I love looking back at old family photos.
When I see myself as a child in those bright ’90s colors, I can almost feel the wet grass beneath my toes after running through the sprinkler, taste the icy sweetness of a blue freezie, and feel my mother’s hand in mine. She is now a grandmother to my own children, her face lined with the story of a life fully lived, her hair beautifully silver-white. Yet when I look at those old photos, I am transported to a different time, when her hair was dark brown, her eyes crinkled less with her smile, and I experienced her through the wide-eyed wonder of childhood. I can close my eyes and hear her voice, her laughter, and remember her in a way that words alone could never capture.
Now that I have a family of my own, I make it a priority to have our family photos taken every year. They are a gift to my children, moments frozen in time, a chance for them to one day look back and feel the magic of childhood and remember the love, joy, and presence of their parents in the years that pass too quickly.