Relationships in Pictures

Ever stop to think about your relationships? Spend some time looking at your pictures. I recently was looking for a photo and ended up spending too many hours much later into the night than I had planned. Pictures are reminders of our lives and our relationships...people, places, and things that have impacted us.

As I looked through the photographs, I was reminded of how much my husband and I have been through in our 19 years of marriage. We met while working for a tall ship company. We spent a summer in Alaska before getting married. We've had eight addresses and have been fortunate to have had multiple travel opportunities over the years. In that time we had a miscarriage, five degrees, two awesome boys, a well-behaved dog, career changes, seven cars, our mothers dying too young, and some form of floatation device (i.e., sailboat, powerboat, canoe, kayak, windsurfer, noodles, etc.). Our life has had its struggles as well as joys, but what relationship doesn't?

I reflected on other relationships as well. (Remember, I stayed up longer than I should have.) There were pictures of friends we've had for many, many years, along with people who had entered our lives for a very short time. It brought back memories of all the fun things we've done with others such as boating, camping, skiing, and Spring Breaks. Some friends show up in pictures year after year, while some exist in one lone picture (but still a memory and a relationship had). The pictures even brought back sad memories of friends or family lost to death or relationships that just didn't work out.

Seeing how our kids, and us, have grown over the years is bittersweet. While I see all the wonderful memories we've made, I know the time is too soon when our boys will be on their own. At that point, the pictures I take will begin to change. The pictures of times spent with our friends and their families will be replaced with just us "old" guys...meaning the parents. (I'm actually looking forward to this.) Pictures of us and our kids will be replaced with them and their girlfriends, spouses, and eventually children...more new relationships to begin. Family gathering pictures will start missing loved ones as they age and pass away.

Over a lifetime we all develop a lot of relationships. With these relationships come great times and hardships. Whether it be with a spouse, sibling, child, parent, friend, boss, or coworker, there are going to be phases in each relationship. Remember to enjoy the great times and work through the hard times because relationships make up our lives. Looking at these pictures has reminded me how blessed my life has been. If you are one of those relationships in my life, thank you for doing life with me.