My heart is heavy.
One of the true blessings of writing a column is the opportunity to share with you, my readers, not only what I see but what is on my heart. The two are often interconnected. As trite as it sounds, I feel like we are family.
In the wake of the most recent war atrocities, it’s challenging to keep my attention on things like photography and positive storytelling. Yet, even as I wade through the emotions of these conflicts, I am reminded what a lifelong gift photography is, distracting me from deep and painful events while acting as a vehicle to share what I see and feel. For this, I am forever grateful.
Armed with a purpose, photography has always been a powerful communication tool. With it, we can shine light in dark places or quietly applaud acts of love and goodness. I believe both are necessary. While I truly admire the courage of my friends who risk their lives to show us the injustices and atrocities of war, I have chosen to celebrate light and those who reflect it.
Where there is light, there is hope. The new year is the perfect time to talk about seeing and being light. Whether literal or metaphoric, light reveals and heals. Each of us chooses how we use light. With our cameras, as with our words, we can choose to focus on the good and lovely in our world or dwell on the dark, ugly and evil.
I attended a seminar where the speaker reminded his audience of the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat. One reads the temperature, and the other changes it, he challenged.
The late Agnes Baker Pilgrim—also known as Grandma Aggie, a Native American spiritual elder I wrote about a few years ago—said she talked to water, thanking it often. She insisted water hears us. I think light is similar. I know it has a voice.
Reader Challenge
Show me the goodness of light, as it falls on mountains, fields, streams, rooftops, bedsheets or kitchen sinks. Or, as it springs forth from the heart in acts of kindness.
Email your best image (just one, please) with caption information, including an explanation of how it affects you, to GPH@pur.coop. We may share submissions on our website and social media channels.