B. Forman Park

During one of my weekend trips from Syracuse to Rochester, I stopped by B. Forman Park. I had made a habit of stopping and exploring at parks along the way on my trips. Ever since I left the constant grey and nonstop rush of the city and made upstate NY my home, it’s one of my favorite things to do. You never know what you’ll find, and more times than not, you’ll be pleasantly rewarded!

I had my trusty Fujifilm X100s (which i picked up on a previous trip to Rochester) with me at the time. It was the perfect camera to throw in my center console and keep with me when going somewhere new. No accessories, no carrying extra lenses, just 23mm crop sensor built in and manual controls.

When I parked the car that afternoon, stepped foot on the grass and walked towards the seemingly deserted shoreline of Lake Ontario, I was witness to what looked like a kid’s birthday party. There were several kids running around, a couple arm in arm, a bench with balloons, picnic snacks, and what looked like a cake.

I walked around and found a nice spot on the grass to sit down and enjoy the view of the lake.

It was then that I saw one of the kids run over to the bench by himself. I looked back to the tree-line at who i presume to be the parents, the couple who was arm in arm before, to see if they noticed the kid had gone. I saw them walking towards a picnic bench, and in that moment the man stopped, abruptly took a step back, kneeled down on one knee and pulled out a small box, waiting for her to turn around.

She turned around and I could feel the happiness of the moment as she stepped towards him with intention, and they joined together in sweet embrace. Their bodies merged in a gentle, loving hug, as if they were two halves finally reunited as one.

Now the children ceased their playful pursuit and became aware of the heartwarming scene unfolding before them. A mixture of excitement and joy filled the air as the children buzzed with elation.

What a blessing it was that I was able to witness that moment of beauty and love, of two families coming together. New brothers, new sisters, family that was once broken now complete.

I sighed a sigh of contentedness, and turned my eyes back to the shoreline. And what i saw was the universe nodding in agreement. A bonus for taking it slow, and enjoying life. The perfect view to accompany the perfect moment on the perfect day.