Will You Remember This Moment 9 Years From Now?
The human brain is amazing. It generates enough electricity to power a light bulb. It continues working hard as you sleep. It even literally lights up on a scan when you’re in love… But when it comes to our memories the sands of time are rarely on our side. Whether it be aging, or the general chaos of life, there will not only be moments, but DETAILS permanently lost from our minds.
As a photographer, it annoys me as I reflect on a tough anniversary; Nine years ago today my mother passed away, and one of the few regrets I have in regards to her passing is the lack of time we set aside to take portraits. It just seemed so unnecessary at the time.
In fact, the last time my whole family took a professional portrait was when I was around 6-years-old. So what happened? What happened during years 7 through 18? Sure we have snapshots at random family gatherings, or events, but most the time we were all frazzled looking and being difficult. For mom, the photo was usually a quick break from the kitchen, and us kids could barely stand still long enough to take the picture. Some days, mom was lucky to even be IN the picture. So every year it looked the same. We were all just a little older.
Looking back, I wish we had documented ourselves in the best light… I wish we had captured HER in her best light. The fact of the matter is (as Benny Lewis would say), “There are seven days in a week, and ‘someday’ shouldn’t have been one of them.” Because here’s the thing…
My mother was beautiful. Not just physically, but she was beautiful when my dad was making her laugh. She was beautiful when her kids were around her. She lit up a room. I always love looking at those snapshots; But little beautiful details are missing, because they were rushed and impersonal. There are details missing only a creative 3rd person would have thought to capture. And I want to cry my heart out, because I’M starting to lose the memory of those details. And that annoys me.
It has been almost a decade since I’ve seen my mother’s smile, the color of her eyes, or the way she looked at my dad. And through the chaos of the years, the memory-making of beginning my own family, and just plain ol’ getting old, those little details are slipping.
So I’ll ask again,
“Will you remember THIS moment 9 years from now?”
Look around you at those you love, and ask yourself, what will you never want to forget in this season of life? What will you never want THEM to forget about YOU at this moment?
Capture that… and do it over and over again.
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Michele Noel
May 1957 - October 2010
Michele & Jennifer | 1990