A Picture is Worth (more than) A Thousand Words

 Sunday was "sibling day" on Facebook, and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed looking at pictures of people's families. In some pictures I knew all the siblings, in others I only knew one or two. But it was great to see everyone's families.

And this year I even had one to share...and then I see that two of my sisters shared the same picture! At my insistence, with only minor push back, I got everyone to line up for a picture after Mom's funeral. 

I will be forever glad that we took that picture. For one thing, we found a couple of pictures that were good of everyone, which is amazing. Seems someone in each picture usually has a weird smile or closed eyes, or was distracted by something to the side. But mostly I am just glad that we got that picture so that I can look at it and be happy that these four other people in the picture are my family.

The reluctance of those who resisted is understandable. Pictures, especially those where everyone lines up and has to smile for the camera, don't always turn out. Or at least that's what we think. Actually we just don't like pictures when they look like we really do.

In my genealogy research I came to realize the significance of pictures of people. Finding a picture of an ancestor is akin to striking genealogical gold! In my mind they become much more real and human after I see pictures of them.

I have been going through Mom's photo albums and boxes of pictures. Some of them are kind of insignificant, like all the vacation pictures and cattle photos, but the real treasure is the pictures of people. Old Christmas cards with pictures that Mom kept have brought back memories. Sadly, many of the photos are of people who are no longer with us, so that makes them even more precious. Graduation pictures of siblings and cousins bring back great memories of younger days. Baby pictures of her kids and grandkids are special. 

As I went through them, Mike and I talked about some of those people, many who we hadn't thought of in years. And we recalled times with those people that we hadn't thought of in decades...that we can even remember some of this stuff is a miracle!

I am finding old pictures therapeutic. Both Mom and Dad failed much before their death, so my most recent memories of them were of them being weak and ill. The photo albums helped me recall the days when they were robust and full of life and energy. They brought back memories of vacations and family projects. These just made me remember how our lives were back then.

So, I know it sounds like I'm just rambling here, but there is a message in all of this. Not every one of us is a photographer, nor do we care to be, but it doesn't take a pro to get pictures of people and events. Everyone has a phone that will take pictures, and those phones are always at hand, so snapping a quick photo isn't a difficult task. Studio photographs are wonderful, and we try to get as many of these as we can, but the impromptu snapshots of family are also wonderful. There has been a trend for semi-professional photographers to want to do family sittings...take them up on it. You will never be sorry.

So when you find that someone is running around getting pictures, don't put up your hand or hide your face or be difficult about it. If someone wants you to line up for a family picture, don't grumble and resist. Those pictures become more precious over time. Ten, twenty or fifty years down the road, when some of the people in the picture are no longer with us, those looking at the pictures will treasure the memories and a chance to see their loved ones again, if only in a picture.

And those studio portraits! Graduation pictures, wedding pictures, school pictures...treasure them. These are a pictorial biography of people's lives. They chronicle how we looked in each grade at school. They are a permanent reminder of how we looked as we graduated from high school and began our lives as adults. Wedding pictures show people on what is likely the happiest day of their life. Get the pictures, share the pictures and above all, guard those pictures.

In going through family photos, I just want to share one picture that means so much to me. It is my mother's graduation picture. I may be biased, but I think she was beautiful at the ripe old age of 17. Her beauty lasted throughout her life, although it changed and matured as she aged. Or maybe I am just seeing through eyes of love!