Indelible Imagery

President Obama visited the Great Buddha statue in Kamakura, Japan today.  He last visited the statue when he was six years old.  "It is wonderful to return to this great treasure of Japanese culture. Its beauty has stayed with me for many years," Obama wrote in the guest book at the site.


When I was a child, I had a picture book of the 'wonders of the world' which included the Great Buddha at Kamakura.  I was so taken by that image-- and that image alone, that I told myself I would visit there one day.  When I visited the Great Buddha the first time, it was exactly as I had remembered it from the book.


I have been fortunate to have visited Kamakura many times since then, but each time the massive, serene statue captivates me. Like President Obama, the image is indelibly etched in my mind.


What indelible images do you have in your mind?  Are these images indelible because they are so powerful or because they relate to who you are?   Or...?

Photo: (c) Bruce Behnke, all rights reserved.