A new peaceful photo…

I need some peace and tranquility in my life.

We all do.

In 2005, when I attended my 20th reunion of the Class of 1985 at Hamilton College, I took some moments of peace and silence and wandered through the college’s arboretum, the Root Glen.  I was in a dark place in my life at the time, and walking through the Root Glen helped bring cheer and comfort to my soul.  At the time, all I had for a camera was my Nikon D70, and I took some pictures of the foliage and walkways.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=124984

There have been occasions in my lifetime where I need some privacy, some time to collect my thoughts and re-energize my will.  And it’s in those moments that I started taking my cameras to Albany’s Pine Bush, and walked the trails to find interesting subjects to photograph.  I started doing this with my old D70, and later added photos from my D700 and my Rollei.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=124984

In 2010, during another period of darkness in my life, I found some beauty by visiting the Pine Hollow Arboretum in Slingerlands. I had both my Nikon D700 camera, as well as one of my old 35mm cameras, and I took some pictures here and there.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=124984

So I hope you like those gallery pictures.

But this post isn’t about those gallery pictures.

It’s about the picture at the end of this blog post.

See, I started looking at my tranquility photo collections on flickr yesterday.  The beauty and calmness of these natural settings. God’s artistry as He provides us with a million peaceful moments.

I looked at them as I was thinking about what happened in Boston Monday afternoon.

And then I looked at the photos I took from my Saint John vacation. No, I didn’t have any photos of trees or glens or arboretums.  But I did have a picture of the beach.  A sunrise over the stone-kissed shores of Saints’ Rest Beach.

When I originally took this picture, I classified it as just another “beautiful sunrise” photo, the kind I always try to get when I’m near a shoreline city in Canada.  After the events of Monday in Boston, however, I saw this picture differently. I saw this picture as a sign that although there is turbulence and heartbreak and anger and pain in the world, there is also peace and calmness and wonder and awe in this same world.

And it’s a peace that we all need to find. We all need to share.

Which is why I’m sharing it with you today.

And I hope that it brings you a smile and brightens your heart as well.  In memory of all those who will find peace someday, and for those who have found eternal peace.