j simon

Tuesday Blog 2-02-2010 ---Miscellaneous Ramblings

Hey kids! Its Tuesday blog time and today I go miscellaneous. The great Blackie Sherrod (Google him) called it Scatter-Shooting. Just random and miscellaneous thoughts. Don't waste time looking for a connection. There isn't one.

The Ft Worth Star-Telegram Bridal Show was this past Sunday and was fantastic for jSimon Photography. We are excited about the upcoming year. If you are a Facebook user please become a fan of "jSimon Photography". If you know of anyone getting married this year please tell them about us.

The new web-site for jSimon Photography.com is live. There will be more features coming soon. Stop by and check out our work.

My daughter Kandice led the charge on preparing us for the bridal show and getting the new web site up this week. She has had a crazy great 2 weeks. I am a proud dad! Way to Go Kandice! Big Team Win!!!

I drive a Toyota that's on the recall list. Toyota makes a great car. I am a fan! They are doing the right thing, stepping up, not hiding from the trouble. I am not scared! You, on the other hand, might want to avoid driving in front of me until I find time to get into the dealership.

I watched Nightline last night. Some dude in Nevada became the first legal male prostitute in the United States. His take?... "It's just the same as when Rosa Parks decided to sit at the front of the bus instead of the back, She was proclaiming her rights as a disadvantaged, African-American older woman. And I'm doing the same...This actually isn't about selling my body. This is about changing social norms." REALLY??!!!! Ok, I've got nothing to say. I can't help you dude.

I miss the Cowboys already. Is it time for training camp yet? Texas Rangers season around the corner. It's the first season with Nolan Ryan as an owner. That alone makes life better for the 12 of us passionate Ranger fans.

I'm torn. Saints or Colts? I think I'm going to be rooting for Peyton Manning. Put me on the list of people that think he is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game... and a dang fine human. He deserves another Super Bowl ring. That said, I'm not real committed to my pick and could be bribed into rooting for the Saints.

Rex Ryan, coach of the NY Jets was in Miami at an MMA event this week. He was booed by the crowd and laughingly "flipped off" the people who were booing him. There was outrage and it was a national news story! Apologies were demanded and given. I'm sorry.... I don't get it. Aren't we becoming way too sensitive?!!! You boo the guy and are offended that he flipped you off? I AM NOT advocating this "sign language" as a means of effective communication or conflict resolution. It's not something I do personally.... don't email me. I'm just saying lighten up. He was laughing. Obviously kidding. And, you booed him first.  Interesting that that this activity and sensitivity followed a few moments where everyone in the arena stood silently or even sang along to a song that ends with "The land of the free and the home of the brave" Get a life and lighten up people!

If you are on the freeway this week and see me flying by on the shoulder of the road in a black Toyota.... don't flip me off... call for help. I'll be looking for neutral and a field to drive into.

Had lunch on Monday with Josh, Tiffani and Simone. Great time!!! Simone is scheduled for surgery at Shriner's Children's Hospital in Chicago on the 25th of this month. I love my kids and grand-kids.

"Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. -Norman Vincent Peale

Smile! Be determined to find the blessings around you this week!

Blessings, Joy and Peace,
Jess

Photo Friday- Jan 29th 2010

We will be at the Ft Worth Bridal Show this Sunday at the Tarrant County Convention Center. Come by and see us. If you have a 2010 wedding... you may want to schedule it now. This show will result in a lot of dates being snatched up quickly.

Canton learned puddle jumping this week and loved it!!!

click photo to enlarge

10 Phrases That Bring Healing

Phrases that heal hearts when spoken from authentic hearts and spoken with no agenda other than truth. 

1. "I'm Wrong"

2. "I'm Sorry"

3. "I don't define you by your weakest moments."

4. "I'm proud of you."

5. "I forgive you."

6. "Talk it out, cry it out. I will listen."

7. "Tell me honestly what you see in me... that may be blind spots for me."

8. "Thank you"

9. "I will become someone I am proud of."

10. "I love you!"

I have heard it said that "I love you" is a phrase overused. I don't believe that. I am not saying all "I love you's" are created equal. Some use the phrase as a casual way to end a phone conversation with someone they care for. I'm good with that. Some statements are like the one I had yesterday when I took Canton to preschool. He did not want to leave Papa. He looked directly at me, shook his head and said "Papa, NO, Canton weeuydth Papa" (I didn't ask him for a spelling.. just spelled it like it sounds). I told him that I had to work and he had to go to school. His response, "sad" (he has just added that word to his vocabulary). When he grabbed my neck and said "wub u Papa", it was a high impact "I love you" that was both a heart-breaker and an incredible heart-healer.

