A Thousand Words

40 Years of Family Photos

It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words. If that's true, then I could now write an anthology.

I have been staying at my parents' house since this pandemic began and it has given me a chance to do something I have wanted (and needed) to do for years. I have been sorting through closets and drawers full of things from my childhood: clothes, photos, receipts, souvenirs, toys, videos, school work, and more. I've thrown away a few bags worth of things, but I've also kept some items that still have meaning. My collection of PEZ dispensers, my Jurassic Park Giga Pet, and my Walkman and cassette tape collection (Ace of Base was my favorite) bring back great memories of the wonderful decade that was the 90s. However, the things that bring me the most joy are the photos that remind me of the significant people in my life and the times I've had with them.

After going through my own things, I decided to tackle the cabinet full of family photos going back to about 1980. These photos were piled in boxes, many of which hadn't been looked at for years. I wanted to be able to see and share them so, after going through and sorting them (probably close to 10,000 photos), I scanned and uploaded 2,834 of them into Google Photos.

My sister and me with our grandparents

What I love about photographs is that, while they only capture a single moment in time, they remind me of a whole experience - an event, a trip, a person or group of people, a time period, or a feeling. That moment will never happen again in the exact same way, but the experience can be relived in your mind over an over and photographs make the memories so much more vivid. Some of the photos I found were of events that happened when I was too young to remember them, but seeing the photo makes me feel connected to the person or place. My mom's parents died when I was only five years old so I don't have many memories of them. Seeing photos of me with them, though, helps to fill in the fuzzy memories that I do have and I feel closer to my grandparents.

What's also great about photos is that they allow us to invite others into our lives and our experiences on a much deeper level. While that may seem obvious, it's so much more remarkable than we realize. Modern photography wasn't invented until the 1820s and those photographs were nothing compared to the ones I can now take with my DSLR (or my new iPhone for that matter). Before that, people could get some fairly realistic portraits painted, but they had no other way to record themselves in time besides their own fleeting memory. A photograph is just light being captured on film or a sensor in a certain way, but it has the powerful ability to bring back memories, inspire awe, and trigger strong emotions. That is one reason why I have always loved photography since I took my first class in high school.

My friend Brett shared this poem a couple of weeks ago and it made me think about some of the places I've been and the experiences I've had with others.

Child of Mine, come
as you grow in youth
you will learn
the secret places
the cave behind the waterfall
the arms of the oak
that hold you high
the stars so near
on a desert ledge
...the important places. 

And, as with age, you choose
your own way
among the many faces
of a busy world
may you always remember
the path that leads back.
...back to the important places.
-Dad to Forest, 1986

Grand Canyon c. 1990

Photographs take us back to those important places. Looking through old photos has reminded me of many people, places, and experiences I've had. I found one photo of me at the Grand Canyon when I was only about five years old. I didn't even remember that I had been there but I found out that our family stopped on the way home from a trip to Arizona. Having just visited the Grand Canyon again in November, it made me think about how much different I am now and how many experiences I've had since I was that five year old with my Ninja Turtles t-shirt and my jean shorts. There is no way for me to remember every experience I've had in life, but photos can help me remember at least some.

While we deal with this virus pandemic, I don't know how soon we will all be able to visit our favorite places with our favorite people again. For now, the memories of both will have to do. Since most of us keep our photos on our phones and social media now, it's easy for us to go back, remember those times, and share with others. If you haven't looked for a while, scroll back in time through your photos on your phone (or your Facebook or Instagram page). I did that this week and it brought a smile to my face many times.

Here are some of my favorite memories and significant people from my life that I found in my photos:

Click here to see this whole album and see the photo descriptions.

I challenge you to find a photo or two of an important place, person, or event from your camera roll or social media and reconnect with somebody from that experience.

If there's a photo in the album I shared above that you were part of (or even if there isn't), I would love to hear a memory you have of that experience or another experience you and I had together in the comments.