(Written on the 19th of July, 2022)
It’s not every moment of our lives that become defining moments, but when those moments come, we know know without a shadow of doubt that they have come to transform us; and they are not always pretty.
A few weeks ago, a dear friend of mine lost her sister very suddenly. To say my friend is broken is such an understatement. Over the weeks since then, she has shared a lot of photos with her sister in them, but you can tell who really loved taking the photos – her sister, Wendy. It seemed that Wendy looked for every opportunity to capture the memories that she knew her mind might forget, so with whatever means, she would take the photo and make sure she’s in it, too. Oh, how intentional Wendy was, because it is these same photos that have become what her family can treasure now she’s gone.
Hard! But true. I used to take a lot of photos on my phone a long time and make loads of videos too. But life happened, and somewhere along the line, I stopped. I also realised that even in the ones I took, you would never find me in them. This gave me much to think about. If the time came and I had to leave this world, what memories will those I leave behind hold on to? Yes, I have complained that the camera on my phone is rubbish, but I’m pretty sure I can do something about that.
It’s time to BE MORE WENDY in the way I make the memories and freeze them to be cherished forever.
It’s really hard to lose a loved one, and I feel so dearly for my friend, Susan. But I want to thank her for sharing all the memories she had with her sister with us. It has encouraged me, if not transformed me.
Rest on, Wendy. You truly are loved!
Alethea's Mind 
Photos: I am swimming in photos. My folks gave me tubsful of family photos when they went to assisted living. I am still scanning and organizing; the plan is to put them on thumbdrives and distribute to my brothers and sisters. While working on this (boring) project, I often wonder if anyone will ever look at them.
I used to be into scrapbooking. I need to get back into some kind of club for that. I think, if the photos are in books, and out within grabbing distance, they are more looked-at. But that takes so much time. Maybe if we made it a regular family activity…
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It’s totally true that if the photos are in a book, they’re more likely to be looked at. As a photographer, I’ve realised that if these images are not printed, they get lost in the sea of selfies and random pictures. But the work in getting them into the books can be boring, like you said. Don’t stop. I’m sure your brothers and sisters will appreciate what you’ve done. And if there’s ever a reason for you all to get together again, looking at them together will wake up fond memories.
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You’re right, and thank you. I needed encouragement.
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🥰🥰🥰
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When you get to be my age you think of it more. I used to have more pictures with me and my grandchildren but after my knee went out on me 1.5 years ago, and children are no longer sitting on my lap, the pictures with me and my grands seemed to be becoming few. And so I am on a campaign to get pictures of me with my kids and my grandkids.
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Maybe they can sit beside you for the photos because as they grow, they’ll also become too heavy to carry 😄
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Oh, they are all too heavy to carry now. The youngest is five and the oldest is 24, and there are 14 of them, and only five of them are now shorter than me. But there are a few still small enough to sit on my lap. But we have been taking pictures with us all standing up, and that is working. Thank you, Tosin. I appreciate your professional advice. We can look at that, too. 🙂
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I like how you called it professional advice 😅. Love you, Sue
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Love you, too, my friend!!
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