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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

My daughter turned 11 this week. Any time my children have a birthday, I find myself looking through old photos of them and remembering how they use to look and the things we used to do. My mother just sent me a photo of Emma I’d never seen before. My mother makes calendars and scrapbooks of her grandchildren, and said this was the photo on the calendar for my daughter’s birthday. It made me smile from ear to ear. I probably looked at that photo for 10 seconds before I caught myself smiling.

In the picture, my daughter looks to be around 5. Her hair is long and with her natural curls, her hair looks somewhat wild. It made me wonder if she was playing outside earlier, or if this was fresh morning hair. You know how crazy little kids’ hair can be when they first wake up — their eyes all sleepy as they stumble out of bed and look to see who else in the house is awake.

Upon further inspection, I see that she is sitting on the edge of the bed in our guestroom. This is the room that my mother sleeps in when she stays with us. So the crazy hair, the room, the angle that the photo was taken — either this is early in the morning, or during quiet time when her younger sister was napping. I know how much my mother likes to sneak away with the older ones and have a little one-on-one time.

If I could post the photo in this article, I would. My daughter can be one of the most photogenic people, absolutely stunning. She can also take some of the worst photos. The picture that my mother sent is just adorable. The way she’s looking directly into the camera makes you feel like she’s looking directly at you. You feel a connection.

I’m sure my mother wanted to capture her look that day. The way she was sitting, her hair kind of everywhere — kids grow so fast and my mom knows this. Taking a few seconds to snap a photo helps keep a moment forever. I know my kids used to be little. I remember how they looked and acted. However, when I see a video or a photo of them from years ago, there is always something that catches my attention. Something that makes me go, “Oh yeah, I forgot they used to do that.”

I have been trying to take more photos recently. It’s hard to balance being present and “hold on I need to take a photo of that!” I am getting better at it. The part I still struggle with is actually posting the photos or sharing them with loved ones. I was just looking at photos from the last two months, and I have a ton that I took and never shared. Spring break, mini trips, birthday party and my parents visiting are all just sitting on my phone waiting to be enjoyed. I should probably send them to my mom so she can make a calendar or a scrap book for me. 

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears every Saturday.