This weekend
there was a fire in our area.
Headlines
read,
Couple's home
destroyed by fire
It made me think of a conversation from a few
years ago. A group of us went out for lunch and were sitting around the tables
catching up. One woman was describing some of her struggles since their house
caught on fire earlier in the year. It was traumatic even though everyone got
out safely.
“But what about pictures?” I interjected.
Her response was that pictures are only
mementos from events. She still has the memories of the events and the time
shared with people.
Oh, right.
That is what pictures are to most people – they are mere reminders of
the experience – a snapshot of the time when …..
Since holding him for the last time at three
days old, there were no more memories, no experiences, and no moments that we
shared together.
The ONLY thing I had left of my son was the
pictures.
So, to me those pictures of him were
. . . .priceless,
. . . .precious,
. . . .irreplaceable!
His adoptive parents have not always sent
pictures, and even now they don't send pictures as they agreed to. But when they did send pictures, I copied
them, scanned them, even saved them to a CD and put it in our fireproof safe.
Pictures of him were not “just stuff”– they
were my sanity.
Pictures of
him
were not
“just stuff”
–
they were
my sanity
My mom gave me a formal picture of her taken about a year before she had me. She gave brought it to me the day we met (which was about two hours after our over-the-phone reunion). Yesterday, I had to get it out and hold it in my hands. I would be devestated if something happened to it.
ReplyDeletewow, WP - you got to met so soon after talkig on the phone? That is awesome. For her to give that to you in such short notice, it's almost as if she saved it for you. I'm sure it IS precios to you.
ReplyDeleteI lost everything when I became homeless 4 years ago. I still cry myself to sleep sometimes at the loss of my sons few pics I had after the adoption. They arent just things. Not in my book.
ReplyDeleteNancy