What July's Header Means to Me

This is one of those nights when I hardly know what to write:  not because I don't have any ideas of possible topics, but because I have too many.  Should I write about:
~ my two new nephews (twin boys born this evening to Jeff's sister Kim and her husband Mike) and my subsequent longing to jump on a plane and fly over to California to welcome them in person?
~ yesterday's big adventure, involving something I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to do?
~ today's special dinner guests?
~ or a dozen other topics floating through my brain?

I wish I could do it all.  But once again, I lower my head (and my aspiration level) and admit that I'm only human and can't.  So, one topic only for tonight.  Since it's a new month and I just changed my blog header and layout, I'll jot down a few thoughts about that.

It's probably no secret that I thoroughly enjoy having a new look for my blog each month.  The creativity required to produce a new look actually energizes me, and I often have ideas for either a header or a background several months out.  For example, right now, there's a background that I have in mind to use for September; I just need to decide how I want to do a header photo for it.  But no rush:  there's plenty of time before September begins.  :)

My layouts are almost always light-hearted, fun, cheerful, sometimes silly, etc.  Nothing too serious or deep.  Just some way to uniquely portray something about myself and/or my family.

When I started thinking about the look I wanted for July, I was just going for a family portrait, so to speak, using our sandals--similar to the way I used jeans in the April 2010 header I had on my old blog, Life on Sylvan Drive (you can see a picture of that header in this review of 2010 post on that blog).  I had the idea to set up the sandals along the edge of a river or lake, so the last time we went to Riven Rock Park (which was back in May), I remembered to take along a pair of sandals belonging to each of us and I also grabbed an American flag to tie the photo into July's patriotic theme.  I almost didn't take this picture on that day because my hands were full with trying to make sure none of my boys was swept away by the much-higher-than-normal water!  :)  But once we were ready to leave and everyone was buckled up in the car, I paused a moment to snap a few pictures...and I'm happy that I did because the image I'm using for this header pleased me tremendously.

It wasn't, however, until I tried a number of backgrounds with the header photo and finally settled on the one I'm using that the weight of the photo settled on me.  To me, this July look is much more emotional than any other that I've done for a long time.  I'm not even sure I can put it into words.  But I'll try, because that's why I'm writing this post, after all!  :)

When I imagined the photo and then when I took it, I wasn't thinking at all about the iconic photos of fallen soldiers' boots that are prevalent today, a vivid reminder of those who have died defending our country.  But when I saw the image of our sandals on my computer screen, my thoughts flew to those somber pictures that help us remember the cost of freedom.  Sandals are such a carefree shoe.  Boots are not, particularly military boots.  We leap out of our sandals to leap and play in the water.  Soldiers wearily untie their boots at the end of the day...and sometimes, other people are the ones to untie and remove the boots of a soldier...when his own hands have been touched by death and will never again do that simple task.

Positioning our shoes along a river, coupled with thoughts of fallen soldiers, made my mind race ahead to when each of us--the six of us who God has put together as a family--will figuratively stand at the river Jordan and cross that river into eternity.  We'll step out of our earthly shoes and leave them behind us, not needing them where we'll be going.  God, have mercy on each of us and strengthen us for that crossing.  Bring us safely to Your shore.  May none of our number be left behind!

When I see the sayings along the sides of the header--"Let freedom ring" and "Land that I love"--I think of the double meaning those expressions have.  Certainly I give thanks for the privilege of being born and currently living in the grand old US of A.  I do love this land, and I am conscious of and grateful for the freedoms we presently possess (although I grow concerned when I think of how some of those freedoms seem to be slipping away).  But so much richer and deeper than my love for this country is my love for God's country, the place of true freedom:  freedom from every form of oppression and sin and pain and sickness and injustice and imperfection, freedom unlike any we've ever known.  That is the land I love.  That is the home for which I long.  That is the King to whom I pledge my loyalty.

And that is what I think when I see my July blog!