The photo below is from Von. She says: This photo was post a
dolphin-searching-swim at Secret Beach in Mallacoota in 2006. Ben was
mulling over whether it had been the right thing to do, to lead
people, including some not-so-strong swimmers, out into the open ocean
to check out a few dorsal fins we spotted from the shore. It was a
really relaxing team day off, and I think the decision in the end, was
that it had been okay, in fact a 'once in a lifetime' experience to
see the school of dolphins so close. But besides the background story,
I was drawn to this picture by what it represents to me: Ben is
standing alone, out of reach. A leader; the first in our group to have
left this place for good. I hate it and love it. He's not looking at
us and he's not completely settled with where he's at yet, either. I
want to yell out at the Ben in the photo but am frustrated knowing he
won't hear. (Click the photo to enlarge it.)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
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Thankyou for sharing this photo and story. It is a beautiful image, and it all continues to add to the picture we are gaining, through the blog, of Ben. Thankyou.
ReplyDeleteI love what this represents... I like the image of ben on his own - I think it displays his strength.
ReplyDeleteHi, As the person who was SU missions coordinator at the time this story is about ... this hit home for me fairly strongly. How often would a person in the kind of role I was in freak at the potential dangers in the story and this action ... and in doing so, people would miss an opportunity of a lifetime. Ben understood the complexities in this - but enjoyed God and creation ... and people enjoying it strongly enough to take a risk. (and to consider it later!) As someone who knew Ben through his Theos role ... this story is a good one to describe some of who I knew Ben to be - thanks.
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