As I post today I realize just how long it has been. I have been taking a few pictures, but hope to have the time to really get back into taking them. But for today I am using a picture that was taken by someone else almost four years ago. It was taken during my surprise 50th birthday party. In the picture are my family including my dad and my brother and sister-in-law.
In January of this year, my dad has been gone for 2 years. A lot of things have happened in my life in those two years. Just to name a few, I have celebrated the birth of two new grandsons, through my daughter's marriage in October I have acquired a new son-in-law and a new granddaughter. All are things that my parents would have been so happy about. They would have both celebrated these events with me and I would have taken lots of pictures of them enjoying all of it.
Some people think I take too many pictures. I know that sometimes I probably do. When I take a photo, I take more than one to try to get the shot, the perfect one. So many times I miss the one that I am going for, or the ones that I did take don't turn out quite as I had pictured them in my head, but for the most part, I haven't regretted ever taking a picture.
The older I get, the more I appreciate the pictures I have taken and have received over the years. It is amazing to me to see how my kids have grown into adults that I cherish as some of my best friends. As I have taken pictures of them with past boyfriend or girlfriends it makes me appreciate the ones they have in their lives now and as my daughters have given me grandkids, I get to compare the pictures of them with the pictures of their kids, and I hope to someday compare those with my great-grandkids as well.
When I see pictures of Mom and Dad, and when their birthday or death anniversary I look through my pictures and always wish I had a current one to post. I look at Dad in some of the pictures we took at his 80th birthday party and see in his eyes how tired he really was. He always put a smiling face on for me and seemed to sugar coat how he was feeling, but the signs of his health were there.
I guess where I am going with this, is err on the side of too many pictures. Irritate everyone if you have to because you really don't know when the last chance you have to take a picture of those people will be. It is an inconvenience for a moment for them to stop and smile but those pictures, one day, will be some of your most prized possessions. Pictures don't always have to be posed, snapshots, when those you love don't even know you are taking them, can be priceless.
And always know, especially with digital photos, you can always delete it, but once the moment has passed you will never have the opportunity to photograph it again.
Love your family and friends and love yourself, life is short!
