Take the Picture

Can we stop and be thankful for family snapshots? If you ever see a family that seems to have their act partially together one day, like the mom put on makeup, and the kids are only 75% sweaty, be the hero: Offer to take that family's picture. Matt's cousin was walking by as Charlotte was throwing pinecones into the river, and even though he was on a mission as the host at his daughter's birthday party, he said, "Want me to take a picture of your family?"

Charlotte smiled, pinecone still poised, and Portia waved. I could almost feel the clouds part and the angels sing.

Recently, one of my husband's best friends passed away. He was freshly 30 years old, healthy, fit, a husband, and the father of two babies. My heart aches for the Amos family. All they have now are those precious memories and pictures. Years before he passed, he wrote a song (after a fellow police officer had died) for his wife, and they played a recording of him singing it at the funeral, "I am ready. So if today's the day, when I say goodbye and I see His face, I want you to know, I love you. I am ready, so if the time is now, when He takes me home and says, 'Welcome, child.' I want you to know, I love you." Oh, how thankful I am for the promise of heaven and the gift of Jesus Christ.

It was also a reminder for us to make time for the humans in our lives. The friends we never get together with, or the family members we don't make time to talk to... Make what is important important. Prioritize the people you love. Take the picture.