She can only hope – Holguin, Cuba

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietist chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy  – New York Times bestselling author.

I find Pat Conroy’s quote so true . . . especially when reviewing photos of your journey. Even after many years, the rich smells and sounds flash vividly in your mind as you relive those special moments of your journey through your photos. That is why traveling to faraway lands is so rewarding.  You relive your journey through your photography.  And you often bring back a lot more than photos from your most meaningful journeys.

At least for me,  there is always one or two photos that never leaves my mind’s eye.  Name a location where my wife and I have traveled, and an image immediate flashes through my mind like a dream.

“She can only hope” is the image that screams at me when I think of our travels to Cuba.  My wife and I traveled to Holguin as part of a Mission Trip sponsored by our church. Holguin is a major Cuban city on the Eastern end of the island. While visiting the church missions in rural Holguin this little girl, not more than 4 years old stared so intently at the visitors. Her big brown eyes seldom blinked. What was she thinking?, I wondered. I looked around at her living conditions, the likes of which most of us in the US have not experienced.  I thought to myself… she can only hope.

“The mind can never break off from the journey.”  Nor can the mind forget those remarkable travel moments that change your life. I will never forget this little girl’s wonder and cautious curiosity.  I left her knowing that although her basic needs were well cared for, her opportunities for all the things we take for granted were so very limited.  She gave me more than I was able to give her that day.  I left with a renewed understanding of all that I should be thankful for. . . and I will play this “out over and over again in the quietist of chambers.”

May the remarkable photos (moments) be yours.

Chuck