SENIOR PICTURE DAY

Our 3rd President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson passed away on July 4, 1826 at the age of 83. He recognized the importance of time spent with loved ones. "The happiest moments of my life have been those which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family."

Today is senior picture day for our son, our last born.

Through the years, occasionally I would jot down memories in a small journal for each of our children. On Tuesday, February 27, 1996, 7:30 a.m. the entry reads:

"Happy Birthday, Walker! YOU are four years old today. The weather is beautiful and spring-like. It is early in the morning and it is already 61 degrees.
You will take blue cupcakes with chocolate icing and sprinkles to preschool today. Then, this afternoon, we will take you and five of your buddies to Discovery Zone. You are very excited. More to come later! I'm so glad you were born into our family four years ago on this day. Love, Mommy"

Ironically, we passed right by his preschool on our way to his photo shoot! As I watched our son posing for his senior pictures, first with a tux on and then in casual attire with his one year old Labrador Retriever, Gracie, so many remembrances flooded in and out of my mind! Just to mention a few of these...

...His actual day of birth early in the morning in 1992 when the doctor could not get him to respond at first and the pensive expression on my husband's face as he watched. Later, we heard that the cord was partially wrapped around his neck.

The smile that broke out on all of our faces every time he would call his big sis "La La", instead of her name, Leah.

How proud he was of himself on that first day of Kindergarten in 1997 in his yellow shirt, blue plaid shorts, and sneakers.

The summer before 4th grade and his disappointment over leaving two week camp, just two days after he had arrived there. We had to go pick him up after he broke his collar bone during a wrestling skills class.

The moments that he first learned to ride a two-wheeler, delighted in a sand castle, and flew across the surf on a skimboard...just to name a few...

For the 50 something woman, memories can surface in a blink of an eye, many of which can bring such JOY and some that result in sorrow. Whichever it is, gladness or heartache, memories of those we hold dear are a gift because our remembrances are evidence that we have lived and loved.

Oscar Wilde was a writer who lived from 1854-1900. In his play, The Importance of Being Earnest, he came up with this line about memories:

"Memory...is the diary that we all carry about us." I agree.

And aren't we grateful for images that are captured on film. These photographs bring a sense of nostalgia, inspiring memories to come flooding back at a moment's notice.