Skip to main content

the pictures we take; the memories we keep




pictures and pictures and pictures. 

some blurred by the swift movement of spontaneous laughter or sudden change in direction. some lit by bright eyes and wide smiles. some accidentally taken, by sticky-fingered sneaky hands. some grabbing the complexity of layers upon layers of color in the sky over Kerala and transforming it into tangible glory. some capturing the simplistic joy of running through the green grass of our backyard. some embodying the dreams of my parents and the faithfulness of a Mighty Creator. some attempting to freeze the exact moment i see a world of hope in the dark pupils of a small child's gaze in a busy village. some are posed and orchestrated to include all participants' best smiles and angles, all in coordinating colors. some are candid and realistic, no pattern or planning, just life. 

some of these photographs will never be shared or rediscovered; some of them will not be looked at in the near future, maybe not for years and years to come... not because they are imperfect or because they lack value, but because in an effort to capture all of these amazing moments, we have to pick and choose our memories. we journal and share and print and catalog and paste and cut and organize... we look at the faces and the subjects and the instances and we reminisce. maybe we think about when times were harder or easier, when life was a struggle or when it was finally a triumph, when life was brand-new or became a well-earned routine. maybe these pictures make us grateful for what we had then or what we have now. maybe it takes us back to visions of clarity or of finding ourselves, when we stood on a high point and looked down below, when we stood as a family next to the beauty of nature. when we fought and survived, when we masked the pain to be strong for those we love. when our hearts were bursting or slowly breaking. when our souls were illuminated by pure joy and the opportunities to truly live were right there, and we clutched tightly with feeble hands. 

i try to take pictures of experiences i want to remember, or at least experiences i know i need to hold onto. travels, meals, shared adventures, simple activities. these all hold meaning to me, all of these components of our living add something to my life. they contribute to conversations, realizations, lessons, and growing... growing of myself and of my marriage, of my teaching, and of my faith, of my character and my dreams. 


recently, the pictures journal my children. the pictures display the many milestones they have reached, and the many new challenges they have taken on.  the photographs are a witness to their resiliency and their curiosity, their stubborn will and teeming tantrums, their fierce strength and gentle spirits, their giving hearts and their unique beauty.
the pictures become treasures because the pictures can remain, even when memories begin to fade. 

these photos that i so adamantly save will, hopefully, serve as reminders when seasons of our lives need to be recalled and talked about and shared and laughed at and cried over and held tight to. 

picture after picture after picture. 
season after season after season.  


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

gratitude

my short list. i am thankful for God's Love: a Love that is too sacrificial and too remarkable for my human heart to fully contain... and for a Grace and Hope that is too divine and illogical and limitless for my human mind to even begin to fathom. i am thankful for a strong, stubborn man who loves our family with every ounce in him, understanding my quirks and weaknesses, while encouraging me through his quiet gestures and his commitment to responsibility and love.  i am thankful for two little girls -- fierce and loyal and strong-willed and tough and still soft around the edges... for the incredible joy of watching them grow and the unique love that i get to receive and offer daily.  i am thankful for the littlest one being formed in my womb, for the suspense and the excitement and anxiety that she brings with each turn and kick and movement and heartbeat... and for the incredible opportunity to, once again, nurture and carry a child for these months of intima...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Most Beautiful Mama

My mama has always been beautiful. It is a beauty that is natural and effortless and is the type of beauty that filled my heart with longing when I was a child. I can recall staring at how flawless the even color of her skin was, how adorable the few freckles were on her cheeks, how symmetrical her nose was. I remember thinking how absolutely perfect she looked in a sari, her pleats folded so pristinely, and the tuck of material into her waist seamless and smooth.   I would often feel the softness of my mother’s hands. Hands that had delicate fingers that moved with precision and purpose. Hands that kneaded chapati dough and even held tight to a lawn mower. No matter what she did, her hands were always soft, always welcoming, always beautiful. But she never liked to focus on her own physical beauty. My mother’s true beauty comes from within.  I understood certain aspects of this inner beauty when I was a child. The beauty that comes from her servant’s heart and her wor...
Post a Comment
Read more

on love

2015 will be a year of penning suggestions, prayers, advice for my girls. on love: love is not something simple. love is complex and it is most definitely worth waiting for. waiting is difficult, but it is necessary because you gain much knowledge and learn many lessons, all the while holding onto your own sense of independence and understanding of your unique place in this world. your daddy says that although it seems incredibly hard to wait for love, once you have it, you will see why it was so important. but, yes, it is hard when you are on the other side. i can tell you, with all honesty and sincerity, that love from a man is not something that you should be rushing towards; you should not move in that direction until you know your own value and your own worth, not until you understand that you are not defined by this world's standards of beauty or success or belonging. love can be once in a lifetime and it should be something that you pray about and fight for and wo...
Post a Comment
Read more