For Posterity

She's always been a goof.

I've been working on pulling all my pictures together in one place. It's a monumental task. I've stored pictures on so many different computers and hosting sites over the years that I can't even remember them all.

About five years ago we had a lot of wildfires in Oklahoma. A friend of mine had her home and barns burned to the ground. They worked hard and planned and rebuilt an amazing place. She spent months scouring all the yard sales, antique sales, and auctions to find beautiful doors and windows, hardware, and furniture. She has always had a great talent for bringing things together and having each item have meaning as it adds to the atmosphere of her home.

I admire her so much. I love her house. She loves her house.

It's a great house, but she doesn't have any pictures of her children.

Her children are all grown. I know she has memories of how her children looked and behaved. All those sweet little things that make our kids our kids.  But there is so much that you can forget.

I had forgotten how Auri liked to use this bookshelf as a place for the Tomten to visit. She would put a little bowl out at night filled with milk and in the morning the milk would be gone and a teeny tiny gemstone would be in it's place. She spent a lot of time rearranging and wondering if Tomten would like the new addition.

She had so much fun with that bookshelf. So proud of what she made. So amazed that the Tomten would come and watch over us each night.

I wouldn't have believed I could forget that.

But I did.

This is why I treasure every picture.

Why I grieve for my friend's loss.

Why I took it as a lesson.

It always seems like it's impossible for you to forget these moments when you're living them, when you're laughing and cherishing your child.

I'm grateful I have pictures.

Because I just learned that it's not as impossible as I thought.

Auri's home for the Tomten.