Photos

When we got married and moved into our first apartment my husband said, "Pictures should be of people."

Ever since, although there is some art work on the walls in other rooms, our living rooms have always had a group of photos of family members on one wall. Other pictures of our kids and grandkids stand in frames on bookshelves and dressers throughout the house.

Some of the photos on the wall are of my ancestors and were taken in the 1800s, well over 100 years ago. In order to protect them from sunlight the frames contain ultra-violet resistant glass or plastic and a few of the pictures are actually copies of the originals which were scanned and printed from my computer so the originals can be kept safely in dark places.

I look at the pictures on the wall every day.

Long ago cameras could only take twelve, twenty-four or thirty-six pictures on a roll of film and now we can easily take hundreds - or even thousands - of shots with our digital cameras. But will those pictures still be viewable in a hundred years?

Technology keeps changing and in a few decades we may not be able to access pictures taken today.  And even if we print out copies on photo grade paper we don't know how long it will take for the ink to fade away.

That's why when I take an especially good picture of grandkids or other family members I have it printed at my local drugstore. That doesn't cost much and it seems worth it to be sure the picture will be available for future generations to see.

Maybe one of them will think pictures should be of people and want to display them on a wall.

Sentimental Stuff

Okay, I admit it; I'm a packrat. When we moved away from a house where we'd lived for thirty years I was amazed at the amount of stuff we got rid of. But there are some impractical things I expect to keep for the rest of my life. Those are the sentimental reminders of my kids.

When my mother died and my brother and I went through her stuff we were both extremely touched by what she found. Of course we expected the family photos, which brought back warm memories, but I was surprised to see the artwork and writing I'd done as a child, some of which was actually quite good. The fact that my mother had kept it showed that she had been proud of my accomplishments and finding it reminded me of her love.

Someday when my own kids and grandkids discover the treasures I've kept I hope it will remind them of my love for them.