Frank, a valued e-mail friend and a very wise man wrote me today that he thinks my photography has made me even more observant and brought out more of the artist in my soul. I think that is so. I never saw myself as an artist, and struggle with the notion even now, but the photography did open up one of the deepest veins inside of me, and did liberate something that very much wanted to emerge.

Photography has changed the way I look at the world. Maria loves crossword puzzles, and I am keeping her supplied. She always feels guilty about doing them, thinking she should be doing something more productive, but she loves them, and they relax her. This morning, she began work on her Jane Austen puzzle. I was mesmerized by the way the light played on the pieces, upright and eager in the box, waiting to come out and be put in their proper places. Photography has made me see the light and the life in things I did not notice or observe before, and that is an opening to the soul, for sure. I was as happy as I ever am leaning on the dining room table, watching the sunlight play across these little pieces.