a touch of nostalgia

Recently, I downloaded Picasa and have been using it to organize and edit the photos on my computer. The way they are in the program, I can view my entire library and simply scroll down to see all of the pictures I have. Doing that is almost like taking a trip in a time machine, going back through the days, months, and years. Granted, I have only been using a digital camera for a little over four years and a lot of those pictures are no longer on my computer, but it is amazing to see everything that has taken place during that relatively short amount of time. I love to take pictures and I love to look back at them. One of my favorite things to do is to look back at pictures. I like to do that on the blog too... look back at old entries to remember what I was doing before...see where life has taken me.

In a way looking at the old pictures is sad because I am reminded of friends that I don't get to see very often and I remember friendships that are no longer there for whatever reason. Situations change - that is a part of life - but looking back at all the fun times makes me miss all of the friends and great times I have had. On the other hand, seeing the many "hats" I have worn, experiences I have had, places I have visited and great times I have had in the past four years makes me appreciate all of them and encourages me to be excited for the future, which will surely be filled with many more wonderful moments. I think we all struggle with appreciating and living the moment when we are in it. We take the small things for granted and don't always enjoy what we have now. When I look back, I see how beautiful life really is and although I know I can't go back and live those moments again I am warned to enjoy what I have now and to appreciate the people in my life today. Cherish the memories, enjoy today, and look forward to the future...