Time and Memories

Christmas 1999 - The end of a century, marked by my niece Nichole and I baking cookies. That's what I remember first, when I look at this picture. Yet, it tells me so much more: it reminds me that I was pregnant when this shot was taken, and that I miscarried only weeks later; that I was an aunt in this picture, but I was also a mother.

It reminds me of my own mother, camera in hand, chronicling the every move of her children. As a kid, I dismissed it as her hobby. Now I see how important photographs are to a family.

Pictures spark memories, they enshrine a bit of our history. Like milestones, they tell us where we've been. Like memorials, they evoke feelings of pride and joy, of sadness and loss. They help us count our blessings, to thank God for every day shared with our loved ones.