It’s something of a cliche, and it tends to glide over the heads of many people and political leaders, but I believe love is the most powerful force on earth, it refuses to die or fade, and is central to well-being and future of every human being, whether they see it or not.

In the love of a grandmother, we see the power of love, and this gives all of us hope and comfort, even when the world around us seems to spin in a whirlpool of hate and argument. Love heals. Power, greed and rage does not.

It has been said that only as grandmothers do mothers come into the fullness of grace.  I  hope this is true of grandfathers as well, I will have the chance to find out soon.

I’ve decided to do a portrait show – I’m calling it ” People In My Life” or “People Of Cambridge.” I think it will show at the Round House Cafe. Maria is now the co-curator (along with Lisa Carrino) of the cafe’s art gallery, and so she will be my curator, if she agrees. And if she thinks the photos are good enough.

It’s cool to be sleeping with the curator of your show, but she is tough as nails, and I will get no breaks.

That means she will get to tell me what to do.

So what’s different from every other day?

I want the show to be a portrait show, portraits of the people who are in my life and in my town, portraits of people not often seen or taken. I have my Zeiss portrait lens now, a piece of glass worthy of my project, and my Canon 35 mm is also a fine portrait lens.

I’m looking for a lot of things in these portraits – character, feeling, I hope to capture something of the spirit of people. I want the portraits to be of people I know, people who are in my life, and in some way, the life of my community. I want the people in my portraits to be people of heart. People who know how to love.

It’s an ambitious thing for me, I get more serious about portraits all the time. I have the the tools. I have good cameras, good lenses, and a lightstand when I need one, all from B&H Photo in New York City.

I stared this project with photos of Kelly Nolan,  the bartender and waitress at the bog, she has one of the world’s most radiant smiles. I am branching out, looking for people who are not famous, but ordinary in a very special way. So far, none of them are ordinary at all.

I shot one of these portraits today – Margaret Waterson and her granddaughter Eva Smith, who is visiting with her this week.  They came over so Ava could see the donkeys and pony, and both agreed to stand up in front of the red barn. I chose to shoot them in black-and-white with my used Zeiss 85 mm. They both readily agreed.

Margaret does not believe she and Ava resemble one another, but I believe they do. I think their eyes are very similar, and they both have great character in their faces, in different ways. And I think the character in both is what makes them resemble one another, it is not literal to me.

Margaret is my oldest friend in the country (along with her husband Bill) and she has influenced my life greatly. She ran the Battenkill Book Store before Connie Brooks took it over and it was she who first suggested I write about dogs. Margaret is a Quaker and a fierce individual.  She is a feminist, and she has done many good things for many people.

She has great character, Maria and I admire her and Bill greatly. I remember meeting Bill at a Quaker Men’s Group years ago, long before I moved here, he struck me as a rare and extraordinarily decent man. I was correct. I am fortunate to have him as a friend.

Margaret is a no-nonsense truth teller, and I love the depth of character in her face. She has what I call a Mt. Rushmore face.  I thought Ava shows similar character, but the think I like about the photograph is that people will make their own decisions and see for themselves. You naturally look for resemblance, and that makes the photo interesting.

Portraits are an important part of my work and creativity now. There is little more sacred than capturing the spirit of a person. I only take photos of people I like, and more and more, I am learning how to make them comfortable and be themselves. With Margaret, that is no problem.

In the photographs of Kelly Nolan, I find a kind of admirable American hero, a person who works hard, uncomplainingly and graciously, loves her family, her friend and her dog,  and who accepts life as occurs to her.

As I take these photos, I will continue to share them with you so that you can attend the show and see it develop, even if you can’t see it in the flesh. I hope you will share this with and me and also share the feelings this photos evoke in you.

The love of a grandmother is a special thing, at least to me, it saved and shaped my life. My grandmother showed me what it was to love a human being unconditionally and without reservation, and she had many reasons in her hard life to turn from love.

In these troubling days, the power of love takes on more and more meaning. We yearn for it, need it, aspire to it. It is perhaps the only way we can be brought together. The portrait speaks to the power of love, and that makes it special to me. I think the curator likes it, so maybe it will get into the show.