I wrote a eulogy for my dad's funeral that talked about "moments in time," or memories you have that are like photographs; so poignant and real you can go back and visit them at any time. I had so many of those with my dad. One in particular was on a trip we took to Wyoming when I was 17 to travel around and photograph the landscape. We were on top of a mountain as a storm rolled in around us. We were trying to photograph every second and hold on to the moment. We were loving being together, taking pictures, and beholding the power of nature engulfing us. We stayed long after our cameras and clothes were soaked - not wanting to let go.
My dad taught me how important those moments were... and how important it is to live. There's a certain tension that occurs between trying to hold onto life and also enjoying it to its fullest, and in that tension the magic is born.
On Saturday Jimmy and I took the kids to the wild animal safari in Pine Mountain, Georgia. We sang along to the Trolls soundtrack on the car ride and stopped by my all time favorite Sprayberry's BBQ. When we got there we used our own car to travel through the safari, and every moment seemed precious. Between Oliver rushing back and forth to different sides of the car, Jimmy handing out food for the animals, and Quinn looking at us all like, "how'd I get stuck with this bunch of nuts?" I found myself over and over thinking, "My God. How did I get so lucky to spend life with these guys?"
