REFLECTIONS AND DREAMS

Today thoughtful American’s and lovers of democracy all over the world celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. I have made a point of rereading slowly Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech every year on this day. Today I also reread Nelson Mandela’s inaugural address (May, 1994)... and Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation... and just to keep myself in a very grateful frame of mind, I read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

Over in Balboa Park I found some reflections that I could turn into dreamy photographs. If you know Balboa Park, you’ll remember the outdoor stairs leading up to the Fountain level in front of the Museum of Natural History. At the bottom of the stairs, on both sides, are small reflecting pools. Water rushes into the pools after cascading down man-made channels and shimmers perpetually... casting up dancing reflected light patterns on cement walls. While I was taking pictures, a young girl, fifteen or sixteen years old, walked up and asked, “What do you see.” I was glad she asked, because what I saw was worth sharing. She said, “Oh! Now I see it. Thanks...” and she joined her boyfriend at the top of the stairs, and I think she was explaining it to him as they walked away.ABSTRACTED... Just for the heck of it.