Take The Picture. It's All You'll Have Left When They Are Gone.
The one thing I never experienced was a shortage of photos of my mom.
This became even more critical after she passed away.
My mom had a youthful spirit, and mentored the youth. She was also present in the era of social media and mobile phones with cameras and she utilized all of these things (including Snapchat filers). LOL.
She never was too shy to take a picture, even a silly one, as well as silly and serious videos.
So, no matter how many more years I have remaining on earth, I will never ever forget my mom’s face, because I have so many pictures and videos to refer to.
She was also an avid collector of pictures, so she left behind photos she collected of her life and time growing up and as a young woman, and even of me growing up.
Pictures document history. Pictures cement memories.
While it may feel vain to snap pictures all of the time, when your love one is no longer here or maybe when you’re no longer here, all that those you’ll leave behind will have left to remember you by will be the lessons they have learned from you, the writings you have shared, the recipes you created, the memories you created (good and bad), and the photos you took.
I often wondered why some people don’t share photos/memories of their loved ones in public ways such as social media. I wondered, don’t they love their departed loved ones?
What I came to realize are a few things:
For some people the loss is just too painful so therefore they do not share anything about their loved one, they keep it in.
For some, they are private and would rather not share anything and would rather remember and honor privately.
For some people, their loved one passed away during a timeframe when taking pictures wasn’t as easy as a click on their mobile phone – so therefore there really are no pictures to share.
For some, as a result of poverty, there was no camera to take pictures.
For some, people shy away from taking photos and therefore hardly any photos exist of the shy family member.
I encourage anyone reading this blog to take the photos.
Don’t worry about how you look, or if your hair is perfect, or if your make up is perfect etc.
Trust me, when you are gone, your loved ones are only going to think about the warm memories they shared with you and the fact that they can gaze into your eyes and look at your photos from time to time and never ever forget your face.
Kinyatta E. Gray is a best-selling author who wrote and released her first book in October 2019 about the loss of her mother. Kinyatta's goal is to spread awareness about grief and loss, following one's inner voice and sharing messages of love, peace, hope, and light.
KinyattaGray.com
@kinyattagraytheauthor
My Mom and I on Mother’s Day 2018. She passed away in October 2018.
My spouse Ju, and I on Mother’s Day 2018.