i didn't take my camera to maine.
i was going there for my nephew's funeral. not to take photos.
but the beauty that surrounded me there was all engulfing.
it sucked me in. it filled my lungs.
when that happened, i picked up my iphone with a tinge of guilt.
i had such a need to capture what my eyes were seeing.
what my heart was grabbing. what my lungs were breathing. what i was touching.
i had only been to maine one other time, which i now feel terribly guilty about.
there should have been more visits.
next year at this time, i'll be back there.
i plan on making a fall trip to maine my yearly ritual.
sweet nephew of mine, these are for you.
i know you would have wanted me to take pictures.
*
I think of your family every day since that awful one...
ReplyDeletethese pictures are beautiful, somber, reflect the mourning too...
now you will have some wonderful images to connect with your nephew...nothing but good in that. Nothing wrong in an annual visit to Maine either:)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful to have a handy little camera wherever we go?!! I am so in love with my iphone.
Amazing shots with your iphone. Sorry it was under such painful circumstances. I like your idea of making a trip to Maine a yearly event. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteHugs to you, Beth.
ReplyDeleteAmazing shots! My condolences to you & your family on your loss. (((Hugs)))
ReplyDeleteNow do you understand how I feel about Maine? It's always time to take your camera with you. Your camera is an appendage, is it not? So glad you had the iPhone, girl. Good for you. So good.
ReplyDeleteI think the Universe wanted you to take pictures. Most of all, I am sure it wanted you to witness the beauty around you in spite of the pain and the loss. Gentle comfort and an honoring of how precious this life is.
ReplyDeleteI think Maine every Fall is a beautiful idea. Plus it just may mean a little detour to NH one of these times do I can squeeze you really tight !
Love to you, Beautiful Bethie!
Beautiful gifts to a nephew.
ReplyDeleteYour heart is reflective of your photos taken. I'm sorry for your families loss. Glad you could be there for the funeral.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to your entire family.
my guess is you were thinking that you wanted to concentrate on your nephew, family, etc so you didn't want to be distracted by your camera... but you ARE in the core of you,your essence, a photographer... it is how you process life and it is how you give back(and you do give so much through your pictures and you probably don't realize....) these pictures reflect both of those things... beautiful pictures for a beautiful life...
ReplyDeleteI can understand the no camera thing, a few other things on your mind. I can also understand your need to take those shots. What a beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteI would also bet, your nephew wouldn't mind one bit.
I'm so sorry about your sweet nephew. I'm sure he didn't mind at all. You captured his part of the world so beautifully.
ReplyDeleteYes, he would have...and I'm glad that you did ♥
ReplyDeleteoh Beth, that furry friend brought a huge grin on my face. Looks so much like my Shushu.
ReplyDeleteYou followed your heart as part of your life's dash.
ReplyDeleteI think your nephew wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
May you and your family find peace in the love you all share.
I'm so glad you did what you were called to. Thank you for sharing, sending love & light.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you did what you were called to. Thank you for sharing, sending love & light.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you found solace in Maine; I am so lucky to live here. Come back to Maine whenever you need that special filling...
ReplyDeleteA terribly sad time for you and those close to you, but beauty feeds the soul and gives comfort, just when you needed it most.
ReplyDeleteDo not feel guilty, Beth.
Barbara
Maine is truly a beautiful place to be in the fall, and you have captured its character so wonderfully.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry you had to be there under such sad circumstances.
Sending you hugs.
they say life has to go on, but it must be so hard for all involved. Glad you took the pics though.
ReplyDeleteThe creative gods were with you. I willing to bet your nephew was as well. Photography can be meditative and healing, I'm sure you know. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMy family and I just moved up to Maine this August. There is so much to explore in all directions!
Sarah
and this makes me cry even more. you have a gift, and you're right. your nephew would have wanted you to use it and not neglect it. it is one of the ways you make sense of your world.
ReplyDeleteThat's an amazing part of the country. Very nice shots, even with a phone.
ReplyDeletei am sure he would have wanted you to take in what you were seeing ... i am headed to Maine, to Rockport, on the 12th for the weekend .. my blog(s) will share the pix ..
ReplyDeleteI love how beauty found you
ReplyDeleteand spoke comfort and peace.
-Jennifer
Been thinking about you and your family. I just arrived back from Florida. Made me think of you even more. I love that you caught the beauty of moments in honor of your nephew. Hugs.
ReplyDeletefinding solace, wherever it comes, it always a good thing. yes, he would have wanted you to. xoxo
ReplyDeletei am so sorry to read of your tragic loss. today i am mourning the loss of a family friend too, killed brutally last night. i am sending you peaceful wishes.
ReplyDeleteDear Beth and Mr. Beth,
ReplyDeleteI haven't read your Blog in a long while Beth, and I am sorry. Tonight I am reading of your loss, crying, and I realized I have missed you. And I am so sorry. Please extend my sympathy to all your family, and know that I will be praying for you.
Yes, he WOULD have wanted you to take photos. And they are lovely. I can't think of a lovelier way to think of your visit -- surely a terribly hard farewell, but in a space of beauty and peace and light, so clean as to purge the heart of sorrow. Maybe not altogether, but a start on the healing journey.
ReplyDeleteI can understand you feeling that it would have been wrong to take your camera, but it's as much a part of who you are as are the color of your eyes.
ReplyDeleteYou know, it was probably him urging you to take your phone out and Take some pictures!
Again, I'm so sorry for the loss of your nephew. I hope you and your family can find some peace with it.
The photos are still and healing." Be still and know that I am God."
ReplyDelete