Of all the photos I've ever taken.......this one, to me, has the deepest meaning.
I took this photo one year ago today. April 12th, 2012. I took it in the early evening (right around 6pm). I couldn't believe the storm clouds that were brewing. I stood in this field in Rollinsford NH and watched as the sky threatened with the coming storm. Then I noticed that at the heart of the tree.....my favorite tree in the world......was a spot of blue sky. It was the lone spot of hope in a dark sky. And it was blue...
15 miles away, at roughly the same time I took this photo, a tragedy occured in the town of Greenland NH. Five police officers were shot, and Police Chief Mike Maloney was killed.
In the year since, we have mourned, we have consoled, and hopefully, we have begun to heal. Dark days, followed by eventual light.
When I went back to this photo, days later, I was stunned. The things in it I saw while standing in that field that night took on a whole new meaning. The dark skies represented something altogether different, as did the blue at the heart of the tree.
When I see this image now - the blue represents the men and women of law enforcement. They are tasked with an impossible job and are all too often criticized for it. The blue sky - the hope in this shot - is for every person that puts the uniform everyday and accepts that challenge.
God Bless You all.
This photo is dedicated to you, in memory of Chief Michael Maloney. RIP #260.
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