Snapshots of the Past

Store photos in an acid free photo box

Today I took a stroll down memory lane. I had been collecting and storing my photo memories in a suitcase I purchased in Mexico a little over 15 years ago. The trip itself was memorable, but the weight of the photos collecting in it was wearing thin on the suitcase's wicker frame. 

Many of the photos were taken during my tenure as a single in a locals singles ministry. Photos from mission trips, dances, parties, and retreats all documenting the fun and friendships that were built within that group. They are memories I'll never forget or let go. 

Other photos documented the growth of children in the family, Christmas celebrations, and family reunions.

And others reminisced my days in high school and college.  

Each photo represented a memory that at the time I longed to never forget. Trips along the gulf coast. Sunny Californa and the deserts of Arizona. There were the mountains in Utah. The St. Louis Arch. And many of the back roads and scenic routes back home again in Indiana.

However, as I went through the photos, there were many that were fuzzy, dark, too far away, or too close. There were odd shots that looked like my thumb, or the floor. There were many repetitious snapshots. And some my friends would strangle me if they knew I possessed it. 

With those, I tossed them. Yes, I tossed away some memories. But, why? With many of the photos, I had ordered double prints. I only need one shot of me in front of the fireplace mantle. I only needed one of me doing a trust fall. I only needed one of my mom hugging my grandmother. 

Others were memories, that while cherished at the time, were no longer needed to be kept. Best friends with ex-husbands, old boyfriends, and faces no longer recognizable. Shots that were thought to be funny at the time, only to be considered childish and juvenile now. 

Yes, I threw away some memories, but the ones I kept were the ones I never want to forget. All of the group shots of "the girls" at retreats, dinners, parties, and dances. All of the shots of my best friend and I hanging out wherever we may have been that day. Special snapshots of far away places I've visited. Photos of family members at various stages of life. Memories I'll always cherish.