To all those who are missed.

 

“Someday, when I'm lonely

Wishing you weren't so far away

Then I will remember

Things we said today.”

When we are young, we really don’t think about what it would be like to have someone suddenly disappear from our lives. Deep down inside we figure out that people move away, find new friends, or pass away. I have had all of these events happen in my life as I am sure most of you have as well. It’s not easy, it leaves a wound deep within, and for some reason, if we do forget…once we are reminded of them, we can’t get it out of our thoughts.

When I was five years old, my grandmother had a heart attack and I never saw her again. She was a very kind, caring woman, but when you are five, you feel that about most people you meet—the best part, if there is one, you always remember them being the way you last remembered.

But there are the flip sides to life. When you get into an argument or fight with someone, and you leave on a less-than-desirable note, you better appreciate the next time you see them. I know of several instances where people never have the chance to say “I am sorry” they live with that pain for the rest of their lives.

Now, here’s a strange scenario. 

I have photographed a few “last photos” of people. Actually, four times. The first was for a photo shoot for a business client of mine. The couple they used as models were bi-racial and if it was ever possible to have two of the most striking people pose for you, this was it. Not long after the shoot, the man died suddenly. I received a call from my client asking “if I still had the photos as these were the last they had of him.” I suddenly understood the importance and finality of life through a photograph.

When my parents passed away, I was not with them. I was actually 300 miles away and I only wish I could have been there. Before my Mom passed, at least a few months prior, I photographed her outside in the backyard; she had been diagnosed with cancer, and I knew these would mean so much to me one day. Actually, I’ve never looked at them and I am not sure I ever will. Go figure.

The photo above was taken a couple of years ago. I was at Arlington Cemetery and down one of the rows sat a young woman; she was talking to someone who was now gone—-I heard her talking without hearing her words. I really felt strange taking the picture, and perhaps I shouldn’t have done it.  But all the times I have looked at it, I see the love she had for whomever that person was in her life. It’s an important picture to me as it reminds me how much I miss so many people who have left my life.  You know, maybe I should look at the pictures of my Mom.

Thanks for stopping by.