The Camera of the Soul
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Have you ever thought about our eyes being like a camera, storing all kinds of pictures deep within our minds. We have the most excellent camera built within.
The Heartfelt Picture
The perfect picture whatever it may be, is the one we take the time to focus on. These pictures seem to last a life time. We look at our new born child and watch them as they sleep, the picture of our first car, our wedding day and many others we will never forget. We like to take out these beautiful pictures and look at them. The pictures bring wonderful thoughts to our minds and warm our very heart.
Humanity's Picture.
While it is wonderful to take pictures that bring us joy. The camera to our soul should seek out humanity. Taking pictures of others around us. Sometimes we can take so many pictures of ourselves, we becomes a shrine within, focusing only on our inner needs. We forget about the ones around us. We must make a conscious effort to start taking pictures outside our home fronts and comfort zones, These pictures call us to move in service to one another.
The Whoops...I did not mean to.. picture
Sometimes we look at things that are not so beautiful or proper to look at. Our eyes still take the picture and we sometimes are taunted with the visual. Our minds will play cat and mouse with us. There is a solution to this photo opt should it happen again and I guarantee it will. If we take the picture quickly, it may be slightly out of focus, and then it is usually one we can disregard with ease later.
It is the lingering planned photo shot that is harder to disregard. The imprint is like a hot branding iron on our minds.
Say Cheese and he will come a running.
I picture this little guy working round the clock in our brains. I will call him "Cheesy"...Cheesy is a sneaky little person. He has no mercy..his only goal is to find our bad photos and torture us with them. He sneaks into our picture files and grabs these pictures that we thought we had thrown away. He tiptoes in when we are not looking and grabs the file when we are least expecting it. He suddenly opens the file and holds it up in our face and says,
“Hey you, look at this!”…
We take a peak, only to turn our heads in shame.
We scream back at this little cheese ball,
“put that away, I don’t want to look at that!”
Once the picture exists, it is almost as if we are being held captive by this little sticky fellow. He forces us to look upon it. He loves to robs us of what is important. There was a little song I learned in Sunday school many ions ago..it went like this.
"Oh be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father up above is looking down below Oh be careful little eyes what you see"
As childish as this song may be, there is a lot of truth to it....
The Damaging Picture
There are times when no matter what we do we are forced to take a picture of something so horrific that It is like a strong arm has forced us to take this picture.
“No I do not want to take that picture,” we cry.
We turn away to not look but a guiding hand pulls our face to the scene and we are helpless. The camera starts taking pictures over and over. We struggle but no relief comes.
The pictures are ugly and hurtful in every way. It almost takes an act of God to remove this from our minds.
It is not like taking a picture purposefully. It is like a thief. This picture steals our joy and leaves us focusing on the old photographs. We are frozen in time, unable to be productive. We pray in time that we are able to put a large lock on this picture file and never open it up no matter what. Once we finally have the lock firmly in place, Cheesy has other plans.
The little slime ball comes with giant cutters, working round the clock to open that lock. We can hear the grinding and cutting deep in the night. He robs us of our sleep. If we realize what is going on, we can have a plan in place.
We turn on the light, catching him in the act. We boot him out on his cheesy bottom with one swift kick. He is resilient and may come back time and time again but each time he is met with more resistance.
We learn his plans, strategies and head him off at the pass. We have now learned his devices and are finally able to out smart the lactose causing cheese ball. Don't focus on these pictures... it will only open the door for Cheesy to come for a visit time and time again.
We take the picture file and throw it deep within the oceans depth to never be retrieved again. In the process, we may find sweet release.
The most beautiful pictures are the ones filled with happiness, joy, and service to others. Should we decide to focus on taking only pictures of beauty around us, we will find that Cheesy will soon be out of a job.
I want to fill my picture files with beautiful and heartfelt pictures. I will not have to battle with Cheesy any longer. He may pop up every once in awhile, leaving his nasty, cheesy prints on my files. He may even try to get me to look at old photos that are still being stored but I am learning to outsmart him.
I can tell he is getting weary, Time is not on his side. He does not toy with me as much. As time goes by, he is getting older, weaker and soon the yellowed old photos of yesterday will be nonexistent.
The camera of the soul is working constantly, snapping pictures all around us. It is important to take pictures and focus on the ones that make us happy. Pick the pictures carefully and ones that are filled with beautiful colors, vibrant, and filled with purpose. These pictures will last a lifetime.
