First snapshot.
I love taking pictures. Or rather... what I think would be more accurate to say is that I love having pictures. I love having pictures of friends, and preferably, I like having pictures of being with friends. Pictures are wonderful memories. And I'd do a lot of things, and go a lot of places just for the sake of a picture. I think my mother kind of raised me to be that way. Even though I wouldn't describe my mother as being big into taking pictures or anything... she understood the importance of memorializing things like family vacations. And maybe of course, it's just a factor of having 8 kids and needing excuses to get out of the car on family vacations. But in my family, we never just drove to our final destination when going on a long car ride. We would stop at random cactus' and rocks and cliffs along the side of the road and take pictures. That is something I hope to do in my family. Those are some of my favorite memories as a kid. Stopping to take random pictures. I'm pretty sure some people just don't get it haha. But it's something that will always be important to me. I remember driving around in California with some of my friends, and we passed a giant Kokopelli. And the moment I saw it, I knew I had to take a picture with it. I think we were on the way to a baseball game or something so they said we couldn't stop, but they promised we'd do it on the way back. And let me tell you, an awful lot of people have promised me that, we'd take a picture with something "on the way back" and it never happened. So when they went out of their way on the way back to let me take my picture with that Kokopelli, I knew I was loved! haha. If you know me very well, you'll know that I love my Kokopelli.
In high school I took a lot more pictures. I took pictures all the time to the point that I'm very certain that a lot of my friends lost patience with it. I guess we all feel a little self conscious when people take our picture, and I took their pictures a lot! haha. I tamed myself down after the good majority of my friends behooved me to do so. I guess that's a good thing, cuz now I'm like a big kid who has to go to work and be boring and such. And it probably wouldn't go along with the professional image to be taking pictures all the time! But I miss it. I feel very free, and very myself when taking pictures. And taking pictures of my friends has always made me smile. And having pictures with my friends makes me love them more I think. That sounds weird to say. I think for now my friends are happy I don't take so many pictures though haha.
Second Snap Shot.
Today, I would like to express my gratitude for the friends that Heavenly Father brings our way in this life. I have had a great many friends in my day. Most friends don't stick around forever, which is sad. But in their time, they bring a lot of happiness and a lot of memories. And that is extremely important. But there are people I'm confident I could always be friends with until I'm a little old lady.
I think that in a true friend... they see positive things in us that sometimes even we, ourselves cannot see. Sometimes I don't think there are a lot of reasons to love me. But that's why friends are there. Because they are able to see at least portions of us through Heavenly Father's eyes. True friends love us for who we are despite the silly things we may do or say and I think it's partially because of the light of Christ.. And they can be honest and blunt with us because somewhere in their hearts they know that we see them through some portion of Heavenly Father's eyes too. So no matter what they say, even if it may come off harsh, I know that person loves me, and therefore, there must be a reason why they are saying whatever it is. It's why we're more likely to listen to a friend than a stranger.
My friends have helped me more in life than I could ever imagine. I mean... I first wanted to be a good little molly mormon child because I saw the example of my dear friend Paula. She hates that I wanted to be just like her I think. Really I just wanted to have a testimony like hers.. haha. Many of my talents grew from friendships. The positive memories I have to look back on in life often come from friendships too. I've been given the experience to help others grow through friendships. Just the very experience of getting to see some small glimpse of how Heavenly Father sees a person, is a precious memory. I would even say that it's an integral part of my testimony.
The strongest motivator I have to be good, to be obedient, to be righteous... I wouldn't have if I didn't have friends. The thing that drives me to seek a testimony of the Gospel... the thing that gives me the confidence that there is a plan out there for my life that I must seek to follow... the thing that tells me I can be with my family for eternity because of the sealing ordinances in the temple... is love. I remember feeling so sad. I don't even remember what was so sad at the time. But I just wanted to cry. And one of my friends just held me and let me cry. She knew exactly what I needed in that moment. And it's because she loved me. And it's because Heavenly Father knew exactly what I needed in that moment. That's why he blessed me with that friend at that moment. He blessed me because I needed Him. He blessed me because He knows I need to know He loves me in order for me to endure the trials that come from trying to follow Him. That's why I follow Him. Because He loves me. And I learned what that love meant from my family, and from my friends. I learned through the bursts of love I've felt when praying. I learned when it was time to go back to work, and I had to say goodbye to my little boy for a day.
I love Him. Because He loves me. And because He loves me, He shows me the way to friends that will help me get closer to Him.
Anyway.. guess that's a random combo for a blog. But I did it. So there's no arguing about it.
I love Him. And I love memories!
(favorite painting ever!)
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