William Sutherland's photos with the keyword: Hope

Photos taken 5 and 9 November, 2023 in Larchmont and Mamaroneck, NY Note: It's now been one month since the terrorist attack on Israel (7 October 2023) in which more than 1400 innocent people were murdered in cold blood and more than 240 persons were taken hostage. May they not be forgotten and be brought home as soon as possible, in time for Hanukkah 2023.

Photo taken in Larchmont, NY. Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright. Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child. Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace. [Lyrics from Silent Night written by Fr. Josephus Mohr in 1816] This Christmas classic was written to inspire hope and bring much needed relief when Fr. Josephus’ Austrian town had been decimated by 12 years of war and had suffered undue hardship from crop failures and famine. The world also suffered greatly from the latter, because 1816 was the “Year without a Summer.” Some things never change... Today the world again suffers from war, devastation from climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic that is in its third year. While 2022 marked new beginnings for most countries with re-openings, restored intimacy and social relationships and the easing of the pandemic, this is not the case for the entire world. :( We must remember the people of China who are right now enduring a dark holiday season gripped by COVID-19 and the parts of the world where peoples struggle in the cold and live in rubble with the next day not assured, victim to war and violence because of the absence of empathy from their leaders who choose war, power and intransigence over peace, goodwill and compromise. Nevertheless, may this holiday season bring much needed renewal and the new year bring peace, prosperity, goodwill, health and happiness. Note: The Nativity Clipart comes from a free image available in Clipart Library.

Created from DALL·E 2 – Open AI and Smart Photo Editor . As millions of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on this conflicted day, it is important to remember this is a day of mourning for the indigenous peoples of the USA especially since “thanksgivings” were repeatedly offered to celebrate acts of genocide and murder committed against Native American peoples. There can be no joy until the 415-year occupation, though realistically irreversible, is addressed. At a minimum Native American nations (575 at least – if the Eastern Pequots are given their due recognition) should be granted autonomy over their lands and some form of reparations consisting of land awards and financial compensation are given for their suffering to ensure self-sufficiency. The same holds true with regard to reparations for African-Americans because of the disgusting stain of slavery and racism, the latter that remains endemic in our 21st century society. The soft pastel colors represent a new dawn with the soft red symbolizing life, the abundance of lines represent natural phenomena, water and the Native American connection with the spiritual world. The two circles represent the sun (a symbol of life giving warmth, healing and peace) and the moon (a guide and protector). The silhouetted tepees represent Native American peoples and nations. Therefore, as Americans celebrate Thanksgiving – we should be mindful of the sadness of Native Americans, take a moment to mourn and pray for their ancestors who were slaughtered, yearn for the day the 415-year occupation is addressed, and give thanks that in spite of the evils of the past, Native Americans are STILL HERE and LIVE along with our traditional gratitude for family, friends and health and for those who believe regardless of faith – to God for His abundance of blessings.

Mamaroneck, NY "The old has passed away; behold the new has come!" [2 Corinthians 5:17]

