Whatcom Falls

We had an interesting day today. First we went to the memorial service for our neighbor Ed. He was a fine and gentle man and we have known known him and his wife for over 21 years. We did not socialize but were friendly and greeted each other often as he worked in his yard and I meandered about taking photos. It was a shock when he died suddenly on September 9th.

It is hard to be gracious about the memorial service. First of all I should make it clear that I am not a religious person. But I do respect others' religion and know that it can be very meaningful and helpful to them. Still, it bothered me that most of what was said at the service was about a certain view of life and a particular religion with many mentions that those of us who do not share this religion are doomed to an eternity of suffering while those that do are not. This is exactly the view of God that made me move away from religion when I was a child. I could not see how or why a loving God could share his truth with only a chosen few and make those who didn't happen to be where that type of religion was practiced suffer eternally for their misfortune. I really wanted to hear more about Ed and less about the church he attended.

We came home, ate a quick lunch, and headed off into Whatcom Falls Park. It was an exquisitely beautiful day and the beauty of the woods soothed my soul. We both were happy to be among very few people out walking today. The quiet. The peace. The beauty around us. All made us both feel at peace. It had been awhile since we walked in the park and we both were very glad we did. It helped us both to focus back on our warmth and respect for Ed and his sweet wife Marie.

We both took many photos. This is one that I particularly liked of mine. I never grow tired of Whatcom Falls. And during the fall its beauty is especially wonderful.

Almost forgot, this one really looks best large.