Abandoned...But Not Really

© Tiberius Dinu | Dreamstime.com

Seeing abandoned or neglected houses has always made me sad.  I imagine the many lives nestled within over the years, all the secrets that the walls have harbored, the happy memories and tragic moments.

My favorite season is Autumn.  The crisp weather, the brilliant splashes of color before the trees become bare.  A time for introspection.  Growth within, for emergence in Spring.

Autumn comes a bit early this year for my soul.  Grief has helped usher in a quieter, more reflective time in my life.  Besides saying goodbye to my mother, I find myself needing to bid adieu.  To many of the Patterns and Systems of Before that Have Been in Place For Too Long.  

In the garden of my life, growth continues.  Beautiful flowers still bloom.  A few trees, including one I thought was an evergreen, have Withdrawn.  And have started to wither.  

As a Photographer, my perspective on the withering trees is to minimize their impact on the landscape of my life.  Not to delete them completely, but no longer will I photoshop/blur/make pretty their ugly impact.  

What my imagination allows me to see in the picture above is a boat.  A simple wooden rowboat with my Savior at the helm.  Gently He bids me to come, and He takes me from that precarious place.