I had someone else take him into school.... I sat in the car and cried (Yeah I know I am a wimp... and I can live with that). How could a 2 year old boy have such impact on a 46 year old man? LOVE! It's better than ice cream!!!!

Photo Friday- Jan 22nd 2010

Today's photo is of Lauren Williams McEntire, taken at the Ft. Worth Stockyards the night of the first big cold front. It was 38 degrees and I gave Lauren the option of rescheduling or shooting... she wanted to go for it.

We had just wrapped up the shoot and were in the lobby of the Stockyards Hotel packing up gear and trying to get thawed out, when I looked out and saw a guy leading this longhorn down the street. My eyes lit up, I looked at Lauren and said "You wanna see if he will let us take a picture beside the longhorn?". She said, "Shoot, I'll get on it if he will let me." She is a rodeo girl.

I ran outside digging in my pockets to find some "incentive" for this cowboy to let us take some pictures. Josh and I dug out the gear and Lauren, in her bridal gown, hopped on this longhorn like it was a tricycle! We had a great time with her. What I didn't tell this "little bride" was there wasn't enough money available for me to get on this beast. I am a native Texan, 46 years old, 6'4" 250lbs of pure....uh..."matter".... that has never been on a horse or a bull in my life. I am too old to bother changing that now! I not scared, just committed to consistency. :)

(click on photograph to enlarge)

 

My take on Martin Luther King

I primarily grew up in the south....in the 60s... which was to say I grew up a racist. We didn't call ourselves racist. We didnt know we were. We didn't wear hoods and capes. We absolutely didn't hate people of color. But we did believe we were better than others simply because of the color of our skin. We were wrong.

We needed to look no further than our Bible to see that we were wrong, but we simply over looked the obvious clues that were before our eyes... like the first verse we learned in Sunday School... "For God so loved THE WORLD....". We even sang songs that declared equality and Gods love for all races... "Red and Yellow Black and White. They are PRECIOUS in his sight. Jesus LOVES the little children of the world.". Then we would walk out of our all white church and drop the N word in the parking lot without flinching. It is a word I can't say today. I won't allow it to be said in my house. Don't get me wrong. I am not language sensitive. I am highly capable of saying words that some find offensive. But, that word can no longer come from my lips.   

I began to figure out that we were wrong as a kid in the early 70s. Living in Colorado I developed friendships with multi-racial kids that I realized were a lot like me. The belief that we were wrong was reinforced later in the 70s as I played sports with black kids and became teammates. Teammates meant something to us. I have a scar on my elbow today (checked tonight, it is still there) where some white kids stuck a car cigarette lighter in my arm and beat me the snot out of me for being a "N lover" because of my friendship with some of my black teammates. I told no one the truth. I simply quit having lunch with my black friends. I was in a Junior High School in Chickasha Oklahoma where the black block lettering that said "black" and white"  above the adjacent water fountains clearly bled through the very light coat of white paint. We didn't obey the labeling but the message still lingered.  

The person that changed me completely was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. When I learned about him I would never be a racist again. He was obviously intelligent, obviously tough, obviously kind, obviously tender without surrender. He changed a nation without the support of government. He changed a nation though opposed by the government. AND, he did it PEACEFULLY! Unbelievable! I truly believe that he is the greatest leader America has ever had. I place him notch above my other leadership heroes. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Colin Powell. I know, quiet an eclectic group.

In 1950's America, the equality of man envisioned by the Declaration of Independence was far from a reality. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the driving force in the push for racial equality. In 1963, King and his staff focused on Birmingham, Alabama. They marched and protested non-violently, and faced violence in response. On August 28, 1963 in Washington DC, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, which is credited with mobilizing supporters of desegregation and prompted the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The next year, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He deserved it!

I have a confession to make. I am proud that we Americans elected Barack Obama to be our President. I have another confession that only 5 people have known before now, and it may cost me friendships. I voted for him. I walked into the booth. looked at the scar on my right elbow, thought to myself "we have come a long way baby" and voted for a black man to be my president.... followed by a straight republican ticket.  :) Was I influenced by his color? Yes. That's the truth. I believed I had a chance to do something for my country over my party. If I had the chance today... I would do it again. Understand this comes from a guy who is somewhere between Republican and Libertarian in my politics. But I like Barrack Obama! I admire the him! I like his self control and civility. I am proud of the way he represents us around the world. I think he is a good man. I disagree with almost every domestic policy he has led. I hate, government bail outs, big government, higher taxes and I firmly believe the idea of government health care is goofy and will be glad to debate you if you are willing for me to make you look like a fool. But I am proud that I live in a country that can now elect a black man as president. It makes us a better people. And I will vote against him next time and it will have nothing to do with color....and that will make me proud.

