Life in a photo album

You know those photo albums from yesteryear? The ones where you pasted actual printed out pictures from an actual camera? Where you took the time and care with each picture you took, being extremely intentional with what pictures you were taking and when and how many and then taking the time to put them in these said photo albums for memories? And then going back through that same photo album years later and getting a sense of love and memory of the event all over again?

I was reintroduced to an old photo album recently that my mom had made for me when I was a baby (she made these super cool, detailed photo albums, one for each year of my life as a kid which included all my milestones, school stuff, trips we took, etc.) and I went through it with a fine tooth comb. It was from when I was first born so of course I don’t actually remember anything, but I noticed how intentional each photograph was. There were not a million of them like how it is on social media these days, there were just a couple of each event and it made me take the time to study them that much more, putting myself in that picture, in that moment in time, wondering what it was really like.

It's not like how it is today (and I include myself in that). We have all these albums with tons of pictures, all digital, where we post everything just for others to see? And then if we do go back through to look at old pictures, we are scrolling on our phones yet again and we have so many we can’t even get through half of them. Now, I have tried to take the time to make some old school photo albums (I did one for my husband when we were first dating and then I have made one for each of our 3 kids that include their milestones). I like that. But it does take time, time in today’s society that we think we just don’t have.

So, what’s the point that I am making with all this? Maybe we need to be more intentional and “present” like they were 30 years ago. Maybe it was different back then. Not that “back then” didn’t have its own set of challenges. It’s just that maybe this society with all our technology isn’t really all its cracked up to be. Maybe I just need to sit back, get off my phone, and enjoy the moment. And I am reminded with each passing day, that these moments are just MOMENTS after all. They don’t stick around, only in our memories and in the memories of those around us. Time still goes by no matter what.

I was outside with all our kiddos the other evening (my husband was at a meeting). It was after dinner, the sun was starting to set, and there was a very distinct breeze in the air. And my kids were having the time of their lives. I was sitting in the grass in our back yard watching everyone at play. Our little girl was crawling around inspecting everything around her. Our middle boy was following her around, acting goofy, and trying to make her laugh. Our oldest boy was watching out for her while trying to show her the ways of his toy electric car. And I was just sitting there, in the grass, shoes off, no cell phone in sight. If it were yesteryear, perhaps I would have run in the house to find an old school camera to snap a few pictures. Or maybe I would have just sat there and watched, taking in the “moment”. Which is just what I did that night. I sat and stayed. I almost felt like I was in a movie, you know like a Little House on the Prairie ending, where they are all happy and content in this “happily ever after” moment.

And then I noticed that maybe time did stand still. Just for a second, a split second at that, but it did. It stopped. And those are just the kind of memories I want with me. The ones where I can fully be present and just BE. So, just for today, I will continue to try to have those moments. But also allow time to be just as it is supposed to be, not gripping onto it, begging for more of it. Maybe its just exactly as it’s supposed to be, whether I think it’s right or not. Just as I am exactly where I am supposed to be. And thank God for that.