Just for fun

I entered a photo contest at Costco today just for fun. I have to admit I sure am enjoying my new camera that we got around Christmas time. Gina and Laura both have such nice ones that we bought the same type. Digital photography has changed the way we live and capture life. Scrapbooking is a huge industry. I try to imagine what the social implications are that we are so obsessed with recording our days in this way. Gina once told me that we often miss out on the moment because we are so busy trying to photograph it and that she had learned to stop and take mental pictures. I've followed her advice as we've travelled through Asia. There was footage on the evening news of a mom who took her kids to Playland and as they were ready to go on some crazy ride, a t.v. reporter caught up with her. She is a mom who films everything and couldn't wait to capture this experience. As the kids bounded off the ledge with their bungee cords she started shrieking and laughing and enjoying the moment. She was elated with her kids. When it was over she realized that she had forgotten to take a picture and quite obviously could care less for the thrill of the experience. The irony of it all is that the t.v. cameras had captured EVERYTHING - her kids AND her and now she will be sent a copy of the video coverage. I often think that all our days are recorded in the lens of our Heavenly Father and they are preserved for us somewhere in heaven for our future enjoyment.

I read a slogan, "Parents don't let your kids grow up to be jpegs." We have digital pictures on our computers and the plea was to print out the jpegs into glossy prints for our scrapbooks. I joke that my grandbabies are jpegs to me until I can get my hands on them in person. I'm thankful for the internet that brings photos of my loved ones right into my home. Photos or not, nothing beats real life and I'll continue to be reminded to live in the moment and take mental pictures. And occasionally, I'll enter a  photo contest or make another scrapbook.