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Sunnie, Those verses from Sunday School, as you point out, say a lot: "Oh be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father up above is looking down below Oh be careful little eyes what you see"
Eyes are windows to the soul, even when the shades or curtains are drawn, even when the camera's lens is covered. You've expressed this nicely. There is always beautiful with which to soothe the soul, even if we have to search a little for it.
Well done.
Kind regards, Stessily
Very clever and thought provoking Sunnie! Truly awesome writing! I do believe that as we age and gain wisdom, "cheesy" has less of a chance to remain a big imprint. The imagery you present here is quite unique - love it!
Sharyn
Hi Mar,
You are so right..Thank you for stopping and lovely comment.
big hugs,
Sunnie
Wonderful imagery, Sunnie. We do have the inner strength and power to block our "cheesies" from invading our current lives. I love the way you present things to us, thank you. Voted UP & ABI, mar.
Thanks Michael..glad you stopped by..
Take care,
Sunnie
Really good hub.
Good Morning Colen,
How are you? Bet you are ready for sleep! Thank you for stopping by this morning and always making me smile with such sweet comments..Heading over to your side sonn..I hope you rest well..Thank you again..big smile here.
Sunnie
..need to come up with a brand new top ten for you on your many qualities as the ultimate hub personality and writer:
10. well it's obvious - she's hot
9. she moves me
8. with her words
7. her precious thoughts
6. and profound feelings
5. as the consummate writer
4. and hub team player
3. yeah, that smile
2. now you know why they call her SUNNIE
1. even the SUN is kinda jealous
lake erie time 5:23am just arrived home after work - with high winds off the lake - a few beers and the Doors singing Back door man by the great Willie Dixon at a live concert recording in Hollywood
Hello Neelesh,
I do agree..for every negative there is a positive..thus making us the people we are..Thank you so much for a great comment..Controling the negative takes work and not always easy..but it does make us who we are,Thank you my friend.
God bless,
Sunnie
i am glad we do not have an erase function since all the photographs that cheesy has taken are actually the complex web that is us. even a single one being erased can effect the entire matrix and change us.
great concept SD
Ahhh Sue thank you...if he shows up we will bake him and make him into a cheeto...lol
Have a good night,
Sunnie
Hi Sunnie,
When cheesy comes knocking on my door, I will send him on his way with this brilliant,beautiful and profound hub.
Thank you Movie Master...So happy you enjoyed this..Oh to erase pictures that we do not want would be so great...Thank you my friend for stopping by.
Sunnie
What a fabulous hub Sunnie, I agree with Will, if only we could erase some of those pictures, life could be much easier.
Thank you for sharing more of your beautiful writing with usx voting up
HI Barbergirl,
I truly understand what you mean..we take alot of pictures too and sometimes so busy getting that shot we forget to savor the moment.. So glad you enjoyed this today..Have a great week and thank you.
Sunnie
Hi Always,
So good to see you this morning,
Oh to only have the good ones but on one hand would be nice but without the bad I guess it makes us treasure the good even more...Thank you for stopping by,
Hugs,
Sunnie
Hello Sunnie, It would be so nice to only have beautiful mind pictures, but alas, not to be. I love pictures though, they bring comfort and cheer. Thank you for a really great read.
Absolutely awesome. I really wish our eyes were cameras. Because sometimes I find myself so consumed by the physical act of taking pictures, that I find I don't even remember what I did. I have the memeories from the camera but not actually having the memories is a little weird. On the other hand, those devastating memories, the ones we never catch with the camera are often times the ones that stay ingrained in our brains.
Well written... this was absolutely beautiful.
Thank you Mj,
I found the link to The Red Wheelbarrow...I love it..of course I love my chickens..
Thank you for a great comment.
Sunnie
Oh Ian..that would be the most beautiful picture..I think you would agree...I put the chicks up for the night..I couldnt find them earlier and they had made their way to the other side of the acre...I came around the corner and they saw me and started running towards me...it was funny...Sometimes I think they feel I am their momma...hahaha
But nothing beats a Black Orpington chicken tucked firmly i=under Ghastly Prendy's arm on a wet day in Spring.
But I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
"The camera to our soul should seek out humanity". That's a great line! You know, I've always thought of poetry of the mechanism to take humanity's picture. That's why I love the imagist poets like William Carlos Williams: "So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow, glazed with rainwater beside the white chickens." That says it all, huh? Great hub!
