by Terri
This
Thanksgiving was the first in several years that my oldest son was home for the
holiday. He and his girlfriend have been
living in Dallas and it never made sense for them to come home for Thanksgiving
when they would be coming three weeks later for Christmas. But they moved back
home a couple of months ago so we were all together for Thanksgiving and it was
wonderful! And I was so busy enjoying it
(not to mention cooking, cooking, cooking) that I didn’t take one. single.
photo. You heard me right. Not one.
Well, there was one. Taken on my cell
phone during an after dinner hike in the desert.
My excuse is
that I was so in the moment that picking up my camera never entered my mind.
And I’m both happy and sad about that.
Happy that I was really able to focus on what was going on around me,
the smiles on the faces of my family, the laughter and the fun. We watched the
National Dog Show and some old home movies (lots of laughter there!) And sad
because I would have really liked to have had pictures of our day together. But
unless you hire a professional photographer to come and record those moments,
you will either be more focused on the picture taking trying capture them
yourself or you will miss having the photos. I think I'd rather be focused on the moment. We'll have other photos but we will never have this moment again. "That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet." ~Emily Dickenson
But I am so
grateful for the wonderful holiday we had, whether it is recorded in photos or
not. So very grateful. I hope yours was wonderful as well and maybe you even
managed to grab some photos while you were at it. I hope you did but more than
that I hope you were able to be in the moment and enjoy it all.
Let’s don’t
stop focusing on gratitude. In the coming month, there will be so many things,
large and small, to be grateful for. Even if it’s just a sunny day or a call
from a friend. My hope is that practicing gratitude during the month of
November will become a habit that will last all year. Our December Monthly
Focus here at FOL is “Celebrate the Moment”. That’s exactly what I plan to do!
5 comments:
Nodding and listening. I had a great weekend with my granddaughters for a sleepover. The eldest (almost 10) does not want her photo taken anymore. The youngest (5) wants to touch and use the camera, likely because I let her do that a fair bit when she was 4. Yeah. So, great weekend and just a few not very good shots of it. I thought about it. I think I have to make it a habit again because I REALLY want the photos. I really do. Here we go in December, be sure to get yourself in the photos. Yes!
terri this happens to me all the time. but I think you have the right attitude...being present and focused on those special moments. so glad you got to spend time with your whole family!
What a blessing to have everyone home together. I think the pics can wait. The difference between you and Pam's comments above is probably age. With the little ones it's so brief that we hate not to capture it - and its not such a production to snap them as it is when they are older and more resistant!~ I think you will never regret focusing on your family this weekend - the joy is too great!
It is always, always a struggle. I think the best we can hope for is a compromise: snap a few photos then sit back and enjoy. While we can hold the memories and images in our hearts, the others can't. Years from now, even a photo or two will remind them - Oh, yeah! Remember that great Thanksgiving Day at Mimi's house ... ?
And I'm always glad that our Gratitude Month takes us right into the holiday season. I firmly believe that practicing gratitude throughout the holidays opens up our hearts and eyes to the real joys of the season. And of course, this is true 365 days, or 366, as the case may be next year.
You sure hit on a familiar topic! I had my camera charged and ready when my son and his family arrived! Didn't take any photos....I too was so caught up in the pure joy of every minute that they were here! I think that when you get so caught up in capturing that perfect image, you miss out on what matters most! Im glad you had such a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that trail looks so inviting! Thanks for sharing!
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