Thankful for the "Old"

   What is it about old buildings that attract me? I have a hard drive full of abandoned homes, farm buildings left to rot and fall, stately courthouses some still in use, churches of the past era active and in use today, as well as a variety of buildings captured in the cities and small towns of Georgia.

   On a short trip last week I captured these places with my lens:

   An 1801 Government building in Augusta, home to the first courts in Richmond Co.

   The Lincoln County Courthouse in Lincolnton

   A unique courthouse in Washington, GA, home of the government of Wilkes Co.

   The courthouse in Appling, still active, but increasingly bypassed as the population of the county moves toward the eastern part of its boundary.

   St. James Untied Methodist Church, built in 1856 and still serving in Augusta.

   Men and Women served in all these places. They made decisions that took care of people, preserved freedoms and liberties, and allowed the economy to prosper.

   Service in courthouses and churches all across this state gave us the lives that we now enjoy. The propagation of our democratic system, and the faith that ties us to a God that blessed us greatly.

   On this Thanksgiving holiday in 2014, I think back and I thank all those who have served in the past, and those serving today.

   And I think of all who have blessed us with their lives, all the while serving in relative obscurity in places like these:

or

   Moms and Dads, bringing up their kids "right", instilling in them the values of honesty, caring, working, and believing, no matter the economic condition.

   I am thankful for the opportunity to photograph these and many more "old" places around our state, but I salute, with my gratitude, those who served in each one, public or private, and passed down to us our heritage of freedom and Christian faith.

   Thank You, God

   May we do the same, faithfully each and every day.