Thank you b...can you imagine if we had a GPS in our noodles..Yikes! hahah..Thanks for reading..to everyone who has not read bMalin's lastest hub please do..will bring a great big smile..very funny..I suddenly sound like Epi..haha
Sunnie
Wonderful, Wonderful Hub Sunnie...Yes, a picture can say a Thousand words, as it snaps our History and our Existence...Good and Bad. Two thumbs up my friend on this HUb.
HI Cardisa,
Yes the sweet ones for sure...capture them in print forever...Thanks for reading...hope you are doing better...hugs my friend..
Love,
Sunnie
Hi Chris,
You are so right...we can only ask God to erase them and I do believe he can...Thank you for reading and an awesome comment.
Sunnie
Hello Ian,
I don't know why bad pictures seem to come at night..It seems as if it may be the time we are quiet and are at rest. I know that has when my torment comes...leaving me little sleep at times...not so much anymore but I truly understand how it can happen...I had so much anger, unforgiveness, and harbored things I should have let go long ago..So in time I have let go...I have read where meditation works but I am sure takes such practice and not one that works overnight. I do hope one day you will find sweet peace and the pictures will not be so clear and vivid...Mine over times have quieted down and I am thankful but they do have a way of rearing their ugly head at times..
Love,
Sunnie
Hello Hyph,
I do know this song very well and taught it to my children but it is one we all can use and apply to our lives...it has profound warnings and truth..Thank you my friend,
Sunnie
Hello Becky,
You brought up a very good point...I do believe that too...that pictures come up at night for us to sit up and pray, to move to help somehow..A picture of someone we have not thought about for years may need us to pray for them because their face has come to our mind. I remember when my son Matt was into drugs really bad...I would wake at 2 am and could see him...I knew he was somewhere doing something he shouldn't. He was a grown man...I would start to pray...Once we follow the leading...then maybe we do get more peace just like you followed your heart and helped that family...Awesome comment. Thank you Becky,
Sunnie
Don't you just wish you could also print those pictures from your mind? I sometimes wish I could both print and other times erase some of the photos my mind takes.
Beautiful hub. No matter how hard we try, we will remember some things. Sometimes, I suspect the Lord is bringing them up to tell me I need to quit doing something or need to apologize for something. Sometimes, I suspect he is bringing them to the front of my mind to remind me that there is work to do. Work to straighten up a bad situation or to make sure something does not happen again.
I had some pictures in my mind of a family who was abused. The father was a drunk and beat them when he was drinking. I came to see that I should do more to straighten the situation out. Just calling the police was not enough. I had to go help them in other ways, in order for my mind to be rid of these pictures.
The windows of the soul are indeed the camera of the soul also. This causes me to think of that song: Oh Be Careful Little Eyes.
O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little ears what you hear
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little hands what you do
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little feet where you go
O be careful little feet where you go
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little feet where you go
O be careful little mouth what you say
O be careful little mouth what you say
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little mouth what you say
I like the analogy of the camera, but I wish I could programme my mind for some sort of Mental Photoshop. I have tried to erase so many pictures from my memory, and there are some that come too regularly. I can't even manage to airbush the awful details. So many of my pictures are so distasteful and I actually lie there... that's right, it;'s usually when I am going to sleep,... and I ask God not to let me see them again, But up they pop, as crisp and as clear as when they were taken. But because they are so unpleasant, they have met other pictures, deep within my mind, and they come as a string; a hateful and loathsome string of vile images, and I feel shame and pain and distress.
This is really good Sunnie...and so true.
I think through prayer that there is another little guy up there who knows how to "photoshop"...and knows how to crop out the bad photo's and zoom in on the good ones...
anyway, this hub is excellent and you make a brilliant point in a very descriptive way.
Chris
Thank you Ubani, Dexter,and Eiddwen,
Thank you so much for your kind comments..I hope you have a fantastive week..thank you for reading..
