Pictures

Pictures. 
They've been around for quite some time.
Our reasons for taking them haven't really changed.
We take them to remember meaningful events in our lives.
We take them to remember those we love and cherish. 
Sometimes, we take them so we can remember who 
we were ourselves. Simply put, they are captured memories.

But, what fascinates me about pictures are the emotions
that they can evoke. Or even the lack thereof. 

I can look at a picture of my mother. 
And, I see a woman who raised me, who shed tears, 
who caressed my hair when I scraped a knee or when 
I told her that a boy had broken my heart. 

I see a woman who had to work too hard, who had beautiful 
sea blue eyes, a giving heart, a woman who was camera shy.

A picture of my mother takes me back to memories 
of yesteryear. It stirs deep feelings of happiness 
and grief.

Now, someone else who never knew my mother, could look
at the same picture and only see a nameless person. 

They would see a tall woman with dark hair and large curls that
frame her face. They would see a woman with a closed smile, 
dressed in a decade style appropriate outfit. They see her
hands clasped together. And, this picture would evoke no 
emotion whatsoever for the viewer of the photograph. 

It is interesting to me how a picture to one person can mean
everything in the world. Yet, to another, it is simply a 
person posing for the camera. 

And, pictures aren't the only way we remember. 
It is anything that connects us to our loved ones, to our past, to our home. 
A quilt, a cup, a piece of childhood art,..........or a photo. 
It helps us stay connected to those we love, those
who are far, and those who have gone on ahead 
to Heaven.

When someone looks at a picture of my mother, they'll 
simply see a lovely lady posing for the camera. 
But, I'll always see a picture of love.