I found this Catholic church while on a walk during one of our overnights. Anytime I see stained glass windows from the outside I want to venture inside. It was mid-afternoon and no one was there, just silence. I like silence so I found a pew in the back row, made the sign of the cross and sat down for some quiet time. After a few minutes I heard someone walking around behind me. With my eyes still closed, I felt a light tap on my shoulder and a voice saying, “Excuse me, brother. My name is Lloyd.” I turned around and looked into the eyes of a homeless man. He apologized for interrupting my quiet meditation, then proceeded to tell me he was unemployed and needing money. As he left I watched as he stepped into an elevator off to the side. He seemed to know that church. Anyway, I found my much needed quiet time and met Lloyd. Hope you are enjoying your Sunday.
I am sure the next step will be the electronic image, and I hope I shall live to see it. I trust that the creative eye will continue to function, whatever technological innovations may develop. – Ansel Adams – 1983
This is the interior of the Immaculate Conception Church in old town San Diego. Taken with the G12 and handheld. For me this was the most interesting part of our tourist day in the old town.
I’m always looking for doors and church doors are even better. So while walking the streets of the towns I travel to, I make sure to keep my eye on doors.I took a bit of a different approach for this door by placing it in the background rather than the foreground. It doesn’t matter what church it is or what flower it is we just need to have our camera and be open to the muse.
… put your camera around your neck along with putting on your shoes, and there it is, an appendage of the body that shares your life with you. – Dorothea Lange
This is the second of a series of short stories about a pen. It is an idea conceived by Faye White after making a comment on one of my posts. We agreed to come up with four stories about a pen and its travels. For me, the pen in these short stories has an encounter with someone and empowers them to bring their ideas, thoughts, dreams and visions on paper. I intend to post one story on four consecutive Sundays. I encourage you to visit and enjoy Faye’s stories here. Leave us comments to let us know you stopped by, we’d appreciate it.
Father Bert noticed the pen lying on one of the kneelers in the prayer chapel where patrons would light votive candles and spend time in prayer. He picked up the pen and examined it. Pretty nice pen and expensive looking. He’d been in the church for the past hour and hadn’t noticed anyone coming in or out, so he put it in his pocket and walked over to the church office. He would give it to the church secretary, Kathy, and see if anyone claimed it.
A week later on Friday morning as Father Bert entered the church office, Kathy told him good morning and offered her lovely smile. She sure was a joy to have around, always smiling. He walked over the coffee pot and filled his cup half way. He’d been cutting back on the caffeine and he knew Kathy would be watching him. Which she was. They quickly went through the day’s schedule. She then let him know no one had claimed that pen he had dropped off last week and wanted to know if he wanted to have it. She thought he might enjoy using it. He’d learned to follow many of her suggestions. He picked it up, flipped it around a couple of times, then put it in his pocket. “Why not, we’ll see what we can do with it today.”, he said.
He had a busy day ahead of him, as most Fridays in June are. He had two meetings at the church office, then off to the nursing home for noon mass with the residents. Later on after lunch he and Deacon Dan met with the Carson family to make arrangements for their grandfather’s funeral. He used the pen to write a few notes about the life of Paul Carson taken from the family’s perspective. Deacon Dan had let Father Bert know Mr Carson had been a good role model to his immediate family and his church family for many years. The meeting went well and Father Bert felt he had some good information to share with the congregation during the memorial service. Next on his schedule was a late afternoon wedding, one in which he wanted to prepare for by finding a place of quiet.
This was going to be a special wedding because he had watched the love between Jonathan and Kirstin grow over the past 2 years. The marriage preparation meetings with them over the last few weeks had been so refreshing to him. He was personally excited to celebrate their sacrament of marriage with them. He knows the weddings are very special moments for the couple and their families but he also knows weddings are a small piece of time compared to the years of married life they have before them. He chose the Guadalupe Prayer Room for his place of quiet. Once he had settled in he pulled out the elegant pen and began to list a few things he wanted to share about the bride and groom. His list included: commitment, communication, individual relationship with God, their family support and their desire to share in raising a family.
The wedding went as planned, except when Jonathan went into a panic mode, a blank stare on his face. Father Bert just smiled and helped him along, all of which caused Kirstin to giggle uncontrollably. Father Bert loved it, knowing it would be something the two of them would always be able to laugh about! When it came time for the signing of the marriage certificate he pulled out the beautiful silver and gold pen he had carried throughout the day. He handed the pen to them and asked the couple to sign their marriage certificate. Once it was signed he told them to keep the pen as a small gift from him and God. Another smile came across his face when he thought maybe that’s why he had found the pen.
Yes, it had been a good day, busy, but good. He gave Jonathan and Kirsten each a hug then walked with them downstairs to the reception where family and friends waited. He jokingly said it was now time for some wedding cake and patted his round tummy. He was hoping it would be his favorite: chocolate cake.
PS: Thank you Jacie for letting me use your rings for the image.
