The Red Elm: From Darkness Into Light

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

We had rain - heavy at times - for several days this past week. And then on Thursday night, a great big wind came through and swept the cobwebs off the sky. As I drove to work on Friday morning, it was cold and windy, with breaking clouds; what a sky show!

I wanted a few shots of the reflections of those clouds on the Arboretum's lily pond, and so I did that. But one of those didn't end up being my favorite shot of the day. (Isn't it funny what you get when you go on a photo treasure trove. I often come back with much more than I went for!)

There was a band of dark clouds along the horizon and I wondered how that dramatic sky would look from behind the Arboretum's red elm. And so I walked all around the elm for 12 minutes, taking many photos. What a show, as the battle waged above my head, and light drove out the darkness!

Later in the day, we would learn the news of the senseless attacks in Paris, and I would think back to this moment, when I stood watching the morning light arrive, as I always do, with a feeling of hope for the day: for myself, for those I love, for the world. We lift our prayers for the people of Paris and we hold them in our hearts on this day.

And so here is a song to accompany this picture of the battle of darkness and light, on this day when the blood of innocents was spilled in the streets. We stand in the light. We stand with you. We pray for peace and we pledge the work of our hearts and hands to make it so. Here is Cat Stevens, with Peace Train.