Pictures of Peace

By Kevin Williams

As an avid runner, I'm always interested in marathons. I've never run a full marathon but maybe someday...... When I was 23-years-old I once ran over 15 miles and I've regretted ever since that I didn't just continue training and plow ahead to do a whole 26 miles.  SIGH.  Then, about six years ago, I was in London, Ontario and had some time to kill on a cool, autumn day.  London has a wonderful warren of urban trails so I turned on some music and ran for about 12 miles.  Again, another missed opportunity to build on that run and continue training for a big one.

Yesterday's bombing at the Boston Marathon was an unthinkable tragedy.  Just the very idea that people gathering to celebrate the greatness of human endurance and the civic spirit of the city that embraces them could be targeted by a terrorist is sickening. We'll all hope and pray the perpetrators are caught.

By the way, are there Amish runners?  Running is one of the most no-frills, natural forms of exercise.  So, yes, running is popular among the Amish although more like races and fun running, not so much organized distance running.  In fact, I've run some sprints against a few Amish men, but they've always beat me.  A city guy like me is no match for a farm-fed, fleet-footed young Amish man.  I'm not sure you'd see many Amish entering an organized race like a marathon or 5K, but that doesn't mean they don't enjoy running. Our German Baptist columnist, Rosanna Bauman, is an avid runner herself.  Plain runners will run in plain clothing, though, and makes long-distance treks a bit less comfy.

Anyway, thoughts and prayers go out to Boston.  I thought maybe just a few peaceful photos today would be an elixir to counter some of the craziness out there.  Here are some favorite scenes of mine:  Top: Buggies parked outside Mary's Bakery in Hardin County, Ohio; Below, boys walking home from school on a frigid day near Aylmer, Ontario.  Buggy going up a mountain in Pearisburg, Virginia and a buggy takes a pretty and peaceful way home outside Berne.