Frozen by Photography...

This weekend, while scrolling through Instagram, I came across a beautiful quote:

“Photography freezes what the heart never wants to forget.”

And how beautiful is that? How true.

Maybe that’s why, as early as grade school, all I wanted was a camera so I could take pictures. Through college, when I took photography classes, and even now - you can still find me at work and in everyday life with a camera nearby, ready to capture moments that matter.

Maybe part of it is fear. My dad had dementia, and sometimes I wonder if the same thing could happen to me. Maybe that’s why I feel this quiet urgency to hold onto memories while I can - to freeze them in time just in case one day my mind can’t.

Or maybe it’s simply because I learned early on how important photographs are after we lose someone. Pictures become little windows back into moments we can’t revisit any other way.

Whatever the reason, I’m grateful that I’ve carried a camera with me all these years. Because of it, I have a collection of frozen moments - of people I love, places I’ve been, and memories that shaped me.

Moments my heart never wants to forget.

And I was reminded of that again this weekend.

As we were out and about visiting a few cities nearby, I found myself keeping an eye out for potential locations for my daughter’s senior photos. We stopped in Evergreen Park to pick up my manuscript edits, then headed to Wheaton and Glen Ellyn for lunch - and, of course, a little scouting for photo spots along the way.

It struck me again how meaningful these photos will be someday. They’ll capture a fleeting moment in her life - this transition between childhood and whatever comes next.

Just another set of moments worth freezing in time.

What’s your favorite photograph, and the memory behind it?