Snapshots

Jen at The Cottage Nest http://www.thecottagenest.blogspot.com/ passed along a challenge to post a photo of ourselves. She did an admirable job of photoing herself and also of describing herself in an frank and funny way.

I thought it curious that I chose this week to post not one, but two photos of myself here. The one in my profile was taken in Gemunden, Germany at the Bible camp where we occasionally cook. The wooden bench is an almost sacred place to me. When I'm there I enjoy the sunshine from this bench and usually spend time praying for my family, specifically my sisters-in-law. I love speaking their names to the Father in that wonderful German air. Very cool for a west Texas girl.

The second was the group of my sisters-in-law at a much loved niece's wedding in Sept. 2006 featured in the previous post.

But the photo, or at least one, doesn't quite capture me. Just like with you, it would take a collage of images. Horses, dogs, flowers, my boys, my husband, extended family, my love for canyon country and for the sights of Paris, my passion for both chocolate and Stargate SG1, my obsession with books, reading and writing them, my love of visual arts, and my total loathing of anything resembling housecleaning would have have a place in the collage. The center and the framework of the piece would be God.

What would be in yours? That might be a terrific project for after the holidays. A collage of images of who I am.

When my mother died, we pulled a bunch of photos together. Some lovely friends with a video production company put them to music for her funeral. I love that we chose images from her childhood and throughout the rest of her life. Lots of funny hairdos and eyeglasses, but lots and lots of brilliant smiles. Too brief, but deeply moving. A snapshot of a life.

In my days as a professional photographer I heard a theory of why we don't like photos of ourselves. Since we see ourselves in mirrors (and backwards because of it) photos look 'off' to us.

True or not, its something to think about as you brush your teeth in the mornings.