I found this picture tacked up on the kitchen wall of my sister Sylvia’s place yesterday. In the middle of a lifetime of accumulated clutter there is beauty. I like that it was in a prominent place and it is a great picture of our mom. Mom and Sylvia have both passed away but the memories live on – even though this was taken long before I was born.
We take so many pictures – as I have noted before. And many of them are messy, obscure, duplicates and ultimately replaceable. But then there are some that are none of those things. My wife and I have many pictures of our early dating years, our wedding day, and our travels and special times since then – almost 28 years now. One year at our annual family campout we took a whole lot of family pictures, including my sisters and their kids and extended family groups. I am so glad we did that – because the next year my youngest sister Betty passed away. Those were some of the last pictures we have of her and I treasure them to this day.
I am learning to let go of many pictures on my phone — since I have over 5000. I realize that most of them I never look at and many are replaceable. To find a particular photo I often have to flip through loads of pictures and it takes too much time. But I also realize there are special pictures that get lost in the mass of photos and I need to save them somewhere and highlight them -like this one above.
Betty and Sylvia I will always remember you even though you are gone – like Mom and Dad. I miss you and I am glad I have special pictures to remember you by – as well as the vivid memories of growing up with you and Barb and Nancy. I am thankful today for family and cameras that can capture special moments.
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