Take the Pictures

By Ana Borden

As a child, I remember the days my mother would have us all get dressed up for birthday and professional family photos. I remember being uncooperative, thinking of creative ways to get out of wearing stockings as well as dress shoes and the woes of taming by thick curly hair. My siblings were equally difficult those days.

It was not until I was mature enough, and especially until becoming a mother myself, that I understood the importance of taking those pictures and my parents’ (especially my mother’s) joy of having those images.

When both my mom and dad and their families left their native land of Cuba, they were stripped of all their belongings, including photographs. Imagine not having pictures of family members and friends, celebrations, baby pictures, of special places and of just living life.

Through the decades, just a handful of snapshots have been passed on in letters written by extended family members to include in a very small album of theirs and my grandparents’ lives.

Fast forward to today, and I am grateful for the ease, technology and resources to take all of the pictures of our family’s special moments and the ability to share them, even instantly.

We find a lot of joy reminiscing on the past. Our children are amazed how they have grown every time we look at the photos. I’m in wonder of how God has helped us develop the technology to remind us of the joy of living and of our loved ones.

What are your favorite family moments to photographs?