22 Oct Finding the Secrets in our Photographs

The morning after I officially pulled Luci out of her Mother’s Day Out program, she burst into our bedroom at 6 am, all excited, squealing:  “Am I going to school today, Mommy?  I need to get ready!”  My stomach just lurched and the second-guessing started.  All day I questioned my decision. Was this a selfish decision?  Is this in Luci’s best interest?  I struggled for several days with these thoughts until I took a moment to snatch some pictures of Clark and Luci playing together outside.  They were have a great time bouncing on balls, squealing and laughing, falling off – just like kids are supposed to do!

The Pictures Showed me Pure Delight

After putting the children to bed that night, I sat down at the computer and began moving the pictures from my camera to my computer.  As I looked at the pictures, I was enraptured with the delight on my children’s faces.  Pure silliness, pure joy, pure fun.  No self-consciousness, shyness, worry, concern or fear.  I instantly knew for certain that my decision was the right one.  This was how things are supposed to be!

While I’m sure the decision may be different for everyone, I feel we can better nurture our little girl to grow into a secure and confident child at home.  She has such a beautiful personality – full of humor and spunk.  I want to let that grow without being stifled by insecurities.

Pictures Reinforce our Memories

I don’t know if you’ve seen the silly articles online about how our memories are being destroyed because we are now so focused on getting a picture with our cell phone cameras.  I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anything so stupid.  Pictures reinforce our memories.  We experience the moment, and then we can revisit them through our pictures.  I think it is especially important to take the time to really look at our pictures – to feel them.  Seeing my children’s faces with their eyes closed,  laughing hilariously, hands clutching their bellies… I feel their joy.  It’s captured forever, for me to look at time and time again.  Each time I look at these pictures, I feel the joy again.