My mom, JFK, MLK, and RFK were just human beings. All of them made mistakes, all of them did some great things. My mom wasn't famous and she didn't change our nation or the world, but like JFK, MLK, and RFK, she didn't deserve to die a violent death by shooting.

There is great beauty in America, not only physically, but in our people. I found this man chatting over his fence with his neighbor as I walked along the sidewalk. Both he and his neighbor greeted me with a smile.

As I walked up to these men, I instantly could sense that the man on the step was ready to engage with me, while the man in the chair wanted to keep his distance. I also realized all three of us lived through and surely remembered the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

What would I give to have another Christmas with my loved ones? I thought about this today and remembered them all, many gone for so long, many gone for only awhile, and many still around though scattered far and wide.

As I walked along shivering, I suddenly noticed this man and I stopped in my tracks. His shame was obvious. My eyes were transfixed on his sign and the words "I lost my job" pierced my heart for some reason.

I believe curious people live longer than those who lack that gift. I have no data to substantiate that belief, but I am convinced it is true. At the same time, I also believe that curiosity is a great companion with faith and makes the transition from this life to the next life one that isn't filled with dread, but instead, filled with anticipation and wonder.

I think it's now becoming clearer to many people in the world, that the greater disabilities are those that impair the heart, the mind, and the soul -- and not the body. Most of those with physical disabilities are really heroes among us, disguised by the wheelchair, the canes, or device that assists them with daily life.

In small rural towns throughout America, storefronts are empty, buildings are falling into disrepair, junk cars are left littering the landscape, weeds grow between the cracks in the sidewalk, and as time passes, there is an increasing out-migration from rural areas to urban areas. It remains a quiet, rural catastrophe that few want to acknowledge or discuss.

All I had to do was hold my camera close to my chest, wait for the right subject to come by, and I could frame and take the shot. Sometimes I even take the shots while my head is looking away from the scene, so as to completely disguise that I am taking a photograph.

I would encourage everyone reading this blog post to step out of your comfort zone and do something you wouldn't ordinarily do. We have one life on this earth and I think it's all too common to talk ourselves out of doing things we dream of doing.

Come Saturday morning a grandson helps his grandmother unload the dishwasher. It is the authentic, simple moments of life such as this one that likely will be in our minds as we pass from this world to the next one -- not the grand accomplishments that our culture would tell us we will be remembered by.

James and Dan sit down to talk in The Rangefinder Gallery at Tamarkin Camera. We’ll chat about Leica gear, street photography (and other types as well!), and how Jim shoots. We’ll see some of his work and talk about his process and style of shooting.

Hosted by Leica Camera USA's John Kreidler and Matt Butzow along with Tamarkin Camera.