Stop Hiding From The Camera

The baby was screaming, I rolled over picked him up out of the bassinet and then grabbed my cell phone off the charger. I squinted at the screen where did I put my glasses and at 7am there was already 3 text messages. As my eyes focused, I felt my stomach drop. A good friend of ours had passed away during the night. I text back something, that I'm sure sounded stupid at a lack of knowing what on earth to say. The grief and disbelief washed over me like a huge stormy wave. Such a beautiful soul, gone in the blink of an eye.

A week later we were at his Celebration of Life (to the uninitiated that's what we call a funeral at our church) And boy was it a celebration! I've never been so heartbroken and so encouraged, all at the same time, in all my days. The testimonies of how this young man, of just 26, changed so many lives was staggering. As the service proceeded the big screen was flooded with pictures and videos, and the final words spoken were by Wattage himself. (that's what I called him) It was a video of him preaching that had been recorded. I sobbed, and had never been more in awe of social media and technology in my whole life. What a powerful tool it can be.

Today, a couple months after the tragedy, his beautiful, graceful and strong girlfriend was saying that she was writing down all the memories so she wouldn't forget. And it got me thinking, would they have any pictures of me to share at my Celebration? Would my kids have pictures to reflect on if I was gone?  I'm always behind the camera. I hide and duck away when someone wants group shots and I rarely take a selfie. I highly discourage narcism. 

After the good Lord takes me home, I don't want them to have to remember what I looked like. Don't make your loved ones wish they had more to remember you by, just because you were bloaty or hair wasn't just so. Stop hiding from the camera, make memories!

At the Masquerade, when my hair was blonde.