusting that the original instincts were "right-on." How about you? What will your answer be?

And in a totally different "Gratitude Conversation":

4. Is there anyone in your life who has contributed to you in some way whom you could be acknowleding? Heidi Richards, mentioned in the beginning of today's issue, is one of the most generous, active, involved networkers I know, maintaining several blogs, networking groups and head of WECAI - Women's eCommerce Association International. As I reflect back over the years, when I first met her in an in-person networking event in Fort Lauderdale, I'm reminded that one of my best friends was introduced to me and my work through someone with whom I connected that night.

So thank you for Blaise**, Heidi, and for all the other people I've met through the numerous phone and web networking events you've organized and facilitated. There is no way of measuring the learning and the ripple effect of that.

I invite you to look at some of the people in your life and the ripples that preceded and are flowing from and beyond you. Acknowledge yourself and those people behind and in front of you.

For those with a three-day weekend here in the States, celebrating the 4th of July / Independence day, this may be a great time for each of us acknowledge those who have contributed to our independence in whatever form(s) we have it.

I actually invite all of us to take this on, no matter where in this international community of Picture to Ponder subscribers you live.

To Freedom and Peace!

**Blaise participated in one of my Through and From the Lens course series, fell in love with her camera and the amazing things she does with it and then became active in the FlickR community. See Blaise's Photos.