Photographic manipulation produced this pic of me with my son, Stuart. When the image popped up from some memory capsule online, it made me smile, and then it made me cry. That’s the way things work after a loss. Joy and sadness held together — there’s space for both.
The original is full of people I love dearly, and I love the image as it was taken. However, when the hard reality hits that there will be no more pictures of the two of us, my heart wants this to be just us.
In comes Photoshop, and like a little scissor magic, I have another picture to accompany the original. The beauty here is that where there was one picture with Stuart in it, there are now two. That’s magic I can get behind.
This photograph was taken after his law school graduation. It was a great day, and we were/are so proud of our son. His hard work and years of schooling had paid off, and we were there to celebrate his achievement.
We all take pictures on days like this — births, graduations, weddings, and celebrations of all kinds. We are in the moment and can never imagine a time when those pictures become so precious because there will never be new ones.
I’m so very thankful for every precious photograph I have of Stuart, but of course, I’m sad there will never be more to come. I have a favorite of him with each of his siblings, his children, his dad, and by himself — simple snapshots, moments in time that became treasures in the space of a heartbeat.
Take your pictures and keep them safe. Print them, don’t leave them on your phone or device. Enjoy them now and pray they are never all you have left.
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