The other day David and I sat time aside to go with Charlie to get his nose pieced and a haircut. Which was the plan. We had places to go, things to get done, and Charlie eventually had to get to work. We also had other errands waiting for us.
The LORD had other plans for us because everything David and I tried to do was closed. Through it all Charlie got hangry. And if you know anything about being hangry, you know that suddenly everything else can wait.
So instead of rushing through the rest of our plans, we ended up at Joe’s Coffee Shop in Watauga. And here’s the funny part. I didn’t take any pictures. Not one. I told David and Charlie we were leaving our phones the car, and honestly?
I’m glad they were. We went inside, sat down, ate our food, and talked. We weren’t worried about getting the perfect picture. We weren’t thinking about what we were going to post. We weren’t trying to create content. We were just Mom, David and Charlie, sitting together and enjoying a meal.
And even though we knew Charlie had to get to work and we still had errands to run, we weren’t in a hurry. We just sat there. We ate. We visited. We talked. And for once, there wasn’t a phone sitting on the table between us. I got to know my family again and that was amazing.
As someone who creates content, I take a lot of pictures. I photograph food. I photograph family adventures. I photograph places we visit. I photograph things I think other families might enjoy knowing about.
And I love having those pictures. But yesterday reminded me of something really important: Not every memory needs a photograph. Not ever thing my family does needs to be turned into a blog post.
Some memories need to simply be lived. Sometimes the camera needs to stay in your purse. Sometimes the phone needs to stay in the car. Sometimes you need to sit across the table from someone you love and actually look at them instead of looking at a screen.
The funny thing is, we weren’t sitting there with unlimited time. Charlie had to get to work. We still had things to do. We had errands waiting. We had already planned out what the day was supposed to look like. But none of that mattered for those few minutes.
We weren’t rushing through lunch just so we could check the next thing off the list. We were enjoying our time together. And I think that’s something we sometimes forget. We can be so busy trying to get everything done that we forget the people we’re doing it all for.
We didn’t go to Joe’s Coffee Shop because we thought: “This is going to make a great blog post.” We went because Charlie was hungry. Really hungry. I don’t just mean hungry I mean hangry.
And somewhere between ordering our food and finishing our meal, something ordinary became a memory. Not because we took pictures. Not because we documented it. Not because we posted about it immediately. But because we were there. Together. And That’s Okay
One thing I’ll admit it is part of me wanted a picture because I felt like I should for the blog because that’s what I do. I think about pictures. I think about stories. I think about what people would enjoy seeing.
But another part of me was perfectly happy knowing that this was ours. Just ours. No picture. No post. No camera. Just a meal with my son. And maybe those are some of the moments we need the most.
The Memory doesn’t need proof we spent time as a family and we don’t need a photograph to prove we were there. We don’t need a selfie to prove we spent time together. We don’t need a Facebook post to make the memory real.
I will remember sitting there with Charlie and David. I’ll remember that he was hangry. I’ll remember that we had other things to do. I’ll remember that he needed to get to work. And I’ll remember that instead of rushing, we sat down and enjoyed each other’s company. That’s enough for one day.
So here’s my little reminder today: Take the pictures. Absolutely. Document your family. Save those memories. You’ll be glad you did because life can change in the blink of an eye. But every once in a while… Leave the phone in the car.
Sit down. Eat your meal. Talk to your kids. Talk to your spouse. Laugh. Tell stories. Ask questions. Enjoy the people sitting across from you. Because someday, you may not remember what you ate.
You may not remember what errands you had to run. You may not remember exactly where you were supposed to go next. But you might remember sitting across from someone you love and thinking:
“I’m really glad we stopped.” And yesterday? I’m really glad Charlie was hangry. Which was a moment from GOD to put my family first and I hope he reminds me of this more often as Charlie gets older and moves on with his life.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates