Reasons

The hardest part in making a blog for me was finding the right name. I probably thought for about 10 minutes about what name to use until I found a couple I thought would be nice, and then narrowed it down to two: Relentless or Reliant. After thinking on the subject a little longer, another thought began to pervade my mind (in other words...I thought it.)

...and inspiration struck.

I decided to combine both names into one extremely awesome blog title: relentless-but-relient

At first it had no other purpose but to be a cool link to my blog, but as I thought about it *insert thinking face*I realized it did have a meaning (or a couple meanings).

photography:

Someone who takes pictures must be relentless, always pursuing the best light, the best angle, the best everything, that will make their picture rise above the ranks and rest with ease among the High Kings (not just kings). Yet the photographer must be reliant on his camera, and his eyes; nothing is possible without these.

music:

A musician must be relentless, always pursuing the better sound, the better idea, the better word/note. Yet the musician is reliant on his instrument: Without an instrument or a voice to give birth to his talent, there can be no music!

life:

As a Christian, we must  be relentless, always pursuing Jesus Christ, and along the roads we travel, seeking to share the news of His wonderful birth and sacrifice. However, the Christian is reliant on the Holy Spirit working in their lives: without Christ, we are nothing.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." -John 15:5

Yes, I do believe I spelled relient wrong. It was on purpose. Really.

Stockings!

So. I've been slightly uninspired lately for some reason...both photography-wise and writing-wise. But I seem to have conquered that, and I got out to take some pretty cool pictures today, revealed to you below...

But really, don't you like Christmas stockings? Christmas isn't Christmas without stockings. From what I've heard/read/seen, in the old days people actually used real stockings. I pity the people with small feet. I think some people still use real stockings/socks...your awsome if you do. If you don't...your still awsome.

For some reason, stockings seem like really private subjects...it's like telling someone what color your bed sheets are. (I know, they're white.) But have you ever noticed that no two families have the same type of stocking? I know families who's stockings are just felt and glitter, and families who have padded quilt sleeping bags for stockings. Some people have interesting traditions surrounding their stockings. Personally, my grandma knits them out of red and white yarn, and knits a little green Christmas tree with bells onto each of them. Our names (in my case...CALEB) is knitted onto the top of each one. My grandma seems capable of knitting these overnight, on airplanes, while cooking dinner on Christmas Eve, and while reading. If you have ever got a chance to visit me during Christmas time, you may have seen my stocking. If you haven't, here's the next best thing. Behold, my stocking in all it's glory!

...oh...didn't know you were watching yet... OK. BEHOLD MY STOCKING!!

There you go. Pretty awsome huh?!?

The Christmas Saga - Snowmen and Ponderations

For some reason, the word "Saga" reminds me of Star Wars. I have a weird mental picture of clones and droids opening presents with lightsabers now...

Christmas is coming. Now that it's December, it seems like such a short time until it will be here and gone again. Christmas feels like a time especially made for unbrindled joy, for giving and laughing and frolicking in the rain/snow/mud and coming in to warm showers, clam chowder, and toasted bread. Christmas  for me means cold weather, Christmas trees, snow, warm fires and cozy rooms, and hot chocolate.

Now that I'm in a different country, it's a little different, and Christmas never really like it should...partly because I have no piano. Real pianos (preferable big grand pianos that are black and belong to your great grandfather who lets you do whatever you want), for me, are a must in order to play Christmas music properly. And music is a big part of the Christmas spirit. And of course...there's the wonderful feeling of waking up on Christmas morning (for some reason I can never sleep in past 6:30 on Christmas Day no matter how long I've stayed awake the night before) and realizing "This is it!!! This is the day we've waited ALL. YEAR. for!" Then comes the delicious sensation of ripping into paper, finding the 4 bagfuls of socks you're thankful for and the new camera lense you're really really thankful for. (hint hint ;D) and the eating of maple syrup (albeit fake flavored) and pancakes and scrumptious bacon and perfectly cooked eggs for Christmas breakfast while wearing all your new clothes.

Then there's the skipping of lunch to marvel at all the new presents you've recieved, the eating of the 24 candy canes you find in your stocking...by the way, stocking are marvellous subjects. Have you ever noticed that no two families have the same kind of Christmas stocking?...Anyway, Christmas Eve and Christmas day are wonderful subjects, and I could probably write a bunch more about them (I probably will later on...)




this is a snowman


                                           
this is Shèngdàn Kuàilè (whose name translated means "Christmas Joy") the Chinese snowman from Yosemite










But what IS Christmas? What's it about? Most of us know the wonderful news of how Christ became man, came into the world, and died on a cross for our sins. But is that all? Does it end there? One of my favorite Christmas memories is from last Christmas, during a church service at CBC. It was the end of the service, and I remember the worship team leading the church in "O Holy Night". A couple lines in the last verse stuck out to me, and I don't think I'll ever forgot the sight of 500 fellow believers singing along to the words:

"...He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold, your king, before Him lowely bend
Behold, your King, before Him lowely bend!"

This to me embodies the reason of WHY we celebrate Christmas: because we're no longer alone. We no longer need to bear all our trials and cares on our own shoulders. In the words of Hebrews, "...we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." This is the reason He was born, and brought Light into the world. This is why we celebrate Christmas!

Lumberjacks

For some odd reason best known to...those who know such things, there are very few man photographers. (and bloggers.) Which is odd to me. Maybe they're just swamped by the exorbitant number of woman photographers. (I don't have anything against women photographers. The ones I know are pretty awesome.) Maybe men just seem to prefer chain saws and trees and mud and plaid shirts and high boots and Canada. But what woman is going to brave all that to take a picture of it? That's what man photographers are for. Because I bet it makes a pretty awsome picture. (Salutations to the lumberjacks who are willing to make awsome pictures). On a side note, I don't know any woman lumberjacks either...

So, I salute all you manly photographers out there. Join me in the trenches and the capture of the fleeting moments of life through a big black hunk of tough plastic and glass.

I bet a lumberjack would love to cut down this tree...