When my 11 year old nephew recently shared some of his writings, I couldn't help but feel drawn to the piece below. This afternoon I combed through numerous photos in an attempt to find one that fit. There were several options that I shared with him to ensure this post was a collaborative effort. It seemed only fitting that he chose a photo of his sister, taken from one of my fondest memories of my nieces and nephews.
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Throughout some years of my life, I have questioned why we take photographs at some places we go, and if it's really worth going through all of that positing of the face and body, especially in fancy pictures. Although now, I realize that photographs are memories, and even though we may remember them for along time, they start to fade away. With photographs, you can at least remember something, and when we are not of this Earth, future generations will hear the stories of pictures, and will pass that down to other generations as well. As painful as pictures may seem, they are a crucial part of keeping memories alive and well.
By: Oscar Bender-Stone