This is home

Psalms 96:2-4
"O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto all the earth. declare
His glory among ALL of the people: For the Lord is great and greatly
to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. "

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I can remember thinking when I was only eight years old, this is what I was going to do with my life. I remember thinking; "Okay Lord, You have given me two passions in life. I want to create art for You, or cook for You." Okay, so I'm not just saying this because its happening. I'm saying the truth. 

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Growing up there was always space for art. Dance, drawing, painting, photography, music, writing. From a very young age I was encouraged to keep trying, always try again. From the age of eight, my father first put a camera in my hand and introduced me to bird watching. By nine or ten I learned that I loved drawing. When I was in my early teens my family got together and we started painting. Fifteen, I realized while I was at camp how much I loved dancing, and how beautiful it is. So, art, Iv'e had some form of it in my life, basically all my life. 

I think I was around nine years old when my mom asked me to help her cook. It started off simple, I watched, helped clean, maybe even stirred what was on the stove. After a few years it became something my sister and I did all the time. We were given the pantry and a spice rack full of spices and told to make something good. I loved it! more and more I asked if I could do it, people would ask if they could help, but I always said no (Probably because I'm stubborn) It never felt like a chore. Food is just another form of art. 

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Although cooking was part of a daily routine, something I needed to do to survive, art became my every thought. I remember one day I was at my church office doing my homework, but all I  wanted to do was draw. So I did. I put my school aside and started drawing, what I don't remember. My youth pastor at the time came around the corner, and instead of scolding me, he encouraged me. In facet, every time I'm in a project and want to quit, I always remember his words. "This drawing could be better, its not beautiful but a good start. Remember to never give up, and don't compare yourself to other artists. instead, look back at your own work, see how far you've come." His words weren't profound I guess, but honest. 

As I got older I began to see that my passion paid off. My art became better and better, and that made my passion grow stronger. And I began realizing it was actually a talent the Lord gave me. It became easier and easier for me to see myself doing this as a profession, and I started researching what it would look like for me being a professional photographer.

   

My research soon came to an end when I was offered a job at a christian camp in Washington for a summer. Well, I became addicted. My first summer there was in 2012, then 2013....2014...2015.. By
the beginning of 2015 I became an intern for a year. A very challenging year, it grew me and shaped me different then I ever saw myself going. By the end of my internship year I realized that while I was there, I almost never thought of my art. My heart had changed toward it. I still loved it, I still wanted to be in my art, but art didn't consume my every thought. 

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I was surprised in my interview when I was asked to join the kitchen staff here at Palomar. It wasn't the position I had hoped for, but the Lord put it on my heart to say yes anyway. Oh, man. Am I glad I did. Like I said in a previous blog post, I felt called here, so if that meant saying yes to whatever position open, then so be it. Week after week, shift after shift in the kitchen. I fell in love with it. It is hard at times yes, but there is a rhythm to it, we call it the kitchen dance.  

Summer almost over, I just didn't want to leave. So that is when I talked to my boss and asked what it would look like if I stayed after summer. It turned into an interview, and then a job offer. But before it came down to the job offer, he asked me a good point. "What about your photography? I thought you said before that you wanted to be a photographer."

Thats when I had an epiphany. I responded with;
"That is the problem, I wanted to be the photographer. I know now that the Lord has granted me a talent in photography, so I've given Him glory in that. but He gave me a talent and passion in something that five years down the road, I'll get burned out doing everyday in my own strength. Full-time ministry. Something I didn't see myself doing, but yet its something I suddenly can't live without. So, Photography is a gift from the Lord, but being here at Palomar as a cook is a calling from the Lord. I would rather obey and listen to a calling then rely on my own strength in a gift."

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So that is my story. I had a calling to Palomar mountain,and I answered. I am so blessed to call this place my home for now. I don't know how long He has me here, or where I am going next, but I know
 here is home.

Home

 My home is a place I love,
Where the sun brightens the ocean
from its perfect perch above.
You can see the oceans tide curl into a wave with one long stride.
Waters of beauty and destruction side by side,
and the boulders, unmoved by waves broad shoulders.
The water so clear will always show,
the kingdom of coral for the fish below.
Sometimes I wonder how the water can reflect Gods sky, that is perfection.
From the highest peak of this mountain,
I can see this is the home God has given me.

-Danielle