Sunnie
Hi Dust,
I am so happy your prayers were answered what a blessing..I am a talker in my sleep and can never remember what I say or dream..I guess that is a good thing..Nice having some coffee with you this moring..Have a good day,
Sunnie
Sunnie, brilliant writing of mental pictures and the ones I wish away, praying to God they leave me be so I might one day wake up in a dream I wanted to stay. Prayer was answered I no longer remember the second I wake, I feel like I just had lain down no memories at all on my mind. My incessant talking and movements have not resided from me. The doctors in the sleep lab at the VA have shown me video of it all. I was not surprised. touching writing, peace, dust
Hi Sunnie! Wow! You put a lot of hear and soul into this. There have been many times that I wish I could delete some "pictures." But, still I have many more that I am happy to share! Voted up, up and away!
Brilliant Sunnie, your hubs are always unique and that's what makes them so interesting.
I push all buttons for this one.
Take care
Eiddwen.
A very useful, beautiful and sweet hub. I voted up, beautiful, awesome and interesting. Our body is fully equipped with all necessities of life including cameras. Great hub
Hi A.A. oh I have the cheesy pic's believe me..I just don't bring them out..lol Cheezy proof camera would be great. Thank you for stopping by my friend.
Sunnie
Hello Gail,
It is impossible I am afraid...the trick is how to live with them without them taking hold of our lives...focus on the the good ones and just maybe the bad ones will slip away..
Thanks Gail,
Sunnie
Hello Rosemay,
Oh I wish we did have a delete button...but I guess with every positive there has to be a negative to balance things out..if we never saw the negative how could we ever appreciate the positive..without the sadness..we could not understand the joy...
Thank you so much for reading today.
God bless,
Sunnie
I like willstars suggestion ''erase' brain function, so we can just eliminate the cheesy stuff' just click to delete, that would be cool.
It would be nice to just keep the beautiful photos to take out and look at but unfortunately it is a 'cheesy' world.
Very well written and thougAwesomeht proking. A very good hub Sunnie
Awesome
P.S I love that song
Much profound truth here. We do need to be careful what we focus on and the Cheesy bad images can be oh so hard to discard once we have them. But alas, it's impossible to go through life without having some of them take hold deep within our minds.
On a lighter side, I like A.A.'s idea of a cheesy proof camera! That invention could be worth big bucks!
Well, it's obvious that cheesy isn't your friend, because all your pictures look good. I think, however, that I'm related to cheesy. Most of my pictures look bad. I need a cheesy proof camera. Awesome hub!
Good night Alastar,
Sweet dreams and may you dream beautiful pictures from your soul.
Thank you my friend,
Sunnie
Cheesy will not be bothering you...I have locked him up for the night..:)
Time is not on Cheesy's side. Oh Sunnie you have written here a truth profound. I do hope this awakens some to those Beautiful photos of the mind that enrich the soul; and disregard those that hurt and no longer serve any purpose. What a wonderful read to lay me down to sleep with.
Thank you Binaya,
I know we can not wear blinders but so much of what we watch on TV, or read is our choice..we may have forgotten about it but it may come up later when we do not want it too..What we focus on the most is what we think on.. I think it really effects our emotions. I really don't have the science to back this up or anything like that..I just know when we see with our eyes, we remember..and some things are good and some things we wish we could forget..Thank you so much for your comment and your openness to try to understand.
Sunnie
Interesting concept. You blend emotions and feelings with anecdotes. I never thought our eyes as a camera, but often compared the camera lens with our eyes. Since now I have this vision, I will try to think this way.
Mike,
It is a beautiful song..I think I have heard it a long time ago..Thank you for sharing it with me.
It is a beautiful song, and it was used it my all time favorite movie. Thanks for adding it to your Hub. Your Hub offers a strong message.
Hi Mike,
I found it and posted it..fits perfectly ..thank you
Thank you Mike,
I think I am going to look it up on you tube..Thank you..beautiful words..
Have a good night,
Sunnie
Your Hub brought to mind the song
Windmills of my Mind by Noel Harrison
this passage
Pictures hanging in a hallway
And a fragment of this song
Half remembered names and faces
But to whom do they belong
When you knew that it was over
Were you suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the color of her hair
Oh Will I so wish we did too...Thanks for reading..hope it made some sense..I really think it is something we all struggle with...
Thanks Will,
Sunnie
Too bad we don't have an 'erase' brain function, so we can just eliminate the cheesy stuff.
I like this Hub, Sunnie.
Sunnie Day Hub Author 3 months ago
Thank you Stessily,
I am making my way through your comments and find them so wonderful and so uplifting..forgive me for being so slow at getting to them all Thank you as always for reading.
Hugs,
Sunnie