I set out to take my pictures for the day.  Today’s assignment-fruit.  Why you ask?  Lehi’s dream was the focus of my scripture study today.  I was learning about the tree of life and the fruit that was placed before Lehi.  The fruit of the tree of life.  Fruit.  There you have it.

To start, I set up my perfect little "orange"ment in my studio, the kitchen.  I didn’t even get a shot snapped until I realized what was missing.  Light.  I needed more light.  I grabbed my fruit, grabbed my professional green paper plate to add some color to the shot and headed outdoors.  “Come, on Mikayla, let’s go outside!”  Mikayla came racing behind me, crawling as fast as she could.  I set up my beautiful, newly peeled orange and took the first shot to figure out lighting.  Lighting.  Still trying to find the perfect light.  I started playing with the settings on my camera and the next thing I knew, a pair of chubby little hands were reaching for my oranges.  “Wait, Mikayla, NO!”  I grabbed the oranges, put them back on the plate and went to take another shot.  Before I could click the button, the cutest little chubby hands I have ever seen were back in the shot.  Half the orange.  She had half the orange and it was heading toward her mouth.  I couldn't even think about taking it away before that orange was in her mouth and she was taking as big a bite of it as she could.  If a little of a good thing is good, why not make it great by enjoying more of it?!

It was then that the juices started squirting everywhere.  I mean, EVERYWHERE.  Every time she'd take a bite, the juice exploded everywhere. They were running down her arm, squirting both me and the sidewalk four feet away with every bite she took.  The best part?  The look of complete and utter shock on her face.  Shock that HER orange would squirt HER in the face.  I couldn’t help but laugh and it was the deepest good old belly laugh that I’ve had in forever. 

I couldn’t get enough of those chubby hands holding her oranges and then crawling around on the sidewalk with them in her hands, leaving splotches of sticky orange juice everywhere she put her hands.  And giggling.  Yes, giggling and pleased with herself the whole time.

I started snapping pictures as fast as I could.  I didn’t care what the exposure looked like or if the white balance was good.  I didn't have time to make it perfect.  All I was praying for was to hopefully capture one little glimpse of the moment.  One little expression on Mikayla’s face to capture her complete satisfaction or the excitement in her eyes as she would take a bite out of the orange and it would spray her.  I didn’t care about the mess.  I didn’t care that my "perfect" little studio set-up for the day was completely ruined.  I had a better set up.  I had my daughter playing with me.  I had my daughter enjoying life.  I had a reason to smile and even better, a reason to laugh out loud.  I had a beautiful Spring day.  I had a camera to capture those memories.  I had reminders of a husband who encourages my photography as if I were the best photographer in the world and that he loves my pictures, even if no one else ever does.  I had a Heavenly Father’s love shining down on me reminding me that he knows and loves me and that all my blessings and talents I have are from him.  I received a tender mercy from Him to remind me that life is good.  Not only good, but amazing.  Yes, I had the perfect set up. 

It didn’t take me long to realize the reason that I felt impressed to take pictures of oranges today had little to do with oranges.  It was about the lessons I was to learn and the memories that I made with my daughter.  Those six minutes were some of the happiest I can remember.  The thoughts, impressions, promptings, whatever you want to call them came flooding into my mind. 

My photography isn’t about the pictures.  It’s about what taking the pictures teaches me about life and how my faith grows through those lessons that I am taught.  What you expect to find isn’t always the answer.  What Heavenly Father has in store for you is so much better than what you expect.  One word keeps coming into mind over and over again...perspective, perspective, perspective.  In photography you learn that changing the angle of a shot changes everything.  I would compare choosing the angle of a shot to choosing to have an eternal perspective in life.  It changes everything.

Besides the memories that fill my mind, all that’s left now of my moment with Mikayla are the pictures I have (how ever blurry they might be!).  The moment was fleeting.  It would’ve been easy to miss, just like so many other moments in our lives.