Snake Lady

I am still in a photography state of mind.

This was taken in July 2009 in Buena Park, CA . What can I say, she's an old school biker with a special place in her heart for serpents. You have to leave the house more often if you are not meeting people like this.

Recently, my friend asked me for a number of pictures to use for a meditation spot at the annual priest retreat for the Diocese of Orange. He sent me a picture of a cross that was made from the pictures that I and a mutual friend with a penchant for photography gave him. I was disappointed. I know my friend was not the decision-maker for it, but whoever chose the photographs overlooked various shots of people that I had provided and used pictures of diocesan priests at various functions. That, I thought, is missing the point. Meditating in front of that seems egotistical, an exercise in self-love.

I mean, what sense does it make to use a picture for mediation of the guy you just sat across at the breakfast table at the La Quinta coffee shop, scarfing his eggs over easy, only now he's dressed in vestments and cleaned up? How about a picture of people - old, young, various races, ethnic groups, etc. - to remind you, Father, of those whom you serve. You see, you haven't met them yet, and some might be crazy old ladies who like Harleys and vipers, but she is the Body of Christ.