One of my favorite places to visit in summer is Pismo Beach. It is a little less glamorous than its popular northern neighbor Carmel By The Sea, and a little less crowded. Though it seems the crowded part is changing.

 

The drive along US Hwy 1 offers some of California’s most scenic views, but we didn’t take that route because I wanted to go 45 minutes further south to Lompoc California. Here nestled behind sage brush and eucalyptus trees is the California’s largest and most complete example of a Spanish mission, Mission La Purisima.

The long drive put us at the mission shortly after noon, the worst part of the day for a photographer. A photographer’s prime working time is before 10:00 a.m. and after 4:30 p.m. possibly later in the height of the summer months when the sun hangs directly overhead for longer period of time. I was off to a bad start.

 

When my camera broke!

 

Sitting in the chapel hoping, praying and of coarse, googling my camera’s error code, I recalled my philosophy from my college photography class when things went wrong with a project. It really wasn’t wrong at all, it was God giving me another chance to do better.

 

 

I was getting a “re-do”. Like the time I over developed the film and reshot a project – I knew it was better.  Entering the darkroom for the second time, I was happy for the opportunity to do better.  And then, by the grace of God, a classmate opened the door of the darkroom and I got a chance to re-do it all over again. And I graciously said thank you – to the both of them. My stunned classmate felt bad, but so did my professor – who gave me another week to do the project.

 

I got a “re-do”. (And an opportunity to forgive.)

 

The third time around I had a new sense of determination and confidence that God was working within me, refining me and my work.

 

So all my photos today are courtesy of my iPhone.

 

This is merely someone up there giving me the opportunity to do better, try harder and get there earlier. I’m taking a “re-do” and you will get see Mission La Purisima all over again.

 

See?  It all works out.

 

Do you need a redo today? Remember it’s okay, God’s just refining you and I promise it’s going to get better.

 

Happy Monday.