There is a lot of courage necessary to have your family pictures taken when someone is missing. Making that step is such a scary thing it takes you years to
find the courage. It is not the lack of
time or the effort it will take in finding the perfect outfits that is holding you back. And it’s not the difficulty of choosing the place
or finding a photographer. And it’s definitely
not lack of desire. In fact, you really, really, really want family pictures. You so very badly want to preserve the
memories of what you have together. You
want to preserve your daughter’s uniqueness and beautiful transformation to
becoming her true self. And your middle
son is quickly turning into a young man and you want to capture on film the
bright sunshine he spreads everywhere he goes.
And then there’s the little guy who changes every day and in many ways
looks so much like his father yet is still so much his own little self. So, no, it’s not for lack of desire…
It is the
big gaping hole that you are afraid of.
You know it will be there. How
could it not be? It will be there staring
right back at you. How do you hide the hole?
How can you cover what is so blatantly missing?
So years go by and your babies grow and change and it hurts to know you
are not capturing every single moment.
But finally,
after years and years, the desire to preserve time overcomes the fear of what
is missing and you gather all of the courage you can muster and call the
photographer. You choose a barn, old and
sturdy, that has withstood the winds of time.
It has a few holes of its own.
You gather your children around you, and it is unspoken, but they are
afraid of the hole, too. You take the
big leap together and squeeze in close and smile for the camera. And you are so pleasantly surprised to find
that the hole has been filled with the bond of strength and love that comes
from overcoming tragedy together. In fact, the
hole is barely noticeable at all because it is patched up with love that is pure and smiles
that are hard-earned but genuine, and laughter that comes freely. And you are supported by the quiet strength
of winter’s beauty that surrounds you and the old weathered barn stands in graceful silence in the background.
