The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity image of the month focuses on the photography of Shanna Franklin. Shanna reflects:
The leaves look like glitter as they scatter down from the branches of trees, frosted with Autumn. Colors cover the ground like icing on a cake, and soften every step; this place is just another attempt to silence the voices in my head, constantly pulling me in every different direction.
At times it is difficult to believe that another year has passed; this is one of those times. I don’t feel any different, although I know I should. I know I am. I look back on the previous year and imagine myself standing in this exact spot, trying to feel what I felt in those moments, so silent and colorful. The only thought that comes to mind is an illusion–a constant, flowing stream that waits for no one–not even change.
It has always been hard for me to see my life for what it is, and it seems like it’s getting harder. Every day that passes is another step in the right direction, but with all these leaves floating down from the sky, it’s hard to see in which direction I’m headed.
I know that change feels slow– and although I can’t see any differences in the mirror, one day I will wake up to a brand new me–and I’ll realize that, while I have been searching for myself, I have been slowly growing into the person I want to be–the person that I have become. And I’ll welcome that person with open arms and an open heart.
The road is never easy; this we have all discovered. But the part that seems to be the easiest to forget–is that it is always worth the while.
Click here for Shanna’s Flickr site.
