PHOTO-HEART CONNECTION: NOVEMBER 2012

pic taken 11.17.12

I'm participating in Kat Sloma's PHOTO-HEART CONNECTION.

Click HERE to see the details for posting in this monthly "reflective" experience.

The basic concept is to "reflect on one photograph" --- photo bloggers look back over their folder of pictures from the prior month. Select ONE --- this is the most difficult part (especially when you're looking through a folder of 400+ photos). You post the photo that "tugs at your heart" for whatever reason, then explain what the photo meant to you.

My November reflection isn't about the skill or beauty of capturing what my eyes saw, but of feelings this photo brought from the depth of my heart.

When JPE & I visited MB & SLE over the Thanksgiving Break, we rode the Metro out to Arlington National Cemetery --- so I could take pictures of the "changing colors of the leaves" ---

Eighteen years have passed since I paid a trip to Arlington National Cemetery --- at the time, I was chaperoning 13 high school girls who were attending the National Camp Fire Conference in Washington DC. The girls were fabulous!!! but, our memories of that day were the overwhelming humidity & long lines to see JFK's gravesite. I remember nothing about the layout of the park or anything else about that morning.

Our recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery was amazingly beautiful --- the trees were gorgeous reds, oranges, yellows, browns & greens. Mazen was teasing me because I lagged behind our group of four (+ Sea-Bass) snapping picture after picture --- over 200 (later discarding ~165 photos). The sky was crystal clear blue with a smattering of wispy white clouds; the temperature had a slight chill; and I felt energized with each deep breath of fresh air... all the makings for a perfect "weather" day.

What I didn't expect was the QUIET, SERENITY, and CALMNESS I experienced in this historical resting place of  veterans. Glancing over the rolling hills, we saw groups of students, families, and individuals --- walking casually along the roads, stopping to find their location on the park map, some searching for a particular headstone, while others took advantage of concrete benches --- to rest their feet or wait to catch up with their group, listening to the chirping of the birds & water tumbling down the creek, or just sitting --- deep in reflection.

It was "WHISPER-QUIET" ---  no one raised their voice to get someone's attention, nor did we see a parent having to scold a child for misbehavior, and never did I see someone chatting on their cellphone (amazing, huh?) --- it was INDESCRIBABLE!

::: a day of stunning beauty & quiet reflection :::