Finding Light on a Dark Day

 

Two years ago today I had a doctor’s appointment in Easton, MD.  I had not been to Easton in more than 35 years and during the visit my mind flooded with memories of attending many waterfowl festivals and other events.  On my way home, driving along the outskirts of Cambridge, I saw a little green directional sign for a lighthouse.  Like a missile honing in on its target, my car made a sharp right and I was off to find the lighthouse.

I didn’t remember a lighthouse in Cambridge and when I got home and Googled it, learned that is because there wasn’t one.  This is a replica of a screw-pile lighthouse that was built in 2012.  Nonetheless, it is beautiful and I’ve made a point of visiting and photographing it each time I’ve visited Cambridge.

With the COVID pandemic ranging throughout most of 2020 and now into 2021, I’ve mostly stopped taking pictures and have started making pictures.  In other words, I’ve taken up painting.  Actually, it has consumed me and provided a nice distraction.

Unfortunately, yesterday I was distracted from my distraction by the very sad news of protesters storming the U.S. Capital Building to disrupt the official counting of the Electoral Collage ballots.  And as sickening as that was it didn’t compare with the President of the United States releasing a video during the siege in which he stated how he loved those people. 

Today, social media is full of people stating their disgust about the siege and others blaming actors pretending to be Trump supporters who stormed the capital.  I wasn’t there.  I don’t know for a fact who did the storming.  But I do know that the POTUS said he loved those people and that is a bitter pill to swallow.

But back to painting.  I recently painted the Choptank River Lighthouse and today seems to be a good day to post it.  We need to find the light.  There are no easy answers but we need to respect our neighbors, even when we don’t agree with them.  Free speech is awesome when we are speaking but not much fun when we are listening.  But we need to listen, find common ground and grow as a people. Please remember, we are one nation, under God.

If you are interested in this painting, it is an 8 X 10 watercolor, on 140 lb paper, matted and ready for an 11X14 frame and you can contact me for more information.  It is not currently posted in my Etsy shop.  

Peace!