In Bloom

Many moons ago, after a work trip, I returned home with my digital camera loaded with pictures of one thing- the sun rising over South Carolina’s Atlantic Coast.  My boyfriend (now husband) was floored by the number of pictures I’d taken and how I delighted in looking at them.  At the time, Apple had just launched their very first generation iPhone.  I’m not an early adopter of technology, but Patrick was and still is.  He bought an iPhone and gifted it to me so that I could access those pictures and the joy they gave me at all times.  We don’t have to fill him in on this statement, but that level of thoughtfulness and generosity made him an instant keeper.  

Through the years and many generations of the iPhone, much has changed.  But, one thing remains the same.  I take lots of photos and covet every single one.  In fact, I currently have 45,459 photos on my iPhone 12 Pro Max’s photo roll.  You might have gasped reading that or thought, “thank God I’m not the only one.”  What can I say, I love looking at my photos.  It’s not uncommon for family and friends to receive random, fun photos from the past straight from my larger than life photo roll.  Looking back through them brings me lots of joy, laughter, gratitude and, often, great pause.

Today, I went to my photos and tapped “For You,” that lovely little gift of photo montages Apple generates for us.  And, as you know, one rolls into the next.  I arrived at one that had multiple photos of my son around the age of two with wild hair and a big, mostly gums but a couple teeth, smile.  It was set to sweet instrumental music.  What can I say, it warmed my heart.

It was a normal day.  The sun was rising over the coast of South Carolina, but I wasn’t there to capture it.  Instead, I was probably tired from chasing River around and keeping him fed and out of trouble and dreaming of a moment, just one itty bitty moment, to myself where nothing was required of me.  As I type, he’s eight years old and at school with a really bad haircut.  And, because mamas can’t go into the classroom with their big babies, I can’t capture photos of my little rascal and his bad haircut for most of the day.  So, I look through the ones I’ve taken day after day, week after week, year after year.

For many moms in the hustle of a normal day, caring for their little ones, we often yearn for a the day when they’ll be in school and we’ll have time to do things like take a long shower, complete the tasks necessary to maintain our jobs, have an adult conversation with a friend and the list goes on.  But, once you’re there, you realize how finite that time is.  One of my childhood besties, Robin, told me early on in my journey as a mom that “the days drag on but the years roll by.”  There’s no truer statement than that.  This morning my son popped out of bed and came into my room where I was reading my morning devotional.  He climbed into the bed and snuggled up close to me with his head on my shoulder.  In that moment, I teleported back to the days when River was an infant, and, as tired as a mother, I’d nurse him, burp him and rock and sing to him until he fell fast asleep on my chest.  And, when he did, as tired as I was and ready to put him in his crib, close the door and lay down myself, I held him longer.  If you’ve never rocked a baby down to sleep, you cannot understand the peace that comes with it.  It’s like God’s reached down from the heavens and put his loving hand directly on you.  

Today, I realized that one of the many gifts of time is perspective.  Those photos in our photo rolls are bookmarks to sacred chapters in our lives.  They remind us of times when we were on the mountain top and times when we were in the valley, and also, times when we thought we were in the valley but really just making our way down.  There are times when taking photos take us out of the present.  And, we miss the moment.  But, there are other times where those well timed photos become “the present” over and over and over again, reminding us of the sweetest times in our lives.

Today, snap a photo of your child fresh out of school, hair wild and shirt stained.  Or, maybe take a selfie, because your outfit is solid gold today.  Oh, and all those gorgeous tulips you’re passing on your walk, they deserve to be photographed, too.  All these things are great reminders that like flowers in spring, we’re all in bloom. 

Stay Divine, 

JL PARISH