Member-only story
How This Gorgeous Family Photo Helped Loosen the Grip That Sadness Had on My Heart
My dear sweet friends, Kristin and José, recently went on their annual vacation to Mexico with their two teenage daughters. They go to the same incredible resort every year and always come back with fun stories and the most beautiful pictures.
This year, one of those pictures stopped me in my tracks and made me a little weepy.
The photo was taken at sunset and showed the four of them spelling out the word “love” with their bodies, silhouetted by the sun behind them. I couldn’t stop staring at the photo. And the fact that I got weepy made me want to dig into it and figure out what the tears were all about. Was it just because it was a beautiful piece of art? Was it because it was a gorgeous family photo of some people that I dearly love?
So I sat with it and stared at it and let the feelings come.
I’m not gonna lie…there’s not a lot on the topic of love that I want to immerse myself in right now. If you recommend a book or movie to me right now that is in some way a love story, that’s a hard pass. (Well, except for the stunning book of poetry I’m reading right now, because gaaaahhhhh…) But sad love songs? No thank you. Or worse, happy love songs? Suck it. So I knew I was already avoiding the umbrella subject of love.
And all this while I’m taking a course about bouncing back after heartbreak and healing my relationship patterns. The irony is not lost on me.
So instead of avoiding the photo I was so moved by, I decided to keep staring at it until I felt all the feels and figured out why it was triggering me so much.
Yes, it is a beautiful photo and I have a deep appreciation for beautiful artwork. And yes, I adore this family and love to see them so happy on a vacation they look forward to every year because it brings them so much joy.
But my tears weren’t happy tears when I saw the photo.
Because when I dug underneath the love I have for this family and their beautiful picture, there was sadness.
Sadness that I don’t have photos like that of my family. Sadness that now I feel unsure of the memories that I have of our own family vacations…that I’m not sure if…