Mamaroneck, NY Mamaroneck, NY experienced its worst flooding in history 1-2 September 2021, just 10 days after Tropical Storm Henri caused minor flooding that impacted 50 homes and a church. It was also notably the Village's 100th flood event since records were kept. Consistent with past major floods (14-18 October 1955, 19 June 1972, 23-27 September 1975, and 15 April 2007) the damage is extensive and likely to exceed $100 million, no coincidence because of climate change and development, the latter creating conditions for greater and more intense runoff. In addition, this flood resulted in loss of life – a person returning from work who was swept away by the raging floodwaters along Mamaroneck Avenue near the I-95 entrance/exit ramps. Prior to this flood, the 2007 event had been the worst in Mamaroneck’s history with floodwaters of up to 6 feet deep. This flood smashed the record with waters reaching an incredible height of 14 feet – not surprising since just prior to the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake River’s breaching their banks, it had rained like never before. In fact the rain came down so hard, it was like a sheet you couldn’t see through. With the intense rain, my 6-story apartment building was transformed into a towering waterfall. I created, “Hope,” an abstract digital work of art from a photograph I took in a parking lot along Nostrand Avenue, in which the raging waters from the nearby Mamaroneck River tore out parking barriers and flooded nearby buildings and roads. The original photograph before digital editing captured the patterns and ripples left behind in silt that had been washed up from the river and covered the asphalt surface. The incomplete red-orange circle in the top left corner is intended to depict the returning sun and represent perseverance while the red, yellow, and pink splotches, depicting the reflection of sunlight from the returning sun in standing pockets of water are intended to depict the coming together of peoples out of love and compassion to help the victims, assist with the cleanup and ultimately the rebuilding. The scattered green splotches and aura around the incomplete circle are intended to represent survival and thus life! The water droplets represent the rains that had caused this great flood. The black linear ripples depict the scars left behind the raging waters that had covered the parking lot in silt, which is represented by the earthen tones and grays. The dated postmarks (bottom left and top right) indicate the date and location of this great flood. Last, the overall cheerful brightness of this abstract embodies hope for as long as there is life, there is hope and thus with people coming together, even the worst of moments can be transformed into things of beauty. Mamaroneck, NY: 36 Noteworthy Floods between 1877 and 2021 October 1877 – 1st Flood since Record Keeping began (4 October) September 1882 July 1889 October 1903 March 1936 July 1938 September 1938 July 1942 August 1942 September 1944 May 1946 March 1953 August 1955 October 1955 – Approx. 3 feet, 7 inches of water August 1960 April 1961 March 1962 August 1971 June 1972 – Approx. 4 feet of water September 1974 September 1975 – Approx. 4 feet, 2 inches of water November 1977 April 1980 April 1983 May 1990 April 1996 October 1996 September 1999 September 2004 October 2005 March 2007 April 2007 – Approx. 6 feet of water August 2011 May 2013 August 2014 September 2021 – 14 feet of water; Worst flood of all-time Based on information in the 2008 KW Furey Engineering Flood Mitigation Report , there have been 100 "flood events" in the Village of Mamaroneck between 1877 and 2021 translating into a "flood event" once every 1.44 years. Note: Coastal flooding from Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 is not included in the above statistics since the storm did not cause the Mamaroneck/Sheldrake Rivers to flood. Additional Source: Hydroquest LWRP Report dated 20 March 2016. Bold – Worst Floods in Mamaroneck, NY history

Mamaroneck, NY Note: I created this abstract from a photo I took in a snowstorm that dumped 8 inches of snow. I used the official colors of 2021 yellow and gray to exude hope -- hope the pandemic will finally end. I titled this picture since it was based on snow and naked branches and used the yellow to represent spring brightness and blossoms that are sure to follow this dark COVID-19 winter as the world is renewed. The white splotches represent a new beginning. Original Photo:

Larchmont, NY Created using Scrabble letters, superimposed numbers for the year, a face mask and the official colors of 2021 -- yellow and gray to symbolize the hope this new year brings with the advent of vaccines and the prospect it marks the beginning of the end of the horrific COVID-19 pandemic.

Mamaroneck, NY Created from the inside of a discarded dryer. The pulley wheel at the top represents COVID-19. The black areas represent the darkness of the pandemic and mourning. The gray splotches represent uncertainty complemented by the abstract linear patterns that represent the many unexpected turns in life. The soft pastel pinks and yellows represent the light of a new dawn just before the sun rises above the horizon since we still await this sunrise when the pandemic recedes. The earthen tones represent life and recovery for through it all we will persevere and LIVE! The vibrant reds represent love, fortitude and renewal for through love and the fact we are “human strong” we shall overcome. The face represents the day our “sorrow will be turned to joy” [John 16:20] and the pandemic is nothing more than a distant memory.

