What If I Forget?

I love taking pictures. It's a hobby I'm really no good at, and don't really care to be-I just genuinely love capturing memories in a 4 by 6 rectangle I can have forever. 

Truthfully, I haven't printed pictures since I printed the ones from Will's arrival day and the few days that followed, with the exception of ones Walker has needed for projects here and there. 

The pictures in our home are dated-most from when we were only a family of

three. 

Despite this, I love a good photograph. Or a bad one-doesn't matter to me. What I love is the memory it holds. 

At times, I'm lovingly picked on by my family and closest friends for whipping my iPhone out to capture everyday moments. And let's face it, I'm  probably also made fun of by some Facebook followers who don't really care to see how high my boys can climb. But you know what?  I truly don't care. I know a moment I want to hold in my heart forever when I see one. 

My grandmother cherished pictures, and perhaps she's the one who instilled this love in me. She made each grandchild a photo book, and now that she's gone, it's one of my most prized possessions. There's almost nothing better than looking back on times I wouldn't otherwise remember. Moments frozen in time for me to relive and enjoy all over again-sometimes I can hear the laughter behind the pictures. 

I love watching my boys look back at the many printed albums we have of Walker when he was younger. I'm equally as thankful that Will isn't quite old enough to wonder why I have only one of him right now. :). Circumstances faded from Walker's memory-a trip to Disney when he was 2, petting animals at the Yellow River Game Ranch at 1, a trip to the lake with grandparents. So many memories, so little space to hold them in a growing and developing mind. Yet, photos allow them to live on forever. And ever. 

Tonight he was very sad that tomorrow our mountain trip with my family was ending. He asked me sadly, "but what if I forget?"  "You won't forget," I assured him and his eyes lit up as bright as the sunshine when I reminded him we'd taken pictures of some of the things we had done, and he could look at them whenever he wanted. His smile returned and he found security in knowing he'd never forget. (I might add that we actually had to turn him down for a few pics, as every new rock he climbed, he proudly stood atop saying "CHEEEEESE!") 

Recently I laid in bed late one night and looked through almost every Facebook album I've ever posted. (That's a whole stinkin lot of photos!)  I literally cried at some of the memories, moments time had erased from my memory, that were brought back to life for me. My heart was full as it was flooded with memories forgotten, life being lived to the full, moments in time that I can never relive, and wouldn't remember if it weren't for these 4 by 6 rectangles that I cherish so. 

One day, these boys of mine will have wives and children of their own. My house will be quiet in between their visits, and I'm sure I will have moments of sadness of how fleeting their childhood was-but I'll have the memories. Ones that I will never forget-and with the flip of a page in an album (or the click of a mouse if my printing habits don't improve), they will all come to life again-the sounds, the laughter, the smells, the emotions, the moments frozen in time that will forever be mine. Always and forever, never fading.