Changes afoot . . .

Through hundreds and hundreds of posts—two years worth now, come June—you and I have awakened each morning and noticed the outdoors together. Seeds and leaves, sunlight and snow, feathers and orchard grass . . .

Tens of thousands of you, here and on social media, have watched nature and have seen life along with me. You’ve joined me as we practice hearing God speak through his creation and his Word.

So I’m sure it doesn’t surprise you that I’ve loved nature as long as I can remember. I come by that delight quite (ahem) naturally, having been raised on Washington’s breathtaking Olympic Peninsula, the fifth generation progeny of those who homesteaded in the Puget Sound Cooperative Colony—before Washington was granted statehood.

The last two years have only deepened my wonder, my joy, as I have intentionally, daily snapped nature photos and lingered over them. As I have considered the Source of each scene’s light or design or beauty or strength or movement, my focus has sharpened. What a thrill to see nature dovetail with God’s Word, to reveal Jesus in all his creativity and perfection, sovereignty and beauty, wisdom and affection.

I hope I can head outdoors every day for the rest of my life. I’ll let my eyes wander each scene, trace it, and ask God what he would show me there. Given that I can be dense sometimes, or preoccupied, or that my memory and perception can be fickle, I’ll always carry a camera.

Photos give me a second chance to see. To notice.

But.

I’m no longer going to share snapshots daily. Currently I’m thinking I’ll post new pics to social media three or four days a week. (You can find me on Facebook at Cheryl Grey Bostrom, Author, or on Instagram @ watchingnatureseeinglife, )

Then on Saturday mornings I’ll post here at WordPress, with a review of the week’s photos—along with some additional musings. That post will either show up in your email or on the WP Reader, depending upon how you subscribed.

If you haven’t subscribed, please join me! Sign up at the top right of this page or, if you’re on your phone, in the CONTACT section. Click the three lines, upper left.

Why the change?

With two book babies crying for time, I’ll be allocating more hours to my writing projects. My new novel launches next year, so I have to-do lists from the publisher. I’m also deep into research and plotting for my next book, which is set in Palouse hills and community I love so much.

You may remember my new novel’s first title: Climb, Run, Drown. That name’s l-o-n-g gone. After chewing on dozens of possibilities, I’m calling it Sugar Birds. We’ll see if the pub team approves. It’s a nature novel, of course. An upmarket, coming-of-age, suspense piece, in which ten-year-old Aggie Hayes accidentally lights a devastating fire and escapes into untamed forest, where she discovers a threat bigger than the wilderness that hides her. I hope she—and those who search for her—capture you and don’t let go.

Meanwhile, will you go outdoors? Take your camera? Will you reflect on your photos like we’ve been doing the last two years?

You know how. Many of you have told me that you spend more time watching nature and seeing life than ever before. As a consequence, your eyesight has improved, your intimacy with God has deepened. What’s better than that?

So go. Get out there. Take pictures. Ask God about them.

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

—Jeremiah 29:13

Watching Nature, Seeing Life: Through His Creation, God Speaks