Monday, May 24, 2010
Documentary through a child's eyes
My daughter loves to take pictures. So, when she asks to take some pictures, I somewhat reluctantly hand over my $400 camera while reminding her to be careful. Then, she comes back with shots of everything in my house, ranging from one of me typing at my laptop to ten different angles of my dog's head. She captures images of her feet, our couches and china hutch, along with some unique views from each downstairs room.
Now she's outside as I write, so I can only imagine that I'm going to have a plethora of tree and plant shots, along with hundreds of brightly colored water balloon pictures as well. She's shooting another one of our dog at the moment. What a sweet doggie we've had over these past seven years, who tenderly puts up with so much "love" from our three kids.
One thing that always surprises me when I hand off the camera to one of my kids is the interesting perspective that I gain after viewing their pics. They frequently love to take pictures of our family pictures. It's as if they realize the immeasurable value of capturing the moment. They too sense that life is short. Hence, the plethora of questions about life and death and heaven and quandaries like, "What hurts more, getting eaten by a crocodile or falling into hot lava?"
When we see a picture of a picture, we regain a sense of what's important. To view a picture of a picture of my kids reminds me of how quickly they're growing; it helps me to contemplate the fleetingness of this life. Aren't we all just a picture inside of a bigger picture? The kids seem to get that but sometimes we feel so self important, as if our tiny life makes the world go round.
I think it's because we lose a sense of the vastness around us. We forget to look up at the clouds... to search for a tyrannosaurus-rex or a unicorn. But, sometimes you have to look up in order to gain perspective. You have to take your eyes off of yourself and your current problems or hardships. Instead, we must gaze at the beauty around us and soak in our children's laughter, even when those actions contradict our feelings.
My daughter just said that she loves to look up in the sky to think of our kitty who is now in heaven. She misses him, so she photographs places of his memory to think of him. Just like her, we don't forget our losses or the trials, but we can choose to loosen their grip on our hearts. Instead of living like the dead, we can honor those who are left behind by enjoying the life that we have left to live. We can revel in the mystery of a new day because we are lucky enough to wake up with a fresh start.
So, what does this mean for today? It means that you and I need to get the most out of each morning, afternoon, and evening. We need to forgive, to love, to slow down, to breathe deeply, to take the 30 seconds during our walk to smell the double delight roses that we usually miss.
It means we need to love our kids more graciously as well. To overlook the little things, like their messes, their whiny tantrums, their grumpy faces, and their plethora of "oopses". You know, the 500 spilled cups of water, milk, and juice before 10am (if yours are anything like mine). It means we make the most of what we have right now, absorbing the blessings of today instead of wallowing in the hurts and frustrations of yesterday.
Share some of your fun photo stories here. Any budding photographers in your household? We'd love to hear from you. :)
Now she's outside as I write, so I can only imagine that I'm going to have a plethora of tree and plant shots, along with hundreds of brightly colored water balloon pictures as well. She's shooting another one of our dog at the moment. What a sweet doggie we've had over these past seven years, who tenderly puts up with so much "love" from our three kids.
One thing that always surprises me when I hand off the camera to one of my kids is the interesting perspective that I gain after viewing their pics. They frequently love to take pictures of our family pictures. It's as if they realize the immeasurable value of capturing the moment. They too sense that life is short. Hence, the plethora of questions about life and death and heaven and quandaries like, "What hurts more, getting eaten by a crocodile or falling into hot lava?"
When we see a picture of a picture, we regain a sense of what's important. To view a picture of a picture of my kids reminds me of how quickly they're growing; it helps me to contemplate the fleetingness of this life. Aren't we all just a picture inside of a bigger picture? The kids seem to get that but sometimes we feel so self important, as if our tiny life makes the world go round.
I think it's because we lose a sense of the vastness around us. We forget to look up at the clouds... to search for a tyrannosaurus-rex or a unicorn. But, sometimes you have to look up in order to gain perspective. You have to take your eyes off of yourself and your current problems or hardships. Instead, we must gaze at the beauty around us and soak in our children's laughter, even when those actions contradict our feelings.
My daughter just said that she loves to look up in the sky to think of our kitty who is now in heaven. She misses him, so she photographs places of his memory to think of him. Just like her, we don't forget our losses or the trials, but we can choose to loosen their grip on our hearts. Instead of living like the dead, we can honor those who are left behind by enjoying the life that we have left to live. We can revel in the mystery of a new day because we are lucky enough to wake up with a fresh start.
So, what does this mean for today? It means that you and I need to get the most out of each morning, afternoon, and evening. We need to forgive, to love, to slow down, to breathe deeply, to take the 30 seconds during our walk to smell the double delight roses that we usually miss.
It means we need to love our kids more graciously as well. To overlook the little things, like their messes, their whiny tantrums, their grumpy faces, and their plethora of "oopses". You know, the 500 spilled cups of water, milk, and juice before 10am (if yours are anything like mine). It means we make the most of what we have right now, absorbing the blessings of today instead of wallowing in the hurts and frustrations of yesterday.
Share some of your fun photo stories here. Any budding photographers in your household? We'd love to hear from you. :)
Labels: documentary, family, kids, moms, perspective
