Making Memories -Building Family Strength For Single Parents.

The other day my daughter was playing basketball. I looked through the lense and began to study her face. I noticed how her smirk reminded me of her Dad, and how her eyes are mine. I noticed how she concentrated when she was about to throw the ball. I got close with my telephoto lense. She rarely lets me in that close, so this is a special occassion. I snap away. I get about forty pictures, out of that maybe two work. But they do work. It is part of the thread that weaves the story, that creates the history, that makes our lives. Our story. It is special. I want to hand our story down to both my daughter and son.

I was looking at my childhood photo album. In my photo album, most are pictures centered around my Grandmother's house. It was a giant house, set close to the beach. It had a big table that fits around 30 family members and it was always filled. Cousins, Uncles, Nieces and Nephews. Grandparents and Great Grandparents. Greek food, laughter and lots of family. That's where I come from. That is my story, the legacy that my parents gave me. The legacy that my Grandparents gave me. Family is my link to this world. It is a foundation that was built with hard work by my parents and family is part of my whole.

Maybe we don't have a traditional family anymore, Mom, Dad, Brother and Sister. But we do have wonderful Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and Grandparents. We do have a dining table and we have a camera. I can work on what made my childhood happy. I can work hard to give my kids sit down dinners and cousins and family. Maybe I need to take a few cooking lessons. I can do that. And maybe some photograhy lessons. That could be fun. Maybe meet some people. Maybe network.


If looking back is the only way we acknowledge who we are today, then giving children the gift of a photo gives them foundations of who they are. It's more than a photo, it's a document of a certain event that created a bit of childhood. It's about moments of fleeting fears, wonderful happiness, the best times of our lives. Put those memories in an scrapbook and create some of the strongest family foundations you'll be able to build.

Photos are documents of the time we spend here on earth. Photos are documents of a childhood short and precious. They are memories we choose to keep. So take a camera, spend time with your family and watch the memories unfold. Building strong foundations with a camera. A tool for family unity.

I just discovered Picasa from Google. It is a software program that is free and it organizes all of your photos that are stored in your computer in one central area. Picasa is invaluable for getting your family photos organized and ready to put in albums or for sharing.