Mirror Image

I got the most amazing Christmas present from V. It’s a Nikon D-50 digital camera. Probably way too much camera for someone who doesn’t know much about photography. . .but I’m completely intrigued.

I snapped this photo this weekend when I went to visit my family in Kentucky.



It was almost an accidental shot. I didn’t really think about the image and what it represented until it downloaded onto my computer screen this morning. When the file opened it jabbed at my heart and filled me with a strange combination of thanksgiving and grief.

My grandparents don’t know me anymore. They look healthy. They laugh and are as kind and open as they ever were. They love each other. They love me.

But, interacting with them can go no deeper than an image in a mirror.

I hear lots of people talk about learning to live in the moment. I understand the value of living in today – in letting yesterday go and not worrying about tomorrow. But, in my grandparents that idea takes on a whole new dimension. This moment is all they have.

I grieve for what I remember. But, I am filled with thanks that they are still the best of what they were. Their lives have been distilled and stripped down to their essence. And this morning, as I look at myself in the mirror, I saw the faces of my family in my own face, and I gave thanks for whatever today will bring.