We have a very busy weekend planned. Our youngest son and daughter-in-law are coming home from Chicago where they have lived for the past two years. Andrew and Carey have enjoyed the very different lifestyle and are planning to retrieve some furniture and their vehicle that they left here when they first moved. On top of that, our only grandson, Noah, will be baptized at his church this Sunday morning. Noah also has a football game scheduled for Saturday afternoon that all are planning to attend. Needless to say, we are excited about the weekend.
However, the event planned for the weekend that is getting the most attention is the family photo session scheduled for Sunday afternoon. As families get larger and more scattered, family photo opportunities occur less frequently and require more planning. This is especially true now that our family has morphed from being almost all male to being equally male and female. The girls add a new dynamic that Sharon loves and causes us guys to mostly scratch our heads.
Pictures are not my favorite thing. I much prefer how I looked several years ago to the way I appear now. I am not getting better looking with age and I didn’t have much to begin with. When it is printed out on a sheet of photo paper in bright color, it can be a hard dose of reality. But I love the way everyone else looks and enjoy having that moment in time captured for repeated viewing.
The greatest thing about a family photo is the family part. I have been blessed with a magnificent family. We all love each other, enjoy time together, do not argue or fight about silly stuff, allow each other to be themselves, strive not to be judgmental, and are almost always kind to one another and when we fail at that we are quick to apologize. Earlier this year when I spent ten days in the hospital with family members continually in the waiting room, there were at least fifty hospital employees who came by my bed and commented on my great family.
Sharon and I have always taken our responsibility to steward our family very seriously. Our family was born on an August afternoon in a small Baptist church sanctuary in Colorado and has grown larger and larger over the years. What began as a young couple has now grown into a significant group of people.
I already have a good idea of what this upcoming photo will look like. Considerable time and planning has been invested in what everyone will be wearing (at least on the female side of the family) and Sharon and I have scouted out a good location. But photographs can be deceiving. Some very handsome family photographs simply mask unhappiness and hurt. It is not that hard to coax a smile from those who are in the midst of a broken relationship. I am extremely grateful that the smiles we will flash to the camera Sunday afternoon will be an accurate reflection of the joy and happiness we all experience in our family. When I look at that picture in the coming years that is what I will remember most.
It will be a great picture, a genuine snapshot in time of who we are. I hope you have a similar family experience. If not, I pray that you will do what you can to strengthen your family.
Recent Comments