Snapshots
While visiting my sister, Adele, in Texas, I spied a photo album sitting on one of her office shelves. My sister has always been a picture person. You’d think our mother had only one child (instead of five) because it was always Adele’s pictures that graced my mother’s living room, bedroom and wallet.
My sister not only enjoyed having pictures taken of herself but you could count on her to be the one with the camera at family events so when I saw the photo album, I eagerly pulled it off the shelf hoping to take a walk down memory lane.
I wasn’t surprised to see a huge picture of her on the cover. I shook my head and smiled. But then, I opened the album to the first page and found…. nothing! I flipped to the second page – again, it was blank. I hastily turned one page after the other only to find that the album was completely empty. No loose pictures slipped out from the back. None were tucked in the middle. I flipped the photo album back to the cover where my sister’s teasing smile seemed to say, “Fooled you didn’t I?”
I grinned and thought, “Yes, you did!” But then, wait a minute. I picked the book up and slowly flipped though each page again. Strong revelation hit with amazing clarity. I’d picked up this photo album expecting to see scenes from my past but instead I found empty picture slots. Our minds are very much like an album. We store snapshots of our various life experiences in our memories. And just like a photo album, we have the ability to pick and choose which picture we want to include.
Are there some memories you’d rather not continue to keep pulling out and reflecting on or sharing with others? Take them out! They don’t have to stay in your memory album forever. Is this denial? No, it’s simply acknowledging that this is one picture you don’t care to look at anymore. After all, it’s not helping you nor bringing you any pleasure so why keep it? Learn the lesson that particular snapshot held for you and move on.
All of life is a lesson made up of stories and pictures. Dwell upon the ones that lift you up and encourage you to be all that your Creator meant for you to be. Smile, you’re on Candid Camera! Can I Get An Amen?!
Edwina Frazier (c) 2004 All Rights Reserved