The man that made it possible was the man with the dream Dr Martin Luther King. And today in this blog I salute you Sir. You changed America for the better. You changed me for the better. Thank you.   

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
jess

 

I leave you with words from the man himself.
Take a moment and slowly read and digest his words.

"Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom
by drinking from the fountain of bitterness and hatred"
-Martin Luther King

"We must conduct our struggle on the high plain of dignity and discipline" ­
-Martin Luther King

Excerpts from I have a dream speech. 

"I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together
at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression,
will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together,
knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my father's died, land of the pilgrim's pride,
from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

Photo Friday- Jan 15th 2010

Photo Friday! I almost forgot to post! This is a shot I love from downtown Ft Worth. Nah. :)

This is a shot of Wilson Peak that I took while standing next to the great John Fielder. Wilson Peak is a 14,000 foot mountain peak near Telluride, Colorado. Images of this peak are commonly featured in global advertising campaigns by Coors and also by Jeep. They haven't used any of my shots... yet.

Crawling and Loving It!

I got to spend some time last night with my youngest daughter Tiffani, her husband Josh, and my Granddaughter Simone. They came to the house. We stopped by my Mom and Dad's for a visit with them and my sister Joy, and then went to dinner together.

Simone started crawling this past week and I got to witness it for the first time last night. The whole room roared and celebrated while she put on a crawling display. Six adults were some kind of impressed and excited as the 9 month old princess pushed herself up, got on her own knees, and put together the complex series of body movements necessary to move across my Mom and Dad's living room floor. It's not that we have never seen a kid crawl before. We all have. As a matter of fact, we have all crawled before personally. So why were we genuinely excited? Why did we cheer like the Cowboys were winning a playoff game or something? Why did no one in the room get up and say "That's nothing! Watch! I can get myself across the room using only my legs"? 2 words. Love and progress. We cheered her on because we love HER and this is progress for HER!

We don't think she will stop at this means of transport. We fully expect that in the next few months she will walk on two legs and even go on to running, jumping, skipping, dancing, prancing, strutting etc. I'm very confident of it! I watched a very similar progression with her Aunt Kandice and her Mom Tiffani over 20 years ago.

Tonight wasn't about the things she has yet to master. It was about celebrating her at this stage of development and enjoying the progress she is making. We didn't talk about her falls but her crawls. There was no discussion of the things she hasn't achieved, whispers that her balance wasn't quite perfect or chit chat about her failure to launch on the first couple of tries. Nobody felt the need to compete or point out that she isn't potty trained and can't ride a bike. We were just happy because she is growing and learning. Our love and her progress caused genuine, spontaneous, joy and celebration!

Crawling may not impress you but crawling is Simone's "next step". It is her progressing toward the person she is becoming. So, those of us who love her celebrate! It was good for her and even better for us.

Makes me wonder if maybe this is a practice we should continue past childhood. With others and ourselves.

 

Photo Friday- Jan 8th 2010

Hey kids! Its Photo Friday!!! Each Friday I will post a photograph on my blog. Sometimes they will have a story, sometimes not. Sometimes the story will be about the photo, sometimes the story will just accompany the photo. Some of the photos will be from my work and some from my play. Some from my good cameras and some from my iPhone. My Grandchildren will make frequent appearances because it's my blog, I can post what I choose. :)

Last night I got a call from my sister, Joy, and my grandson, Canton. They were at my Mom and Dad's house. I didn't think I was leaving the house because it was so cold outside..... then they called..... I came right over. I was so glad I did.

My Mom ended up "riding horses" around around the living room with Canton.... her on a mop and him on a broom. What makes a woman in her 80s hop around a room on a mop? Love!!!!!! It gets no better than that!!!

Here is a photo I took about a month ago when Canton and I were at the park. I do love this boy!! (you can click on the photo to enlarge it)

If you need family photos, kid's photos or personal photos of any kind, give me a call. I am light on weddings from January - March so it is a good time for me to schedule other stuff. I'm hungry. Will click for food!

New Year New Me

I love a New Year! It is a perfect time to end some things and begin others. It's a perfect time to turn a page, complete a chapter and begin another.

