During a vigil for the victims of the Orlando shooting massacre, as the names of the 49 people who were murdered were read aloud in remembrance, a photographer turned her camera to the sky and took a picture of a flock of birds flying overhead.
It was only later when, on a whim, she counted the birds she realized something that was both beautiful and eerie.
There were 49 birds flying overhead at that exact moment.
Here is the photograph.
The photographer decided to remain anonymous, wanting everyone's attention to remain squarely with the victims of this brutal hate crime.
But, she explained, "Seeing the birds made me feel a sense of peace about the tragedy."
When she posted the photograph, she wrote, "There were 49 birds, my friends. The fallen were with us tonight."
I can see why people responded to this image so deeply. In the face of such senseless cruelty as the Orlando shooting, we all search for some consolation, for a place of shelter and solace, wherever we can find it.
Continuing the trend of beautiful, eerie photographs taken in the aftermath of the shooting is this other snapshot.
Yeah, amazingly, a rainbow arched over the scene of the massacre yesterday.
Personally, I'd like if God sent out fewer flocks of birds and poignant rainbows and helped people pass stricter gun laws and combat America's chronic, government-sanctioned homophobia. But, that's just my own view.
Citations: 49 birds appear over Orlando shooting victims memorial (CNN), Rainbow Appears Over Pulse Nightclub After Tragic Orlando Massacre (Us Weekly)
