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Racci's Award Winning Photo First Place Nature SFEA Annual Photo Contest ~ 1992 ~ |
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Racci's Award Winning Photo First Place Nature SFEA Annual Photo Contest ~ 1992 ~ |
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| In the summer of 1992, my sister Joy and I went camping in the Smokey Mountains. While driving through the narrow, one lane winding mountain road, I was fascinated by the misty beauty of the Round Bottom Road. © Around every curve we would stop to take another picture of the breath-taking view. |
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After returning home, Joy encouraged me to enter this photo in
the annual employee photo contest at my place of employment.
I was reluctant as I had never entered a photo contest. | I recalled admiring beautiful photo's from former contests; every entry was top quality. I felt too inferior to imagine entering my photograph along side such fine art work. | I had never studied photography and had used only an automatic zoom camera. I tried to invision Round Bottom Road © next to other photographs done in such a professional manner. |
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Joy's persistance paid off; Round Bottom Road © was entered into the contest
and displayed with other beautiful art work.
Having an entry in the contest was fun but winning was the farthest thing from my mind. |
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Imagine my surprise to learn that Round Bottom Road © had won 1st place in the nature category. It was exciting to see other people had admired it's beauty as much as I did. |
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Years later, Joy again encouraged me to enter a national, amatuer
contest. Though Round Bottom Road © had found it's place among winners in the former contest,
I didn't anticipate any recognition from a national contest.
But Joy would not give up and the picture was entered.
Months passed. The picture didn't place among the top finalist. But that was ok; I had entered for the fun and experience knowing the chances of winning would be minimal. Something exciting however did occur. Round Bottom Road © was selected to be published in an International Library of Photography © anthology. It is featured in the Eternal Impressions edition published in 2000. |
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Round Bottom Road © is also featured with other
fine photographs in the
International Library of Photography © website.
To view the website, click on the picture on the right. |
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To quickly find Round Bottom Road ©,
click here.
To view a photo gallery featuring Round Bottom Road, © click here. |
| Little Seedling |
| Like Round Bottom Road © (pictured above), life's journey is full of twist and turns. Aniticipation accellerates as each corner reveals new discoveries of God's creation. |
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What started as tiny seeds began to sprout roots into the soil;
eventually producing small seedlings. These little seedlings were nurished
by rich soil and surrounding moisture.
After years of tender, loving care by the Master gardener, a thick, beautiful forest was created. It was a place of awesome beauty offering shade and serenity to all who wandered through it's pathways. |
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One day, a little seedling began to feel overshadowed by it's surroundings.
The tall, stately trees with their lush branches spreading across the sunny skies,
towered over little seedling. The larger trees seemed to have found their
special purpose in life.
But little seedling wondered deep inside itself, "what possible value could I add to life? I'm just a small, frail twig, hardly noticed by those who pass by." Little seedling recalled times that people stepped on it's barely budding twigs. Or times it was smothered and unable to bask in the warm sunrays as people carelessly tossed things onto the ground. Oh, how much little seedling desired to be special; to have a purpose for being in the forest. But then it looked at the other trees with their strong branches and beautiful leaves. Little seedling sank lower to the ground feeling it was impossible to reach such heights as those around it. |
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Then one day, the Master gardner was wandering through the forest
admiring His creation. He stopped as He heard a sound coming from
a remote area within the forest. It was little seedling desparately crying out,
searching for a special purpose in life.
The Master gardner walked closer to little seedling, sat down beside it, and began to speak words of encouragement. He told little seedling that it did have a purpose. It would take time, but with the help of the Master gardner, little seedling would some day reach it's fullest potential. It would require little seedling to keep in close contact with the Master, at all times. It would have to become disciplined in obedience to the Master by daily drinking the food and water that the Master gardner supplied. The Master gardner also told little seedling that it was to no longer allow feelings of not being as good as the other trees in the forest; each of these trees also had started out as just a tiny seed. Little seedling was as good as the rest of the trees; it just needed time to grow into all that the Master gardner wanted it to be. |
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Little seedling was so excited that the Master gardner had noticed it and taken time out of His busy day to speak. Immediately, it began to do all that the Master gardner had said to do. And as time went on, little seedling grew and became very beautiful. It took it's place among all the others and raised it's branches as high as possible into the sky where it's leaves presented wave offerings to the Master. |
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As time went on, the Master gardner used little seedling to bring comfort and rest to weary travelers along the way. As people found a place of shelter around the beautiful tree, little seedling would raise it's branches heavenward and the soft breeze would whisper through it's leaves pointing the weary travelers towards the Master in the sky. At last, little seedling understood the importance of following every direction that the Master gardner had given; and not disobeying him. Little seedling had discovered the TRUTH that set it free from it's own insecurities. |
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Little seedling can still be found looking down the pathway for people in search of guidance. And little seedling smiles warmly at each person, embracing them with shelter from it's leaves, and points them to the Master gardner in the heavens. |
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Does your life seem to be drifting along,
without purpose, without reason? Do you long to feel that your life has special meaning? You can find that special purpose and more for your life.
The "Master Gardner" is waiting right now
Find out how you can meet the Master Gardner by clicking here |
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Thanks for reading
the Round Bottom Road © story.
Hope you enjoyed your visit
If you have questions
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Spirit^Wolf & Racci
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