The photograph extracted the moment in hues of black and gray. A dozen men had paused from their labor long enough to face the photographer and concede to their image being imprinted in history. Without a second thought, a pose was struck, and that moment was forever frozen in time. The handwritten date testified of the month and year.
Now, generations later, posterity stares at the faces imbedded on the print of a bygone era. Memories are preserved through photographs. The sentimental journey on which a photograph can transport you mesmerizes the mind.
The photo albums were opened at the family reunion. Page by page, picture by picture, the family scrutinized each one. A picture has the power to jettison you back into a world that has long passed away. Where the streets of the town have been expanded. Where old buildings have been torn down. Where the signs outside of businesses testify of services and charges considered unfathomable in our time. Where the automobiles looked like tanks. Where the clothes and furniture had not been worn in over a half century.
Childhood activities were the most cherished photos. The old school pictures, athletic team snapshots and the holidays unveiled the sheer exhilaration experienced at that precise moment long ago. In your mind’s eye you could relive the moment and hear the voices in that scene. For a moment, you were there again, now wishing that you did not have to return to your current reality.
Didn’t grandma and grandpa look so young and happy? In a moment of silence, you can conjure up their voices and the words spoken to you long ago. As your mind continues to wander, you search the inner recesses of your memory for words of wisdom, encouragement or instruction spoken to you as a youth. What would they say to me now? If only I could talk to them today.
The words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his beloved poem, “A Psalm of Life,†are remembered:
“Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.â€
Indeed, the excellence, beauty and grandeur of those who have gone before us inspire us to press forward today. Their footprints in the sands of time have charted a course for us to pursue with passion and grit. We again focus on the photograph of those hearty men who had paused long enough from their labor to have their likeness taken. These great men were pioneers laboring on the Erie Canal system in the northern states who left us footprints on the sands of time.
In the top left corner, the second man standing with the full-length beard was our great, great grandfather. His face looked stern, and his eyes were fixed upon the camera. His back breaking work behind a shovel would impair him later in life. Nonetheless, his work ethic, faith in God and devotion to providing for his family drove him tirelessly every day. Footprints on the sands of time.
Indeed, a picture paints a thousand words!
The back story of the photograph can impact generations of family and friends. Your candid photo can inspire those who are following your footprints on the sands of time. The next picture that is taken of you, ponder the legacy that you impart. You can make your life sublime!
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