Here is my focus for 2010.

I am dedicating 2010 to building jSimon Photography into a business that I am extremely PROUD to have my name on. For me that starts with taking fantastic pictures. It also includes great customer service, integrity, dependability, consistency, honesty, creativity and financial viability. I have no desire to be the largest. I want to be small on purpose. I also want to be known by my peers and clients for being meticulous and delivering only the highest quality products and service. jSimon must mean great photographic art that you can't get in a mall or by a cousin with a digital camera. It must also must mean my clients "get" me. I have missed being hands-on and directly working with people to deliver excellent service. I am returning to my roots and passion.

I will get around the best photographers in the country and learn from them. I will help a few serious newbie photographers learn the craft.

I will spend time every day doing something specific that will move me toward better health. I will enter 2011 at 225lbs and in significantly better shape.

I will read at least one chapter in a book or periodical every day. I won't go to sleep until I learn and grow a little.

I will physically get down on my knees, beside my bed, and pray out loud at the end of every day. I'm not recruiting or saying it's a better way for you. It does help me focus and get specific about time with my God.

I will spend time every day with my camera in my hand shooting. I will set aside one picture from every single day and see what those 365 look like at the end of the year.

I will write down on paper something for which I am grateful every day.

I will on-purpose love and treasure moments with Kandice, Ross, Josh, Tiffani, Canton and Simone. I will do the same with my Mother, Father and my sister Joy.

I will spend significantly less time worried about what other people think of me. I will spend significantly more time asking if I am happy with what I am bringing to the table and if it would make my Heavenly Father smile. If those two things are true I am going to get good with it. This is going take work for me. I have spent too many years trying to please too many people. I'm changing that. 

I am going to be more consistent on this blog. I may have to make adjustments depending on the business but this is what I am diligently working toward. I am going to try to roll out an article every Tuesday. These articles will be my take on life, love, work, leadership, family, faith, the pursuit of excellence, failures, authenticity, healthy living, and other rants and ramblings from the odd mind that occupies my skull. I will also roll out a photograph of the week on Friday. If you aren't on facebook get there! :) It is where I daily post bits of the unfiltered goofiness that is my life and thoughts. But if you start getting judgmental or critical I WILL de-friend your butt! I'm not a Pastor... I can de-friend you and I can say "butt". Get past it. :)

I stumbled across a book this past year that is going to be a big part of 2010 for me. It is called Monday Morning Choices, by David Cottrell. In it he talks about 12 choices that we can make to go from "everyday to extraordinary". It's not a "go faster, do more" book. I'm not at a point in my life where I want to go faster or produce more. I want to slow down, savor moments and deliver excellence.

Here are the 12 choices he talks about and I am sure you will hear me reference throughout the year.  

1. The No-Victim Choice ... don't let your past eat your future

2. The Commitment Choice...be passionate enough to succeed

3. The Values Choice.... chose the right enemies

4. The Integrity Choice... do the right thing

5. The Do Something Choice ... don't vacation on someday isle

6. The Persistence Choice ... learn from failure

7. The Attitude Choice ... take the enthusiastic approach

8. The Adversity Choice ... conquer difficult times

9. The Relationship Choice ... connect with success

10. The Criticism Choice... embrace tough learning

11. The Reality Choice... face the truth

12. The Legacy Choice ... give your gift

 That's my focus for 2010. I will succeed. I will fail. I will fall and I will get up again. So goes life.

My quote for the year "Life is an occasion, rise to it!"

My verse for 2010 ... “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”- Micah 6:8

I will see ya on Friday with a photo and next Tuesday with an article.

Blessings, Joy and Peace
Jess

Merry Christmas 2009

I love Christmas! I love the fact that God came to us! What a deal! The God of the universe loving us, His very imperfect creation, so much that He came to our place when we couldn't get to His. Not a God annoyed and frustrated. Not boycotting, protesting or complaining. Not threatening or condemning.... but redeeming! Luke said it best "For unto you is born... A SAVIOR!" Wow! Thank you!

We His followers are at our best when we act like Him. My favorite Christmas song contains a string of lyrics so profound... but they tend to get lost in the bigness of the song. Let me share them with you and ask you to really pause and absorb them.

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

That rings a truth bell loud and clear inside of me! Now let me share with you the whole song... in what I believe is the greatest it has ever been sung. Stop. Turn up the sound. Stop the stuff... take 5 minutes... and let David Phelps sing truth over your soul. Have a Merry Christmas, my friends!