Penning Photography Daily

A companion image to yesterday’s. This is the outside of Saint Helena’s Episcopal Church in Beaufort, South Carolina.

I mentioned that the graveyard surrounds the church, taking up most of the space in the walled city block that marks the main church property. The trees are full, providing a great shade to much of the yard. The Spanish moss, hanging from the trees adds to the calm atmosphere as it sways in the breeze.

I noticed something as I was processing this photo: The grave stones are facing away from the church, at least in this section. Look against the wall and the stones seem to be facing the church, with a small pathway in between. There are pathways all around, but low stone walls, that seem to mark public versus private space. I can’t recall if there was a sign noting this, but I do remember that I couldn’t get close to the stones. I was respecting what appeared to be this way of separating the walkways from the graves.

The congregation has a very welcoming spirit. The doors are open during the day, and docents are available for guided tours, giving the history of the church and as a result of the city of Beaufort. This visit, I was enjoying the music, and was left alone to enjoy the organist practicing for the next day’s concert.

As I sat for a while, then slowly moved around, I kept noticing more details. I found the position of the grave stones only after spending time with the photograph, looking at it for a while.

i highly recommend slowing down to take a place in.

I’m learning.