Dear Canon Rebel,
It may seem that in recent weeks you’ve been neglected.
Believe me when I say that it was not that I didn’t think about you day after
day, or wish that my crazy, busy schedule hadn’t messed things up between you
and I, but I really have no excuse. It’s
funny how “busy” can take the best things away from a person. Anyway, busy or not busy, no excuse I could
come up with would make it better, so I’m just choosing to move forward with
our relationship.
We met again just the other day. The wind had stopped blowing, the sun came
out, and cows needed to be moved. I
picked you up out of your case and it was just like riding a bike. My fingers rolled the dial, pressed buttons
to focus, and managed to capture another afternoon in the life of us as if
you’d never left my grip. You seemed to
not even remember me putting you down for awhile.
You and I … well, our relationship is very similar to
friendships I’ve kept over the years.
The ones that remain connected and important no matter how much time passes
between conversations. The relationships
that stand the test of time, don’t require much maintenance, and thrive when
their time together is quality, not necessarily quantity. Thank you for being THAT friend. The friend that is a means for me to stop
life long enough to really “see” the beauty that surrounds all that defines me.
Did you know that living and non-living things need each
other to survive? A while back I did a
science lesson with my second graders about living and non-living things and
their dependence on each other. At first
I wrinkled my brow a bit at that statement, but then it started to make
sense. Although you’re not light, air,
or water – you are a non-living thing that has allowed me to see life in
remarkable ways. I push a button and you
freeze a memory. You make me better by
capturing blessings that are often disguised as storms. It’s amazing actually – how my time away from
you only causes me to enjoy you more. I
have other relationships like that too – in fact I think everyone does.
You are my friend – sweet Canon Rebel, and although we don’t
meet for lunch or call each other on the phone - you are an irreplaceable tool
that captures my life ways that words can’t even explain. Thank you for fitting back into my hands
right when I needed you most. May you
know that each time I press your shutter open and focus on that which is in
front of me – you’re giving me a gift and a reminder to create and capture that
which is most important – life.
With admiration and respect,
Lindsay
