We tend to photograph what we want to remember: the moments of laughter, the tidy house, the snuggles and family bonding, the celebrations, the breath-taking views, the serene pauses and transformational events. Nothing bad, broken, dirty, or heart-wrenching. Nothing that indicates we have fallen down, messed up, forgotten or lost. And when we see the picture of other people’s lives, we compare them to what happens in between the pictures of our own lives. I know I do. I remember the guilt of missed opportunities, of losing my patience, of distracted attention. I see my failed efforts to be somebody I’m not: the perfect mom, the flawless wife, the cool friend, the sage Christian. And now I want to change that life, that in-between.

I want the pictures to be what’s real. I am going to love my kids with gusto, adore my husband with passion, serve Christ with gratitude and humility, selflessly encourage my friends, and read and write my heart out. I guess you could say that I’m going to make living my hobby, to approach it with the eagerness that comes with choosing to do something rather than being forced. I choose to live all-in! I’m not going to live a picture-perfect life and I can accept that. But I am going to live a life worth remembering , in picture and in-between them. That’s the kind of living that fills the soul.