Saying Goodbye

This past week was a difficult one for me.
After 23 years of serving at the same Church, my pastor was moved hours a way to a new Church to try and revitalize it.

Since he and his wife have no children of their own, Pastor BJ became somewhat of a father to all of us, but we have always had a special bond.

I have been going to his church for almost 11 years. He baptized me, confirmed me, officiated my wedding, presided over my grandfather's funeral, visited me in the hospital, gave my best friend and I a paid internship at his church one summer, drove me to doctor's appointments, attended my graduation and birthdays. You get the idea...

As one might imagine, after that many years of service in one Church, he has touched many lives and made a significant difference to many people. To commemorate his time at our Church, many "digital stories" were displayed throughout his final service. Here is one of my favorites.

This is not a new video - it was created by me and other members of our congregation for a service last year. However, it was replayed for my Pastor's final service because of the song and seeing all of his "children" together in one video.

My husband and I are deeply saddened by the "loss" of our Pastor, but recognize that things cannot grow if they do not change. It is nice to always have this video to remember him by. I am grateful that digital storytelling has made it possible to preserve and display these memories in such a creative way.

From the Inside Looking Out...

A couple weeks ago, I went to the zoo with my husband and a couple of our friends who were visiting from out of town. Even though I've lived in Syracuse for a long time, this was my FIRST time going to the zoo. I love animals, and often try to imagine what it must feel like to them to be on the inside looking out... I took several pictures from this angle.

I found Nemo...

And Dory...

Are YOU lookin' at ME?

I often wonder what it would be like to be the animals for a day... How would I feel to have tons of people staring at me while I sleep, eat, go to the bathroom, and try to cuddle my husband? I'm not sure that would make me very happy...

*photographs taken with permission of the animals at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo @ Burnet Park. :)