It happened!

I was just reading an article that mentioned having pictures of their son when he was young, doing something, unimportant the specifics...  It started to make me a little sad, as I thought, I used to have pictures like that.  I felt sad that the photos are gone.  But then, I thought about the fact that it really happened.  The photograph did exist, but now doesn't - but it doesn't diminish the actual event.  It really doesn't matter if the photo exists, and is in a pile in a corner somewhere that I can't find anyway, or if it doesn't exist anymore -- either way, I'm not looking at it now, but I am remembering it.  And the event that was recorded in that photograph really happened, whether or not it was recorded, and whether or not I can locate that photograph.

Life happens.  And we continue on, living more.  And sometimes we have "proof" that we did things - and sometimes, we just have the joy that we did those things. 

Finding the joy in the past, without needing the proof.  That's the challenge.  Remembering, without sadness - because what I'm sad about is not having a physical reminder.  I'm still grateful for the moments, and happy to remember.

It doesn't matter if I can prove it.  I don't need to.  For centuries, people lived by telling stories, describing things, without photographs.  We've all heard that "a picture is worth 1,000 words" - but perhaps, sometimes, the words are just as compelling.