Wednesday, December 8, 2010

and the busy world is hushed

Clonakilty Snowscape


The past week or so has been unusual; many meetings, visits and school days have been cancelled and we have had the sort of weather that "only happens once in a generation" (except of course we had it last year as well.)  

Personally there has been an up-side to being confined to home - more family time, time for catching up on reading etc.  But there is more, a deeper sense of peace, perhaps because of being forced to slow down a little and to reflect upon the things that matter and the things that are important in life and in work.  

(Photography Bit).  Of course I have enjoyed taking a few photographs too :-)  Snow photography is pretty tricky because of all the light reflecting back; my little compact camera has a 'snow' scene setting, which is cheating a bit but really all it does (I think) is overexpose things by about a stop.  The above picture was taken from our garden using good old Tri-x film, with a Nikon F100 and 50mm lens.  Developed in Rodinal means that the grain is very grainy but I like the effect here.  

The scene above was as I was standing there in the stillness of the early morning light, very peaceful and  tranquil.  As I look at it now (and as I think about the memorial service I am doing this afternoon) I am reminded of one of the prayers from the funeral service (by John Henry Newman):  

O Lord,
support us all the day long
until the shades lengthen, and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed,
the fever of life is over,
and our work is done.
Then, Lord, in your mercy grant us safe lodging,
a holy rest, and peace at the last;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  

4 comments:

Joc Sanders said...

Lovely photo, Daniel! Indeed snow can be so peaceful, just the crunch of boots on untrodden snow -so long as we do not have to travel!

I don't know whether Newman wrote this prayer before or after he moved to Rome, but it is a gem of Anglican spirituality. We used it as our parish prayer for November, most suitable for a season of remembrance.

Daniel & Sonja said...

Thank you Joc.

Episcopal priest in Jamestown, NY said...

I came across your blog when I Googled the line "and the fever of life is over" for my sermon tomorrow. I love your photo, and your thought. I am an Episcopal priest in Wisconsin, USA, and mostly of Irish descent. Getting to Ireland some day is tops on my bucket list!

Daniel & Sonja said...

Thank you for your kind words - I hope and pray that you make it to Ireland one day, and if you do, don't forget your wet weather gear!