Memory making.....
It's something I always strive to do, but oftentimes fall short. Yes, we have memories, but many times it's because of the disaster that followed the event and so forth. I have good intensions, but we know where those lead us. While packing our family for our Spring Break vacation to Red River, I had the dread, frustration, and mountains of decisions to climb. When I say dread, it's the usual Mom packs, kids run wild, mom gets frustrated, raises her voice, and we all sit in wonder of what the hell were we thinking when we decided to take a family vacation and drive 9.5 hours to ski?!?!
Well, looking back on our trip I am so very grateful for our ski trip and our time together as a family. Yes, the trip was long. Yes, the trip was full of bags, bags, and more bags. Yes, it took FOREVER to dress the kids in their warm ski gear and watch in awe as they bumbled down the walkway not knowing how to walk in ski boots. Yes, we had chaos at times of rest and meals. However, despite the usual family frustrations, (I pray that I am not just talking about myself here), we have to look past the frustrations and grab the moment, the very moment our child smiles as a result of doing something new for the first time, meeting a new friend and seeing the joy in the acceptance, we have to laugh at the messy times and then grab the camera and capture all that is new. Each moment, each second is new, and to live in that moment, we have to put aside all of our past, our expectations, our worries, and grab our little moments and soak in them.
One priceless tool that helps me "be in the moment" is my camera. I LOVE to capture photos of anything, because each photo is unique and has it's own meaning. I found myself craving my camera as we were skiing on the mountain to capture the fun we had as a family. (Now, if you have skied, you know that skiing with a large, complicated camera is a little challenging.) I only had my phone to rely on, and that wasn't the greatest device to get close up shots of the kids. I had to deal and know that behind those "not so great shots" were memories of what they were doing, the chuckles Regan and I shared as we tried to get shots and see what they were learning. Photos can never be perfect, but the photos through life have more meaning to them than the zoom, lens, or even camera type. It's our personal camera, or our perception, of the moment that enhances what the outcome becomes.
I look at our photos from our family vacation and I cherish each of them knowing that behind every crazy, unpredictable photo lies a beautiful memory that we will hold close to our hearts as long as we live.
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