Beyond Day SixMy sometimes-daily blog of a photograph or two with a few words, celebrating all the days of life that flow through creation into perspiration, inspiration, reflection, sabbath, and resurrection. Loving NeighborsI took this photo several years ago at the Common Ground Faire in Maine. What drew my eye and why I lifted my camera and pressed the shutter button was my attraction to the texture and range of colors of the thread. I realized this week that this photo would look terrific in our dining room above our pottery cabinet because of the colors in our house and to celebrate our daughter's weaving passion. I was also looking for a photo to illumine today's Gospel text, Mark 12:28-34. Jesus is asked which commandment is first, and he shares two. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. The first one is challenging, and difficult to measure. The second is real. That annoying person who is not like you. The one with the wrong political sign. Those who don't look like you or talk like you. And the ones who like different music and different books. Oh, those neighbors.
Slow TimeIt's the last day of daylight savings time for 2024. When I was growing up as a kid in Indiana, I often heard the coming season referred to as slow time when we turned the clocks back an hour. Most of the clocks in my house will change automatically. But a few battery-operated clocks will require the annual turning back, from fast time to slow time. I wish it was slow time although this week I'd prefer super-fast time to get the details of this election finalized to my satisfaction. And if we could slow time, possibly we could see patterns in events or be able to signal a warning about an upcoming crisis. And then again, maybe it would just be scary, instead of peaceful like flowing water. This photo is from New Hampshire with an exposure of .5 second. My camera is on a tripod. This is the Swift River in the Rocky Gorge Scenic Area.
All Saints DayWe are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses, writes the author of the Letter to the Hebrews. I remember so many dear friends who I would not have known except for the church. I didn't grow up in church and wasn't familiar with All Saints Day. The fundamentalists who have a culture war with Hallowe'en likely miss the significance of the next day. Oh, they like me have been blessed by the compassion and care of countless witnesses. I may complain about stuff about the church, and I am deeply wounded by my denomination's fracture, but I will never forget those I loved, and who demonstrated grace repeatedly, and who were often better in this journey than me. This photo is from Door County.
Near the TopHalloween favorite from 10 years ago when Mike, Amy, and Maddy were jelly-fish. The three of them always came up with the most inventive costumes, but this has to be near the top. With Maddy at college, Mike and Amy miss their best reason to dress up for Halloween. I know they had as much fun as Maddy.
Late Summer or Early FallIt is a small question--is it late summer or early fall? Our dogwood trees have begun to show a change in the color of the leaves but the high temperatures for the week are in the 80s. It looks like fall but it still feels like summer. Forecasters are predicting the warmest Halloween in some time, maybe a record for the day. Definitely in the in-between days. Not hot enough for air-conditioning nor cold enough to turn on the heat. Just enjoy the day.
Long Range Forecast of FogElection day is just a week away. In 2020, it took 4-5 days before the vote counting was clear enough to declare Biden as president. Even so, chaos ensued for two months with lies and court challenges that were all dismissed before the final attempt on January 6 to attempt a coup. I expect this year will be little different except for a larger display of security on January 6. The fog will continue. It's a challenge to remain centered in one's spirit with all the discordant noise swirling around. It's difficult to even ignore it. I imagine something different. I write. I read. I review years of photos. I can be centered for moments at a time. Two months is a lot of moments. And there's little fog outside my window. I want even less fog in my soul.
A Basket of PossibilitiesOptions. Choices. Variety. Another answer. A different perspective. Patterns. Colors.
Wanting to SeeI read recently that October is for photographers. A bold, wildly generalized statement. Autumn color and activities are unquestionably visual attractions. I've spent lots of October days searching for the perfect autumn photograph. I treasure the gift of sight and my passion for the camera. The Gospel lesson for today, Mark 10:46-52, is the brief story of a blind, annoyingly loud beggar named Bartimaeus. He's an outsider, like a number of others who encounter Jesus in Mark's narrative. "I want to see," is Bartimaeus's answer to Jesus asking, "What do you want me to do for you?" This conversation stands in sharp contrast to earlier ones: the rich young ruler wants eternal life but cannot surrender his many possessions; the disciples want favored power and position, but Jesus tells them they misunderstand the mission. Bartimaeus wants to see and throws off his one possession, his cloak. Time and again, Jesus includes the outsiders with healing and forgiveness. No one is outside or beyond the love of God as witnessed in Christ. Why then do we continually try to shrink the reach of God's care, as if we are privileged to be on the inside and others deserve to be on the outside?
Twice a Year, If the Sun Is ShiningThe light comes through this window at a specific angle at a certain time of day, twice a year. And I wandered into this building at the Maine Maritime Museum, filled with an assortment of ancient items related to shipbuilding on one of those days. In a corner, by a window, stood two barrels that had caught the light and shadows from that window. The larger barrel was missing the metal bands that had originally held it together. The smaller barrel is more interesting and looks even older. Could it have been filled with tar once upon a time? I was surprised to learn that wooden barrels have been used for shipping various items for more than 2,000 years. Relics from long ago.
Playing His Own PlaylistThe workers nextdoor to us are completing the soffit on the new house and are the first Spanish speakers that have music that we know. All from the mid 1980s! It is funny to hear Donna Summer and Journey and "We Are the World" blaring from the other side of our pool. It seems everyone has their own playlist, their favorites stored on their phone that through bluetooth can be loudly playing from external speakers. Is it any different than the boomboxes from which those 80s tunes once played? And then there are those music-lovers who have tunes in their heads and fingers like this fellow that I saw in Nova Scotia. An outdoors, well-used piano is not in tune. But he doesn't care! It's the song he loves and he's playing this concert for anyone who loves music.
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