This is a photograph I’ve been trying to take for many years.****
I have the blessing of going to the Sacred Grove almost every year. My first visit was in 1969. I have walked the 10 acres that has been preserved as “The Sacred Grove” in about every direction, in every season, in every kind of weather.****
I am always looking for the perfect shot. One day, many years ago, the light, humidity and moisture all collided in such a way as to give me a series of pictures that I was able to put into a children’s book we published called, “A Day Like No Other.” Those photos were all a gift.****
But with all that in mind, and having published numerous other photos from the Sacred Grove over the years, I never quite captured the moment between when Joseph was nearly destroyed by the adversary and when the pillar of light descended gradually until it fell upon him.****
During a recent visit with my camera, I saw this very large tree that had toppled since my last visit. I was mourning the loss of such a monolith and I knelt down by the former base of the tree. I looked to the east along the path of the tree and the sun began to burst. filling the scene with light from the darkness of the death of this tree to the sunbeams gleaming above my head. It was that moment I had always been looking for: Suddenly a light descended!****
I knew that this, too, was a gift.