The inspiration of this photo composition comes from Lamentations 1 since as they were relevant to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, they are strikingly relevant to New York City of 2020, viewed by many as the “capital of the world.” In the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, NYC has seen eerily empty streets, and scarce few visitors from the outside. Her businesses are shuttered and shut and cultural venues silenced. NYC has also been abandoned by many of her wealthiest who at the start of the pandemic, fled in fear. She has experienced empty shelves and been embraced by a new “Great Depression” and the consequent reality that things of value during the pre-COVID-19 era matter little today with some trading material goods for scarce necessities. Last, in her greatest time of need, NYC has been abandoned by the federal government and denied essential funding for hospitals and overtime costs, and resources such as sufficient quantities of test kits for prompt tests for all. Lamentations 1: [1] How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! [2] Bitterly she weeps… tears are on her cheeks… [T] here is no one to comfort her. [4] All her gateways are desolate… her young women grieve, and she is in bitter anguish. [6] All the splendor has departed… Her princes… in weakness they have fled… [7] When her people fell… there was no one to help her. [11] …her people groan as they search for bread; they barter their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. [20] I am in torment within… inside, there is only death. [22] My groans are many and my heart is faint. Fortunately NYC and the world will not remain mired in this hellish pandemic forever since we are reminded in Lamentations 3:57-58: You came near when I called to You, and You said, “Do not fear!” You… took up my case; you redeemed my life! And yes, so as declared in Psalm 104:30 – “You send forth Your spirit… and renew the face of the Earth” we can be assured – “Mourning will be turned into joy!” [Jeremiah 31:13] as the COVID-19 pandemic is “swept away… like the morning mist” [Isaiah 44:22] such that “Times of refreshing may [yet] come [again] .” [Acts 3:19] Note: Created May 17, 2020 from photographs taken at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY (May 7, 2012) and Rockefeller Center Observation Deck, New York, NY (December 23, 2016). www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries NYS Re-opening Metrics: forward.ny.gov/regional-monitoring-dashboard

Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, NY “ [T] here is a… great silence, and stillness” and fear “over the earth” [1] on this Ash Wednesday as we are reminded – “You are dust and to dust you shall return.” [Genesis 3:19] It is 1347 again. COVID-19 is the Black Death of 2020. Though the number of afflicted rises, Medieval lock downs are expanded, isolation threatens social bonds and peoples worldwide are urged to prepare for an uncertain future with significant disruptions in life, gloom cannot extinguish hope for God has “posted [angels] to guard you” [2] and “will take away from thee all sickness” [Deuteronomy 7:15] with the promise, “I [W] ho am life… I [M] yself am united to you.” [3] We , humankind will get through this! ___________ [1], [2], and [3] From an Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday. 26 February 2020. www.vatican.va/spirit/documents/spirit_20010414_omelia-sabato-santo_en.html

Photos taken on January 1, 2017 and December 23, 2016, respectively in New York, NY. Collage created: January 20, 2017 They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. [Isaiah 2:4]

Larchmont and Rye, NY

Times Square, New York, NY Created with Litter from the 2015 New Year's Celebration that was left in the street awaiting clean up. Wishing all a happy, healthy, prosperous and safe New Year! Note: Inspired by the below lyrics of John Lennon’s 1971 classic, “Imagine!” Imagine there’s no countries… Nothing to kill or die for… Imagine all the people living life in peace… Imagine… No need for greed or hunger… Imagine all the people sharing all the world… You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope some day you'll join us And the world will be as one. Rather than a world without religion, I imagine a world with no war over religion. I imagine a connected world where there are no ethnic differences but one human race. I imagine a world where life is sacred and protected from conception to the final breath. I imagine a world where there is no terrorism and no violence. I imagine a world free of slavery and compulsion. I imagine a world where there is no want or sickness. I imagine a world free of cruelty and evil. I imagine a world where the one and only standard is love, the basis for my title: Imagine! Love

Brooklyn, NY

New Rochelle, NY