16 April 2011 Wood Fires

Ordinarily, I find the smell of wood burning to be a comforting sort of smell. It makes me think of all sorts of cozy things.

But not today.

My husband and I were out taking pictures as part of our efforts to document the county in which we live. It is, in part to bring more exposure to the history of this community, but is also an attempt for us to be more connected with this place since it is now our home. On this journey, we found the remains of a fire in the approximate location of a church that we had previously photographed.

I searched my files when we returned home and made the confirmation that I was hoping not to make. The little wood-framed church had burned. I do not know if it was struck by lightening or if its fate was met at the hands of arsonists, as was what happened to the synagogue near our house.

It was just a simple little building like many of the backwoods churches around here. Nothing grand like the big city churches. It was small and cozy at one time, though long abandoned by the time that we first found it.

Here is a shot from the first time that I photographed the church, taken 15 February 2009:

This is what we found today, taken 16 April 2011:

But the photo that struck me with the most impact was this one:

Through it all, love remains...