We were driving back from Alabama last evening and it was close to sunset. We passed a field being mowed by an older gentleman on his riding lawn mower, and he securely had his left big tan arm around the middle of his sweet baby girl. She was probably about 18 mo. with blonde hair, sitting on his left leg with her back against his chest and her thick legs dangling weightless over his leg like a rag doll as they slowly, yet methodically mowed the field. She looked so relaxed sitting with him and almost ready to dose off. They probably just finished dinner and mamma was cleaning up while daddy decided to take her mowing to calm her down for a good nights sleep. This was a photo that didn’t get taken. If I was to take a picture, that is what it would be. To me, that was beauty and worthy of a photograph!
We were sitting outside Starbucks in Chattanooga last Friday night and the sun had just gone down. People were walking by this way and that to get to this place and that. Cars drove by with graduation congrats painted on the windows. As we watched all the comings and goings, there was the brief moments in between where things slowed down just a bit. During one of these slower moments I watched an older Black gentleman crossing the street and coming in our direction. He instantly made me smile – he was all dressed up with a black suit that had white pin stripes on the sports coat, shiny white patten leather shoes, and a matching white brimmed dress hat to boot! He was using a cane, but only for fashion purposes, he briefly glanced over our way and saw my big smile and returned a big toothy smile to me as we caught each others eye and I said, “you sure look mighty handsome!” with that he grinned even bigger and said, “why thank ya!” and he kept on walking proudly! This was a photo that didn’t get taken. But if I was to take a picture, that is what it would be.
An older couple, that my husband is working for in Alabama, was sharing a hilarious story while we stood under their breezeway staring across at their 300 acres of beautiful land. The land used to house their 32 cows that were multiplied quite rapidly by one casanova bull of their neighbors! What made the story so funny was the slow Alabama accent she used in telling it along with the look on her sweet husband’s face – he was grinning, literally, from ear to ear at her and it was a look of complete love and devotion towards her! Because he is not quite as agile as her, he stood leaning at the top of the porch stairs, looking down at the back of her as she told the story. This was a photo that didn’t get taken. But if I was to take a picture, that is what it would be!