Jonathon Brooks
The lighthouse was pure beauty. It was a work of art. People traveled from near and far to catch a
glimpse. Then, of course, they could brag to all of their friends that they’d been there. The lighthouse was the largest in the state of Maine—often visited by the tourist crowd. Its colors ran red and white. Photos were often taken of it, accompanied with joyful smiling faces. Families on vacation often behave like they’re on vacation. And if one cannot live in the moment, then how can one truly live fully? The family found the lighthouse to be captivating.
Photos were flashing left and right and up and down. The kids were capturing their parents. The Mom and Dad would get the snapshots of their kids. Moments captured in photos stay the course of time. Mom thought about how the kids would look back on the lighthouse moments fifty years in the future and smile. Dad imagined how he would gaze back at the photographs five weeks in the future and be visited by gladness. The kids, brother and sister, were busy making funny faces for their pictures. They weren’t thinking about the future; they were loving the moment in time. Pictures were happening down and up and right and left.
There’s often a friendly soul in any crowd. This individual is other-centered instead of self-centered. Lighthouse crowds are similar to any other sort of crowd. On this occasion, in this fleeting moment, the kind person was an old lady with a majestic smile. She’d been enjoying the charming family, the kids’ funny faces, and the parents’ obvious love for their kids and each other. The woman with the majestic smile approached the photogenic family. She inquired if she could take a photo of the four of them together.
The parents quickly agreed to the sweet request as Dad handed over his digital Polaroid. The charming
family took center stage in front of the white and red lighthouse with its sea behind it. The boy and girl cut out the funny faces even though they were not instructed to do so. As a plethora of photos were captured, the family rejoiced and smiled like the sun.
Once the elderly lady had taken dozens of pictures, Mom asked if she could get some of her near the
lighthouse. The woman was delighted at the gesture. Mom, with her excellent skills in the art of photography, took many pictures of the kind-hearted stranger. After the photo session was completed, the family showed her the pictures and insisted she choose her favorites. Well, she was happy to do so. Mom printed the woman’s five favorites for her to take as souvenirs.
After all of the pictures were taken for the day, and the five joyful folks had departed, it was as if the
lighthouse itself was smiling. Even the sea was calm and at peace. Fifty years in the future, the memories captured in the snapshots would remain.