Everyone has a story…
Every story can be told many different ways….
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The picture has faded over the years. The edges are lined with a cotton-like fray from years of sitting in my wallet on game days and surviving the countless moves from state to state. The once bright, high-definition photo now resembles one of those old portraits from the 1900’s that great-grandparents have hanging proudly in their hallways….the one’s that have an oval shape and a figure standing stoically for the photographer. It’s simply a picture of my mom and dad at my Nanny Alberta’s house.
A priceless photo….A reminder…..
Take a stroll through any place with history. Take Yankee Stadium for example… The walls are full of photos and people from another time and era. But as you look around, those people are standing…..WHERE YOU ARE STANDING! Literally, in the spot where you are standing! Babe Ruth smoking a cigar, holding a bat. DiMaggio resting the bat on his shoulder as he talks to fans. Ted Williams with his legendary swing! And don’t forget the fans…oh my gosh…the crowd. The suits, the hats, the clothing of the era….. 
Pictures and photographs, like the one I keep with me, have a way of reminding us of people and experiences. Places and times that we choose to look back on and moments that made a lasting impression on our lives. Maybe its as simple as a fishing trip your family took as a child. Maybe it was a pet you had at your grandparents house. Or maybe it was one of these……
The freshly cut grass at Fulton County Stadium before an Atlanta Braves game.
The waves crashing onto the beach on Longboat Key.
The way your date’s dress looked the first time you took her out.
Places and people bring feelings of happiness and joy. Experiences that calm us…and some that motivate us!
This week I have a simple question for you…What pictures do you carry…not just with you…but in your mind…in that drawer at home?!
A few days ago I was walking the halls of my alma mater and I was looking over the gallery of photographs of National Championship celebrations in Pasadena, Miami, and Glendale. I paused and gave an inquisitive stare at a picture of Mark Ingram crossing the goal line with Terrance Cody leading the way.
As I stared, a flood of memories came back to me. The Southern California weather, Pepperdine at Malibu, the Santa Monica Pier, the Kardashian’s store, and the Rose Bowl (and nearly wrecking a Red Dodge Charger)!!! It seemed like just a few months ago I was standing there in warm Pasadena twilight as the stadium remained Crimson…then I realized how long ago it felt.
Memories…of people…and an experience….
Later that day, while recruiting, I ran into an old friend. As we were catching up, he showed me a picture of us fishing on the Tombigbee River….more than 10 years ago. The photo made me laugh out loud. A group of 5 of us were standing on a boat holding a stringer of fish…..we looked rough…but full of life! My friend and I laughed…..reminisced about those trips and how life had changed. He asked me about my old step-side truck…and I asked him if he still had his Labrador Retriever.
A photograph…a moment…an experience in the lives of 6 people….
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Sometime this week, take a few minutes and browse through the photos on your phone, on your computer, and in that shoebox you keep in your office or closet.
Spend a few minutes reminiscing over the memories and reminding yourself of those moments and the experiences they remind you of. These photos can also remind you of times that you were forced to grow….
-Photos of a job you hated….
-Pictures of a class trip you took and were not feeling well.
-or……take a breath…..pictures of a relationship from years ago…
All of these pictures tell a story….
Reflect on the person you were in those photos and the journey that has led to where you are now…..
Many times, a simple look back at the person you “WERE” is enough to make some big decisions seem easy. Every once in a while, the answer is in the past…
Ladies and Gentlemen, during certain seasons of life we look back with joy. Other times, we have to mature and examine where we have been…….in order to see where the next step may be! That is why…..
There is power in those photos…….
There are emotions in those experiences….
There is MOTIVATION in those pictures……
There are reminders scattered throughout the albums of our lives that tell the story of who we are, where we have been, and who we have known….
Sometimes we owe it to ourselves to take a walk through those albums….
to see where we are going…..
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It’s funny what we remember about people….
I vividly remember walking into my neighbor’s house and hundreds of pictures were all over the house. I’m not talking about ZAPS from a Greek Function at Ole Miss.... This is much more invested and meaningful than that! I’m talking about how people in generations before us loved to take pictures. They loved to catch moments and use them to tell our stories. And the pictures would be introduced like this…….
-“This is my sister Jane. She lives in California, has 3 awesome boys…you should meet them…they are incredible! They are going to San Diego next week!”
-“That is my niece KK. She is really going places. She is in college at a big University in Georgia. “
-“That picture is of my friend Melissa’s boy….he comes by and takes care of the yard once a week. He has basically started his own business…”
Our Pictures….
Our People……
Our Stories…..
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As busy as our lives are…and as time melts away…..we must spend time investing in each other and “taking pictures”. Those pictures are going to extremely valuable to you and the and those who are close to you. Why, you may ask? Because…..
“It’s more than just a photo……”
What stories and photos do you need to remind yourself of?
What memories do you need to revisit?
What direction are YOU and the people in your Camera Roll going?
We are having a human experience that no person has EVER lived before and will EVER live again.
It’s time to remind yourself to LIVE and start making Memories!!!
Hope you guys have a great week!
#CoachKD
coachkd.org 