living in the now

Cherish

The other night I hopped on facebook as I normally do and came across this picture that my Aunt Gladys had posted. I looked at it and realized that it was a picture of my family in Timp. cave when we came to Utah on vacation.

I have always heard stories about that trip but I was too young to remember anything about it. I was only 18 months old. Anyway, as I looked more closely, I realized that I was the baby in the photo that my dad was holding. When I saw this I burst into tears.

You see my parents got a divorce when I was only 5 years old. Most of that time my parents were not getting along at all and so there aren't very many family photos when I was a baby.

We moved from Virginia to Utah shortly after my parents split up and I have had very little contact with my Dad. Sometimes it feels like I have NEVER had a Dad because I was too young to really remember him living with us.

Growing up without a dad in your life does some crazy stuff to your self worth, but as I look at this picture and see the loving way that he is holding me and protecting me. I can know that he really WAS a part of my life and that he really did LOVE me.

That is why I love this photograph so much.

It helps me SEE all of this.

I will always cherish this picture.

Thank you Aunt Gladys for posting it.

You will never know how much this picture means to me...thank you!

If you have been lucky enough to have a Dad in your life make sure that you let him know how much you cherish him.

SO much healing can be done, if we will have the courage, to let those around us know

how much they are LOVED.

left to right

not sure who the kid in the blue coat is???

Aunt Gladys

my brother kelly

my mom

my dad

and

me

the cute one in white