Pictures NOT Taken

Photographs.  Pictures.  Home videos.

We can't have enough.  We treasure them.

If my house was on fire and I had time to save one non-living thing, I would take my pictures.  They are irreplaceable.

                               We take pictures of happy times.

 We take pictures of out pets.

We take pictures of special occasions.

         We take pictures with those we hold most dear.

              Sometimes, pictures BECOME our memories.
I think I remember this coat and hat and the tulip dress that I wore in these pictures, but I'm sure it's only because I have seen them in the photographs.

All of these pictures have one thing in common - they are pictures of HAPPY times.

We don't take cameras to funerals, for instance. 
We don't take pictures of our loved ones in times of pain or sorrow.
We don't take pictures of family and friends when they are down. 

We don't take pictures of things we don't want to remember.

 I have a ton of pictures of my parents like this... smiling and happy.

 I also have pictures of them that I didn't take.

These pictures are more vivid to me than any printed photograph...
            They exist only in my mind's eye.

If you have ever lost a loved one or witnessed someone dear to you suffer,
            you surely know what I mean.

The pictures NOT taken are the most unforgettable.