JaNell Wood Photography

11/13/2024

09/07/2024

IGNITE. It’s so incredibly ironic (or is it?) that some of the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises come from the destruction caused by fires. Lending vibrant colors that pierce the soul. Creating a spectrum that floods the earth, extending beyond the short time of the actual setting sun. And lasting longer than a “typical” sunset. Almost as if it’s sending a reminder…”wait, there’s beauty to be had in the destruction of old (not bad, just old), in the creation of new”. In order for something better to come, we have to be willing to let go of the old. Old habits. Old knowledge. Old patterns. Old relationships. Things that keep us stuck. Letting go of one doorknob so YOU can open the door of another. Even if the old really is good and we don’t understand why it has to go. Good for better. Better for best. And we seldom can see the beauty that igniting the old will bring. Maybe we’re scared because we can’t see the vibrant sunset yet. Maybe we’re tired because holding onto the old that isn’t for us anymore has left us exhausted. Maybe we haven’t learned to trust the burning yet. Maybe it’s all of the above. So here’s a reminder…it’s ok to burn. To let go. To IGNITE. Create and embrace YOUR glorious sunrise.

08/28/2024

REMEMBER. DON’T REPEAT. LEARN. Yesterday I took a trip to visit the holocaust memorial in Boston. I couldn’t decide which photo to choose. I loved the black and white contrast representing love vs hatred and I also felt moved by the smoke from the real fire rising in the colored photo. I can’t even begin to count the number of books I’ve read concerning this era in awe of the perseverance of so many. In reverence. In sadness. The design of the memorial is truly spectacular in honoring the victims. And is a beacon of light to REMEMBER to see the good in people around us. The unique qualities that are theirs alone. And how precious those qualities are. Pleading “DON’T REPEAT” this atrocity in any way. In our political discussions. In our interactions at the grocery store or on the subway. In our homes. Treat others as the magnificent people that they are. And above all, to LEARN a better way. For we have the power to silence or to sing. Learn. Don’t repeat. Remember. Visithttps://www.nehm.org/the-memorial/design-of-the-memorial/ for the information on the design. Breathtaking.

07/07/2024

“Lasts and Firsts” Found some lasts today in a long forgotten place. A favorite truck. A cast-away sippy water bottle. A cherished blue dinosaur. And I wonder when the “last time” was for each of these. Was it one night when he came running in for dinner or a popsicle? Or one day when she needed more to drink than the sippy water bottle would hold? The sight and thought of these brings up all the other “lasts” AND “firsts”. The first and last time you drive your baby to school. The first and last time you read them a story goodnight. The first time you bring them home and the first time they get their own apartment. The first and last time they call you “mommy”. And the first time you see them as all grown up. With every first, there is a last and each last brings a new first. Eventually, everything comes back around to make a complete circle. The last time he played with his truck in the dirt one day becomes a first time he plays trucks with his son or daughter in the dirt. The last time she drank from her sippy water bottle becomes the first time she fills her insulated large water bottle to go on even grander adventures. The last time you take them to school becomes the first time they get to spread their wings and live, fly, and create a life of their own of “firsts and lasts”.

07/03/2024

06/09/2024

05/26/2024

https://instagram.com/p/C7cbZO8vCS9/

01/15/2024

More Bryce Canyon.

01/13/2024

“Contrast Required”. Bryce Canyon National Park is beautiful any time of year. However, there’s just something extra special the snow brings out. Some extra definition. An extra kiss of wow. A brightness to the formations. A little more color. So it is with our lives. The contrasts in our experiences bring out a little more beauty. Create more intimate connections. They make the sun shine brighter. The blue skies speak to our souls. They create moments that take our breath away. But we have to look. We have to choose to brave the cold, the wind. To weep and to laugh. To grieve and to celebrate. To fall in order to rise. Eventually, we learn to love all the contrasts that show up to create one great, whole, picturesque life. We learn to embrace that contrasts are required.

01/01/2024

“The Growth Story”. I purchased this “reduced price” orchid from a local grocery store because it spoke to me (I’m not crazy, I promise. lol). Other than its struggle to produce blossoms, the plant appeared healthy. Despite my best efforts, I could not get it to produce flower buds that bloomed. I have never had a problem growing orchids. Ever. My frustration and confusion grew to the point I thought about throwing it out. Calling it quits about 2-3 weeks ago. All I was getting was dead buds. And then, rather quickly, branch after branch of healthy buds appeared and then this beautiful blossom opened in all her glory. It was a gentle reminder that growth often goes unseen. In ourselves and others. It is slow. It is tedious. It requires patience and forgiveness and grace. It requires love and nurturing. Acceptance that we don’t always “see” the changes. The dead blossoms weren’t a failure. Just a manifestation that she was trying. Giving everything she had. Until, finally, the world (me) could see what had been transforming underneath. The “reduced price” sticker had no influence on her value. She didn’t care what the value was that someone placed on her. She just kept being who she was meant to be and eventually, she bloomed. Bright and beautiful!!!