“To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts – such is the duty of the artist.”  – Robert Schumann

If there were one overwhelming prayer in my heart with respect to my photographic art and word play it is that it might act in some smallish way to illuminate the path to greater work by those far more talented.   Is that selfish?  I hope not.  But, it is my hope that my words and photographs meager though they are might help someone else gain a little light in a world filled with far too much darkness.

I maintain my reverent belief that God is, always was and will always be the greatest artist.  It is just fallen to me to share some moments of His work that I have been blessed enough to see or hear.  There is so much beauty and nobility in this world.  Yet, we humans have a remarkable tendency to stare instead at the ugliness.  Instead, it is my wish and my endeavor that as I stand on the shoulders of giants that others might stand on my less shoulders and from this share and give to the world more light, more hope, more peace, more happiness, more reason, more of all of the good things that help overcome the darkness.  Maybe in some smallish way, I pray that I at least do that for my little girls.

Take the recent flooding for an example please.  Yes, horrific damage has been done.  I am not suggesting that we ought to ignore this.  I am, however, inviting everyone to compare and contrast the earlier “Great Galveston Hurricane” that made landfall on September 8, 1900.  In one day, that storm killed a number between 6,000  to 12,000 on a single day.   It’s a matter of perspective isn’t it?

What I would love to see is a documentarian or a director with enough perspective to show this great coming together that we just had in the midst of a disaster.  We saw Texans of all skin tones, beliefs and cultures come together with the purpose of not only surviving but risking all to save others.   I think this is a beautiful and heroic moment not just a horrid disaster.  I do weep for the loss.  But, I hope and I prayer that someone capitalizes on the gains we might have from this as well.  A moment where division melted away and what we had here was love for our fellow humanity swell to the surface of crisis.

Am I making any sense?  At all? I hope so.  I pray so.