Tag: black and white photography

black and white guatemala

I took too many photos (Is that even possible?) during my recent trip to Guatemala. Whittling down the images I processed in black and white for this post was a bit painful. Like trying to tell Baskin-Robbins what flavor I want. (In case you’re interested, it’s always vanilla. I know… I know…)

This first gallery contains images from Antigua, Santa Maria de Jesús, Santiago Atitlan and Altamira Oriole Antigua.

Opportunities to love the unnoticed and to care for the forgotten are opportunities to have your soul grounded in what matters, and liberated from all the temporal pursuits that occupy so much of our mental and spiritual energy.

Our contact in Guatemala took us to a ministry in Santa Maria de Jesús that provided a solid foundation for the best that we image bearers carry – namely our longing to connect and to express love for others – as well as giving us a chance to be uncaged from our many preferred prisons. Examples abound.

The ministry is called Harvesting Happiness. The work is profoundly simple and indescribably beautiful. Provide lunch for the elderly population. Provide a gathering space where the aged can enjoy a meal, create art, and have their birthday’s celebrated. They also bring lunch to the elderly who cannot walk due to illness or other physical limitations. Beautiful.

Which brings us to Carmen, and her home.

Standing next to Carmen is Brennan. She is one of the ministry leaders at Harvesting Happiness who leverages her medical training to help Carmen’s oxygen saturation go from below 90 to a marginally acceptable level that morning, and consistently uses her super power (love and other-centeredness) to impact the elderly community around her. Carmen considers Brennan to be her “mom.” Carmen remembers her mom, and feels like the love, care, and medical oversight that she experiences through Brennan is her mother’s love returning to her. Our Guatemala contact built her home a few years back.

Let me encourage you to find the unnoticed and to love them. Let me also encourage you to find ways to be uncaged. Thanks for stopping by. I don’t know when exactly it is, but… Happy Birthday.

let us be boundless

we are young
we are sparkling
newborn souls
and our bones ache
and our hearts creak
and shadows now travel
along our optic nerve

eternity beckons
and we age
only to realize
we are beginners 
and the wisdom collection
we keep on our shelf
only reminds us
of our duplicity
and all that is mysterious
and unknown
within and without

tidal memories
ebb and flow within our mind
leaving behind empty shells
some speaking of beauty
and the brightness of life 
others cracked and shattered
souvenirs of the hard road
of the painful storms

but we are beginners every day
and our God has planted eternity
in our hearts
endless time is within us
it is no wonder
we long for lasting peace
we search for
a deep abiding  joy
we ache for a love
that isn’t tossed by the waves
of this tumultuous life

we are bound by time
and an immortal presence
resides in our hearts

we are shackled to schedules
coordinate our calendars
while something that is ageless
beckons our attention

it seems to me
that we could use some time
in the mourning house
to see how tightly we are tethered
to the earth and its own decay
and to weep
to mourn
and wail
in order to awaken
the Eternal in our hearts
to begin a new query
into what is real
what is lasting
what is true

let us be boundless
by being present
to the undying Light and Love
that perpetually shines
in us
let us be free
of these passing moments
by surrendering
to our Creator God
while we walk on the earth
we can touch heaven
in His redemption
and in the grace of His Son
we walk on the road
while we dance in the skies
and await all things new

a prayer

is it me
or is it all
twisted
distorted
contorted

to deny
the brokenness
the darkness
the sin
is to close our eyes
and turn away from injustice
from all the craters
where schools once stood

is to place our hands over our ears
to escape the tears
carried on wailing waves
on too many streets

is to cover our lips
and become statues
with utterless words
screaming silently
injecting our hearts
with the novocaine
of indifference
after all
what can we do
really

we slingshot around the moon
while shots ring out
in the southside
in the middle of the east
on midwest streets
unable to speak
we cling to the songs of our tribes
we can deal with that vibe

it's just too hard to try
to understand
i clasp my hands
kneel down and pray
for our enemies
for our adversaries
for our leaders
to stay
in a place of grace
towards all life
that mercy
might reign
for each child
and soldier
and mom and dad
amen
amen

God show us the way
Kyrie eleison
God come near today
Christe eleison
heal here today
Kyrie eleison
hear us we pray
Christe eleison
have your way in us
we pray
Kyrie eleison

a little bit of new york in my life, last part

The last three posts have been about images from my time in New York. Specifically, a meditation on my home and family on Long Island, and my stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge. This post contains a few “leftovers” from my time in Lower Manhattan and features The Oculus and a single subway image. If you enter “Oculus” in the search box to the left you can check out my other images of the amazing Oculus.

a little bit of new york in my life, part 2

Part 2 of images from my first stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge.

a little bit of new york in my life, part 1

I have been on a three month sabbatical that will end at the end of July. One of my goals during this time was to spend time in New York with my dad and siblings. My previous post came out of my time in New York. In all the years spent growing up on Long Island, and then years going back to visit New York – we have lived in the Midwest since 1988 – I never walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. So, I decided to take a stroll on that beautiful bridge. Here is what I saw, part 1. Thanks for stopping by.

sons and brothers

sons and brothers
brothers and sons
may you carry well
the love i tried to share with you
magnify any wisdom
you may have seen or heard
please forgive me
when you were young
i was trying to figure it out too
and it still feels like i am beginning
and now you walk together
and can see more
as you share the path
tell each other the story
of your movements through this world
and through my shadows
you may see me
as i hoped to be
as i was
and as i am
know i hold you both
the breadth and length
of you stories
are tucked away in my heart
an endless album
of images and melodies
from the day
the music of your tears
announced your birth
to this moment
as you read these words
i hold you both
in love
in honor
with pride
with joy
my sons
my dear sons
love one another

jewels in my soul

and there were threads in the garden
and there were stars in the leaves
and there jewels on the flowers
and there were diamonds in the webs
and there were threads in my mind
tethered to sorrow
beauty
lament
wonder
love
and there were stars in my heart
sparkling memories
regrets
dreams
loss
hope
and there were jewels in my soul
brilliantly reflecting
the promises
of my heavenly Papa
the redemption
of the Lamb
the deliverance
from the shadows
of my brokenness
and there were diamonds
all around
family
friends
love
companionship
a smile
an encouraging word
gratitude
melodies
light
beauty
song

labor day vibes

The day began with a beautiful sunrise, courtesy of the Illinois River.

Then my wife and I worked on a small wallpaper project in our main floor bathroom. No one was hospitalized, the bathroom looks great, and we are still married. The true test of a couple’s emotional health is their ability to finish a wallpaper project!

Finally, hopped on the Kawasaki and took a ride to the wind farms on this beautiful day.

Hope you have a wonderful week. Thanks for stopping by.

glimpses of guatemala 1

Greetings! The blog has been quiet because for the third year in a row I have left the US for beautiful Guatemala. Each year our church partners with a church in San Lucas Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. We build homes for the poor in El Zapote, do basic medical and first aid training and other ministries. As you can see, we also enjoyed Lake Atitlan. Part 2 soon. Thanks for stopping by.