day two
“‘O ye beloved of the Lord! Commit not that which defileth the limpid stream of love or destroyeth the sweet fragrance of friendship. By the righteousness of the Lord! Ye were created to show love one to another and not perversity and rancour. Take pride not in love for yourselves but in love for your fellow-creatures. Glory not in love for your country, but in love for all mankind. Let your eye be chaste, your hand faithful, your tongue truthful and your heart enlightened.”
“Exalted, immensely exalted is He Who hath removed differences and established harmony. Glorified, infinitely glorified is He Who hath caused discord to cease, and decreed solidarity and unity. Praised be God, the Pen of the Most High hath lifted distinctions from between His servants and handmaidens, and, through His consummate favours and all-encompassing mercy, hath conferred upon all a station and rank of the same plane. He hath broken the back of vain imaginings with the sword of utterance and hath obliterated the perils of idle fancies through the pervasive power of His might.”
jaclyn (austin, u.s.a.), left: I look forward to the Fast every year. I love waking up early during those dawn hours and listening to the silence. I really enjoy preparing my breakfast as the sun begins to tiptoe in through the windows. I am grateful for the cup of tea that greets me like an old, trusting friend every morning. I strive to prepare myself to pray by calming my mind. I take pleasure in opening my prayer book and uttering the words of God. I love breaking the Fast with laughter, good company, and delicious food. The physical actions of the Fast help me appreciate the spiritual awareness I feel every year during these nineteen days.
christian (haifa, israel ) right: I still have to get used to abstaining from food. But usually it’s not as hard as I anticipate it to be, in the days before the Fast. I used to just not eat at lunchtime in the years after becoming a Bahá’í, but especially here in Haifa this has changed a lot: I started using my time for studying and contemplation. I also use the time to quietly search for inspiration for my next pictures. But of course the best day after the Fast is always Naw-Rúz, which also happens to be my birthday! 🙂
nineteen days 
jack i love, love, love your shots!!! …and your thoughts!
The greens and golds projected by the dawn light are exquisite and show the calmness of that time in the day. The mixture and motion of layers of beautiful colors that tangle with each other in your dusk makes me happy and reminds me of a fast-paced evening.
christian, i love the way you captured the light in both shots.
what a beautiful set! Jaclyn I especially like your dawn. It’s Gorgeous!
beauuuuuuutiful set! i particularly love both of your dawn shots.
jack, you know i’m a fan. the light is divine. and the spring flowers in your dusk shot made my heart smile!
christian, your dawn shot is quintessential haifa houses. takes me back. 🙂 i also really appreciate your thought on using ‘lunch time’ to study and reflect. a poignant reminder, thank you.
I love the light in all these images!!
I can almost feel the dew on the grass in Jaclyn’s dawn. And Christian, a beautiful sunset picture.
All four photos have such a magical light to them…I love the blossoms Jaclyn!
Christian: Your sunset photo is really lovely.
I’m sorry, but I need to know what that is that is stuck in the fence, Jaclyn!
ashley,
i think its a piece of fruit, maybe a persimmon or something similar.
j
I thought it was a bird!!!!!!