I love that pictures don't lie...
In some cases, perhaps many, they may tell an incomplete story,
a moment in time...
a "snapshot" of what was going on...
But, pictures don't lie.
I must say that turning 50 has made me more mindful...
of time passing,
of people who matter,
of our limited existence on earth...
My cousins and my wife made a photo montage,
a slide show, for my birthday.
We all sat and watched and smiled,
and laughed and watched,
and smiled,
and watched,
and laughed,
and watched...
...
It brought back many memories of
growing up
of the colorful and wonderful start of my life,
of Peru...
of my beautiful grandmother who was love personified,
of the Pavillion in Rockville, Maryland,
of my sisters while they shared this world with me,
of our many adventures as teenagers,
of my oldest cousin when where still in awe of him,
of school and of college,
of our trip to Machu Picchu as a couple,
of my uncle who used to be my hero,
of the beach,
of Cincinnati,
of our wedding,
of our first home,
of our years in China,
of our first born,
of our adventures as parents in Asia,
of our trips to Greece and Europe and Australia,
of living in Texas,
of our second born,
of our home in Gaithersburg,
of the innocent and impressionable faces in my sons eyes,
of my father-in-law, may he rest in peace,
of our third born,
of our "new" home (now 14 years old),
of my lovely cousin before the virus attacked her brain and left her a quadraplegic,
of our trip out West,
of our trip to Machu Picchu as a family with my parents,
of my mother when she could still talk and fight,
of our trip to Italy,
of our day on the bay,
of
of the boys, the boys, the boys...
of our friends, our friends, our friends...
of the long and amazing journey that my wife and I have lived through,
of my cousins... aunts and uncles...
of people who have come and gone...
of unforgettable relationships that have faded away...
of amazing relationships that have evolved and flowered...
of time passing...
of so many sunsets
and oceans
and continents
smiles
laughter
tears
births
deaths
illness
time...
Pictures don't lie...
and they each tell a story,
of a moment...
and at some point
you look at all of your moments
and realize
they equal a fortune...
and the question fills my mind...
Am I grateful enough for the great wealth of my life?
Am I mindful enough of the pace that it moves?
Am I courageous enough to live more deliberately?
pictures don't lie...
life is amazing...
thrilling
challenging
sad...
And, above all...
Finite, at least in our current form,
in our present state...
We have a nearly boundless quantity of emotion...
And, above all we have a choice...
in every moment...
before the picture is taken...
even if there is no camera around.
we have a choice,
to
LOVE with boundless energy,
MINDFUL
GRATEFUL
AND
DELIBERATE...
because our
time is finite...
pictures
don't
lie...
choose harmony,
Nestor