 |
| Gramma, Pawpaw, and our 2 grandbabies |
If you know me at all, you know I detest (Hate with a capital H) my picture being taken.
I'd rather be behind the camera, thank you very much.
The Flaws:
When I look at photos of myself I just cringe. ugghh! I dislike the way I look, the double chin, glasses slightly askew, my hair.. always looks messy.. I could go on and on.
What They See:
BUT I learned along time ago that when the day comes that you are gone. Your children and grandchildren won't look at your photos and see all your flaws.
They only see you, their mama, their gramma. The woman they love. The woman they miss.
- They see the twinkle in your eye from the funny joke you just cracked, not your glasses.
- They notice that your hair was always "messy" because you never stopped moving, cooking, cleaning, helping with homework, etc to bother looking in the mirror at yourself.
- Seeing you in your apron in the kitchen with flour all over yourself reminds them of the homemade pizza (or insert your famous recipe here). They can almost smell it when the see the photo.
 |
| Me (Gramma) and my granddaughter making her first pizza. |
So you stop and smile:
We Stop the negativity: Women, especially us women. We are so hard on ourselves. (me too!) We just avoid having our photos taken.
What message are we sending our daughters? What are we telling our sons to expect from their wives? We teach our children about life, themselves, and how they should be by our actions even more than our words. What are we teaching them when we say: I hate my picture. I am so this, and so that. We may never grow to like having our photos taken (I won't) but we can learn to suppress our angst over them. Stop sending out negative messages.
We Smile: We have all lost people we love suddenly with no warnings. What if that is you. How many precious pictures have you left for them? seriously..how many?
You do not know when the last time to document those precious memories will be, so please, please, do it for them. sit for the pictures. Smile and hug, and laugh in them.
 |
| My children with their Great Nana Kelley. many years ago. It was probably the last one they all got with her. |
