It's funny how pictures taken incidentally suddenly can become cherished items ...

I have a photo of my dad on my office wall that was taken during his stag ... at his elbow is a bottle of beer, he's playing card and he's likely had a couple ... My Grandfather took it many years ago, and after he died, my Grandma gave it to me ... it is a cherished heirloom.

I have another photo of my dad taken in his police uniform. It was taken for a safety column in the local Stratford paper. It is the only picture I've ever seen of him in uniform ...

Lately I find myself searching out photos taken of the Church Building here in Minnedosa. The one to the left, is a photo I took last summer when my friend Garth was visiting from Jamaica. We went down to the church building one afternoon and took a photo for posterity's sake ... Today that photo has added meaning. It's special because it is a photo of a cherished friend, but it has added meaning, because the place he is standing no longer exists ... I hope in the coming days and weeks more and more incidental photos turn up, and we are able to share the imagery of a special place that is no longer.

The advantage, or blessing (to use a churchie term) right now is that the sanctuary and the heritage building that we've lost is still standing in our memories ... we can still sit in its pews, walk down it's aisles, and prowl through its stairs and hallways ... the fire hasn't robbed us of the memories, and it never will.

dayenu,