Tuesday, February 7, 2012

If I Had A Camera

      I have a camera; but it is very old and many of the settings don't work anymore. Oh, I can get wonderful outdoor pictures with it, but indoor pictures are blurry and "disturbing", quote Geneva, and maddening. So last week went by in a blur and that's exactly what the resulting pictures show.
      There are pictures in my mind, though, that I am treasuring.
       Every morning Gwen would come downstairs barely awake and already commenting on life. I have a picture of her, in my mind, standing on the landing in her nighty, hugging her pink-dressed doll.  She never says "Good Morning" back to me.  She says, "Hi!"  This is typical of Gwen: unconventional, real, and always herself.
       On Sunday morning sitting among our adult children and a niece, I wished I could have gotten a picture of us filling our three benches at church. It is amazing what 10 or 15 years can do to sitting in church with your children. Just look at your row of children next Sunday. All those swinging feet will soon reach the floor. Before you know it the boys and some of your girls will sit higher at the shoulder than you do.  You'll be looking up to them.  Grown up children behave nicely in church, too.
      Then there was the day that Elv took us girls shopping in Rice Lake.  He and his daughters enjoy used shops. "Hey Dad, look at this." I look on and wonder what can be the attraction to that old piece of junk. I want a picture of Elv carefully placing glass mugs in the cart... the same glasses that I see and pass up every other time I am in the used shops.
      I want a picture of that moment when Jenny and I were holding/minding her two babies at the wedding when Gabe, the camera man, walked by. Both of them leaned out and wanted him at the same time with outstretched arms.  "They like him." I commented, and Jenny proudly smiled, "Yes, they do."  
     It would be hard to capture with a camera the living room times, I suppose. We discussed "church stuff", politics, news, and opinions together at different times all week. There were numerous Rook games and child training sessions. We sang once together and had family devotions a couple of times.  I wonder how many times we cleared dishes and coffee mugs out of the living room.  After everyone left we found a pacifier and part of a medicine dispenser that we had been looking for earlier and old popcorn under the couches and cushions. Upstairs, the girls found the well-wrapped, glass coffee carafe that Jenny had bought at the used shop that day.
     They don't make a camera that catches and keeps the memories we treasure today.

                                                                                                        

5 comments:

  1. I have a camera for sale. Lovely post.

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  2. This good little article reminded of when praying Sunday and purposely trying to have a thankyou time I started with thinking of sitting in church and playing the thank-you game. We sat there in warm,close comfort of body and mind and soul. We had no fear of man breaking our peace in our country of freedom to worship as we want. We were blessed with good music and powerful words of joy, hope, peace, mercy and grace and with comfort of the scriptures. We have food and clothing in abundance. And we are privileged to sit with our children and grand-children walking in faith too. I was surprised at so much to be thankful for at one sitting.

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  3. Oh, I can't wait to come home for a bit. Jube's all into this "getting on the airplane and flying to America," thing. Thanks for the pics. -Lisl

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  4. I like your doilies Arla.

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