Take a picture

 As I was getting ready for Church this morning, God gave me a nudge. Nothing earth shattering, nothing profound, although some might say it was. No, just three words...take a picture. I went, "hmph," and continued fussing under my breath at the fourth shirt I pulled from my closet that doesn't fit as I'm losing some weight. On purpose. During the holidays. Smh.

Then, when I was in the service today, our Pastor asked what we were grateful for. See, 2020 has done a number on all of us, and yet, for all the stink it's managed to dish out, there are still things that we can be grateful for. Our homes, our families, just to name a few. Which brings me to the pictures.

For quite a few years I didn't like my picture taken, and it had to be a certain shot, heavily filtered, or it got deleted or destroyed.  I don't remember getting rid of a lot of them, but some definitely met the fire. Why? Because I'd gained an enormous amount of weight, and I hated it. I hated what I looked like. Didn't matter how much I'd tried to cover or conceal, the straight up fact was I didn't like what I saw. Vanity, I suppose, self-centeredness, perhaps, but more like a bit of self-hate going on. Snapchat became a good friend because I could get rid of the imperfections.

A few years back, someone mentioned that they'd wished their mom had allowed more pictures of her to be taken. Their mom had passed away, and the family had precious few to look at and remember her by, which got me to thinking about what my family would have of me. They'd have the ones that I thought I looked decent in, sure, but what about the times I didn't?

As I listened to the Pastor's sermon today, I drifted back to that thought. I mean, I allow those pictures to be taken now, but there are still some that are censored. But the "what are you grateful for" got to me. Regardless of the situation of the day, I can honestly tell God thank you before I go to bed, because even despite the turmoil, or the frustration, something in my day made me smile, or at least made me stop being fumed for even a second. 

Okay, are y'all dizzy now, wondering where I'm going with this?

The pictures...they need to be taken, regardless of how good you think you look. The candid shots are perhaps a glimpse of you that your family didn't often see, whether you were somber, mad, or flat out goofy. The posed ones reflect happy times, the professional ones maybe when you needed to mark a milestone, but they all paint a picture of you...a picture that one day your family will be grateful that they have when you are long passed. 

I posted a picture of my Granma two days ago, as it would have been her birthday. I have very few that were candid, but really, I remember her always being well put together. Perhaps it was a product of the time she grew up, but I rarely remember her not looking her best, and that reflected in her pictures. I will tell you, I wish I had some when she was puttering in her garden, or in the kitchen cooking, or teaching me how to crochet. I'm thankful for those memories that I have, but they are my memories that my children and grandchildren don't have...there is no physical proof that my Granma was all that and a bag of chips. So was my other Grandma, Nanny, can't leave her out. That woman was flat out one of the greats, and both were dearly loved.

So, in this age of 2020, there will be some who will gather as "normal", some who will video call, and some who will stay home, but make sure there are pictures, with you in them. And then, look at them, don't just stuff them in a drawer someplace, don't delete them. Take them out on occasion and relive the memories...be grateful that milestones have been marked, that special times have been recorded. Remember those who have gone before us and then contemplate all of those pictures. Be grateful you have them, and then take some more. Be grateful for even the candid shot...the ones with you chowing down on the turkey, or sitting reading to your children or grandchildren. The ones that have you sticking out your tongue, or even the ones that don't show you in your holiday best mood. They all tell your story. Your children, their children, and their children will be thankful for the memories you preserved, even if some were not the most flattering.