Abandoned Cathedrals

For me, abandoned places are not sites of gloom, but vessels that carry the past into the present. They are mysterious and beautiful, speaking in quiet volumes to the deepest parts of my soul.
This image reveals a place that once lived only in my imagination, now brought to life in yours. How marvelous that the unseen can be shared.
Across the world, abandoned cathedrals are taking on new forms—transformed into hotels, flea markets, coffee shops, or swallowed by the march of time. In my fictional vision of Duke Chapel in Durham, NC, its walls crumble as the world around it changes. Some may call this morbid, but to me it is an awakening—a reminder of the fragile line between life and death, presence and absence.
From these places, I have learned the brevity of life, the inevitability of its final breath, and the necessity of moving forward. I now see the past not as loss, but as a celebration of existence. For even in its passing, I lived—and I live still, to remember.

Cold Turkey

When I first did this piece, I had my mind on the narcotics problem we face in America, especially the drug this piece is named after. 
Now, as we face a pandemic requiring people all over the world to wear a breathing mask, it takes on new meaning for me. Those who are addicted to OxyContin and the like are suffering right now as their suppliers are facing the same unseen killer the world wrestles against.

While lack of availability is a unique opportunity to come clean, it comes at a very high risk to the addicted, physically and psychologically. Having been legally addicted to OxyContin and a number of other pain meds over the years, managing my chronic pain condition, I have become personally familiar with withdrawal; the crawling of my skin and the climbing of the walls in my bathroom scared my family and me more than one night. John Lennon's song "Cold Turkey" best represents the struggle of those who go cold turkey; whatever the reason, the experience is real and frightening.

Please remember them kindly as they face their demons and cold turkey wreaks their brain and twists their bodies from the inside; they are not the enemy, they are the weak among us. Let us love and extend a hand, rather than sucking the remaining oxygen from their room.

For Jonathan

I took this picture on a cold winter day in 2016 at Flushing Meadows Park in Corona, New York. Corona is a small town in Queens, best known for the Lemon Ice King featured at the end of the sitcom The King of Queens trailer. I grew up within walking distance of both the park and my favorite year-round snack. Having just finished the flavor of the week, I came upon a flock of seagulls by the lake. I named the main subject of this picture Jonathan because it was the first thing that came out of my mouth as I quickly knelt down, focused, and took the shot. I first read about Jonathan in the '70s while attending Halsey Junior High School P.S. 157 in Rego Park, N.Y., while in 7th grade. I remember him soaring above the clouds, ever seeking greater heights. In my mind's eye, I flew next to him, dreaming of what would come to me in life if I were as bold as Jonathan. Now, over 45 years later, I still seek greater heights in my understanding of life, God, and creation; Though I have soared higher than I had ever imagined, I have yet to find the ceiling. For our creator, our Heavenly Father is truly infinite.

Quotes from Jonathan Livingston Seagull

“Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short, and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long, fine life indeed.” 

"His sorrow was not solitude, it was that other gulls refused to believe the glory of flight that awaited them; they refused to open their eyes and see.” 

(Richard Bach, 2006, 25)

Get the Book, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" at Amazon