Hello Beautiful People. “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” — Dr. Seuss
I love pictures, music, even some smells, and how they can transport you back to a memory. I have boxes of pictures that should be digitized and pay for storage on my phone because I don’t want to delete anything. I love how we can freeze a moment in time and remember it like it was yesterday. I love how that picture can bring up feelings of love you may have felt in that moment, the laughs you may have shared, and the inside jokes that will last a lifetime.
Have you ever been walking in a store and someone walks past you and you smell their perfume, and it takes you back to a moment in time? My favorite is when we are driving with the windows down and I can smell the orange blossoms or the night jasmine. It’s like I’m time traveling back to a place and time that brings me joy. When I smell jasmine, I can vividly remember my little clock radio playing and the song, “Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind,” with a cool breeze coming through my bedroom windows. We had gone to the beach earlier that day and played, laughed, built sandcastles, came home that evening, and had a cookout. And just like that, I time traveled, all in the blink of an eye.
This week my daughter turned 30, and I combed through pictures of her over the years, wanting to post them all. I did not. Instead, I posted one that reminded me of the little girl she was — and that I was. I remember that day and that moment. I was taking care of six children and an adult who was an addict, suicidal, and suffering from depression. It had been a very long day, and I was feeling the overwhelming feeling of failure as a mom and caregiver when my daughter crawled over to me, wanted up, and when I picked her up, she started kissing my face as little kids do — big open-mouth kisses, slobber everywhere, knowing they were full of love for me. I had the camera out because I had taken some pictures of her earlier that day, and it was sitting on the coffee table next to me. The oldest of the kids I was taking care of said, “Aw, that’s cute. Can I take a picture?” I said sure, and we both smiled at the camera. Then he said, “You’re a really good mom. I’m glad you’re here with us,” and he ran off to play.
I cried for probably the eighth time that day, but that time because even though I didn’t feel like a good mom, to them I was. I was there. That picture — trust me — I am far from looking my best, but it’s a reminder to me that through it all, I tried my best. I loved, I showed up, and I was there even when it was hard. That picture gets me through the “I wish I could have been better” moments because in that moment, even when it was hard, I found a way to find the good in my life. I know sometimes things don’t feel like they are going the way you hoped, but if you look back at the snapshots of your life, I hope you can always Find The Good In Your Life.
Find The Good In Your Life 