A Personal Victory.

I have finally done it.  I have finally, finally, finally organized all of our family photos.  It was bad, friends.  I love digital for so many reasons, but the ability to take a hundred photos without blinking an eye became a curse. The very thought of organizing thousands of photos was more than daunting.  It kind of made me want to cry.  Wait, that may have happened once.  Anyone with me there?  I have been working towards this day for a long time.  I have had visions of this moment for months.  And here it is.

My recycle bin had 11,620 items in it when I hit that fateful empty the recycle bin button.  It was a very accomplished feeling.  It got me thinking though.  Thinking about simplicity and living.  I am trying to take seriously what John 10:10 speaks of.

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."  

I think if I am not careful, this abundant life of mine will be trivialized to what I see through the eye of my camera lens.  I am terrified that I will look back on my girls' lives and only remember them as seen through my Canon.  Sounds overly dramatic, but substitute whatever it is that tempts to consume you, and maybe you'll feel the same way.  All that to say though, I will probably still take too many pictures.  And try my darndest to keep on top of organizing them all.  My hope is that my girls remember me being present with them.  Sometimes, I think, that takes putting the camera down.  I wouldn't trade these pictures for the world, though.  And that is okay too.

Just like most things, I think it is a balance.  I want to capture the little things that trigger the little memories, that, in the end, wind up being the really, really big things.  Here's to a bit more simplicity, a bit less behind the lens, and a lot more in the moments.

Have you found a balance?  It is hard, for reals.