Last weekend in Riga sooo many people (including me) witnessed

event of the decade - The Tall Ships Races 2013.

Waking the harbour Saturday evening with crowds and crowds of people

i had a wish - to wake up very early next morning (the last day of ships)

and to take pictures of these Majestic voyagers of the Seas when there is no

people around. And...

Sunday i woke up with excitement 4.30 without alarm (which was set for 5.00)

and cycled there reaching the harbour 5.30 ...

There is routine every night with my son's bedtime going, - that i play guitar

for him. It all started few years ago. I usually play only one or two (my own) songs,

but every time they sound different - with different rhythms and twists, - quite simple

cords which i know.

Sometimes melodies come out as the surprise to myself, like this one.

I was in Kiev (for few hours) and visited magnolia (botanical) garden. There was crowds

of people everywhere like bees trying to capture beautifully blooming magnolia trees.

I noticed this young lady standing and peacefully enjoying the view in front of her.

I wish i would ask her permission to take a picture of what i saw of that calm moment,

but instead i tried to take a blind shot which was not as nice of what i took

with my eyes few minutes earlier.

"Everything has a purpose, even machines. Clocks tell

the time, trains take you places. They do what they're meant to do,

like Monsieur Labisse. Maybe that's why broken machines make me so sad,

they can't do what they're meant to do. Maybe it's the same with people.

If you lose your purpose, it's like you're broken."

Hugo Cabret from film "Hugo"

Our name. Most of us probably value our name. Lots of

things put together shape it into who we really are.

I value this picture very much because it's kind of symbolizing

the process of making our name known.

This picture is taken in the backstage during the dance project

"From the Sword Sun rises" in which i took part myself.

There was one dance called "Grains" and every dancer had to take

handful of grains to use it in that dance. By the time

every dancer took the grain, backstage floor was full with it

and some girls during the show played with it creating arty shapes

with it, including putting together their names.

Salvation Army congress

As i emptied some box with my wife's old letters from friends and some old photos, i noticed

some really old photos. i could say that some of those photos are Historical. It is about history

of The Salvation Army in Latvia. I found one quite small photo of The Salvation Army march in Riga.

On the other side of the photo it said that it is Salvation Army congress in Riga, year 1928. From

the photo i could recognize the building which is on the left side, but i was not sure where i have

seen it, but i was sure that it is still standing there today.

For two weeks this photo has bothered my mind making me figure it out where that tram line went.
Two times i failed with my presumptions where it could be, which made me study the picture more
intently. And IT WORKED. My closer look did not disappoint me. I found some clues - main was
the building with columns farther on the street, which made me think that it is Orthodox Church
on the main street of Riga and it surely was correct. So the next day i had chance to stand at
the very same spot where the picture was taken 79 years ago.
In these last days i had some interesting thoughts around This picture and maybe they came to me
even at that particular moment when i stood there waiting for some traffic to clear to make my "79
years after" photo.

I thought about the moment - the daily life of that (THEN) photo and this (NOW) one which i was
taking. The same place, the same street, but time gap tells the difference. Time wanted to whisper
to me some story. As the lens of an old photo showed the street from above,
the same way Eternal with His Spirit lifted my thoughts up to look to this old picture from above.
My thoughts stopped at the people on that old picture with the question: Where are they all now?
And the answer was easy - they ALL are gone, probably even the youngest. Who were they? some were
richer, some purer, some were happier and some maybe not so happy. But they all had been given
their Time to live - to grow and learn, to laugh and cry, to sing and dance, to work and rest,
to sow and reap, to do good or evil, to LOVE or hate. They all have their choices whom to believe
'before leaving earth'.
That is why Salvation Army marched that day - to remind people about Eternal and to help some to
make the right choices about Eternal things - the things what matter the most, the things which
lasts Forever. Their flag was raised to show to Whom they belong and to know where they are now.
As for others - on the other side of the street - we don't know where they are in Eternity.
Maybe 79 years from Today there will be other man finding these two pictures from 1928 and 2007,
trying to find out where those pictures were taken, and finding the street and the spot he will
stand there and will think similar thoughts as he take the same picture, just with his Time
settings, but the same questions to answer.