Here is the most recent picture taken of my family. This one is from Mother's Day of this year. That's Lauren, Deanna and Whitney across the front (L to R).

I don't much like having family pictures taken. I never have. I've always thought of them as 'necessary evils' in life. When I was little, I despised getting my suit on and going to the studio, and fake smiling for endless shots from the guy holding a stuffed monkey in one hand and the clicker for the camera shutter in the other.

I always thought that would be the worst job I could imagine. Forcing myself to try and be funny all day long. Of course, a stand up comedian, I am not. My sarcastic humor would have been lost on the endless run of children whose mommies brought them in to be captured in time.

Having said that, I was kind of amazed at how funny some of these photographers were. At least the ones in the studio's. Somehow, when it came time to have the family pics taken for a church directory, the funny people were all on holiday.

We seemed to get the guy with a bad comb over and a mechanical personality. It seemed like he had never been in church before and was afraid someone was going to try and save him. He was biding his time until he could leave. He was not funny.

My view now is a bit different. Having pictures taken of the family, while not fun, is necessary. When I look at the last one taken of all five of us, I am unhappy that we never scheduled a more recent one.

Fortunately we have plenty of snapshots on hand.

I am always amazed at how impossible it is to please everyone when picking out pictures to use for public consumption. For this site, I have stopped asking permission, because somebody always hates the picture of them. I hear the line, "it's good of everyone but me," all the time. In fact, I seldom like the pictures of myself.

Wouldn't it be cool if we could see ourselves as the Lord does?

Each picture simply a reminder of a specific time or event. Not focusing on the expression or extra pounds or how the outfit worked, but just seeing the heart. Recognizing, "hey, that is my child, and I love him/her."

He loves us just as we are. We spend way too much time and money trying to become something
that only seems to exist in our imaginations.

I am continuously amazed that the Lord provided me with a wife who loves me without condition. I don't deserve it, and I often want so much more for her. She is an example of Jesus to me. She loves me and respects me, and she lets me know that.

Its hard for me to imagine being able to function in this world without her.

Of course, she will probably insist we go get another family picture taken next time Whitney is in town, but oh well. We can always make fun of the proofs together when they come in.

dad