My Sweet Grace, I see you growing more and more accustomed to it everyday- the camera that sometimes seems to be an extension of me, ready to snap a shot of you when the moment moves me. In some regards, it has been there your whole life. But definitely not to this extent. Being the person who you are, you have stopped on numerous times to ask, "Mommy, WHY do you keep taking my picture?". My answer is simple and it is the truth, "I take pictures when I see something that I never want to forget." Not surprisingly, you accept and understand that. As I watch you grow and change right before my eyes, I am struck with an intense desire to hold on to every single moment. What life has taught me is that we, unfortunately, really do forget some of the moments that we think we never will. I read an article not too long ago about how we are trained to celebrate all of the "firsts" in life...the first time you walked, the first time you went to school, the first time you enthusiastically declared that pink is your favorite color. But what about the "lasts"? When was the last time I nursed you to sleep? The last time you thought Elmo hung the moon? Will I remember the last time you tiptoe into my room in the middle of the night to curl up in the middle of the big bed? We all live through phases and stages, many that feel they will last forever. But here's the thing...they don't. They will pass. And when they do, all that remains are the memories. That scares me. So I take pictures. My hope is that we will all look back at these pictures someday and remember exactly who you are today. In the meantime, thank you for giving me the freedom to shoot away and capture those memories for our family. All my love.
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