Like many families, every year we create a calendar. Around December, I begin by looking through all the pictures our family has taken over the last year. We then select somewhere between three and twelve to put with each month. In total that means around fifty to sixty photos end up representing our year at a glance. A small number curated from almost a thousand.
While I’m sure the family members who receive this gift appreciate it; the act of creating provides me with the greatest present.
It gives me an opportunity to pause and reflect on a year filled with incredible moments – only a small fraction of which were ever captured in a photograph.
Earlier this month, in an effort to get us all into the Christmas spirit, I went through our digital library to create a collection of photos from our past Christmases. This album was then sent to our digital picture frame; providing us a constant photographic stream of merry memories to view throughout the month.
Again the process of curating that collection was a moment of reflection bringing both tears and immeasurable joy as I considered how much joy my family has brought me and how much I have to be grateful for.
Looking through pictures whether in an old school photo album, a digital library, your phone or even your mind’s eye, reminds us of what we have, what we’ve lost and – perhaps most of all – what remains important.
Just like the lyrics in the Ed Sheeran song, Photograph, say:
“We keep this love in a photograph. We made these memories for ourselves.”
As the year comes to a close, take a few minutes to break out the love that is in a photograph. And don’t forget to take a few new pictures that can bring you joy when you reflect on them for years to come.