Once in a Photograph

A few days ago I sent a birthday card to my sister. I always like to tuck in a little something and old photos are one of my faves. They fit easily into the envelope and it’s but a moment’s pleasure on my part to sift through those pictures. Well, maybe a bit longer than a moment. I’m usually on the floor with the old photo albums and loose pictures in little piles on the floor, but I always enjoy it.

Picture one was of Shari’s three children in the tub with our brother’s daughter nestled among them. The photo is at least thirty five years old and you know how time flies when you’re looking backward. In that tub sat a doctor, a warehouse manager, a nurse and a homeschooling  mom. I even imagined them finger waving me from the tub so I’d lean in to hear of all that had happened since that bath. It made me smile and I hope it doesn’t embarrass them if they’re looking over Shari’s shoulder.

The second picture I tucked in was of our son Blaine, and my sister, Shari, on mom’s sofa. Blaine is bouncing another niece, less than a year old, on his knee. That niece, now in college, recently visited his cousin, our son, in his home in Washington state. She was in town for an event and he was happy to have her and so were our two granddaughters.

These photos and so many others are in a place from long ago. They jog memories surrounding the moment the camera  shutter snapped. They allow a glance back at what we aren’t anymore. We thought it was always going to be that way. But no . . .

Two seconds after the picture is taken and it’s in the past. We’re two seconds older, hopping out of the tub and leaving the sofa. Then Time, with her feather whip and prodding boot, moves us along. “No, you can’t stay here,” she says smiling and full of wisdom. And we know it really would be awful to be frozen in a picture for all time. But still . . . I’m am very glad there’s a way to bring back the dead, re-visit childhood, or (going all Kodac-y here), capture the great moments of our lives.

What do old photos do for you?   

Image: Free Digital Photos