I have at least a dozen posts waiting to be written, but having just returned home from an important stop, I felt the need to share something other than beautiful newborn or wedding images.
I’ve just paid my respects to the family – some of whom are my own family – of a man whose existence meant a great deal to a great many people. It would be presumptuous of me to extol Bernie’s virtues (of which I am 100% certain there are many), given that we only met on perhaps two occasions more than 15 years apart, but I do know one thing: he was a man with an enormous amount of faith – in God, yes, but also in humanity, and most certainly in those he loved. I can only imagine the conversations that will be had this week with Ginette, Al, Steph, and Stephanie, but I’m sure that the memories will be pleasant and hope that the halls will ring with laughter as our community helps Bernie’s family mourn his loss.
The family photos dotted around the room and playing in a loop on the slideshow at the funeral home were a poignant reminder of what remains after we are gone. We don’t take photos just to have them for this year. These images are what we leave behind for our families to remember us by, and those memories start to fade if we don’t make the effort to document our family over time. This is not an advertisement for professional services; this is a reminder to us all: memories do not live on in JPEG format. Your digital files won’t be around forever. Get out your camera; use it, and then get your photos printed so that you can enjoy them while you’re here and those who come after you can enjoy them when you’re gone.
I feel so blessed to have been able to capture images of Bernie with his family while he was in the early stages of his battle with cancer, and seeing that a recent photo with his smiling face tucked in amongst the smiles of his wife, his children, and his grandchildren was set out to greet those who stopped to sign his guestbook brought warmth to my heart. Stephanie and Steph decided very early last fall to get the family together so that they could have a record of everyone, since they hadn’t had a family photo done in quite some time. Bernie was in remarkably good health given that he had just started his treatments and, while the outlook on his health was positive at the time, I think they saw the opportunity and decided not to wait.
There have been so many moments since that session when I have looked at their images and silently expressed gratitude that this family chose to do their session when they did. As a photographer, it is heartbreaking to hear about families who wish they had done photos but didn’t make it a priority while a parent, grandparent, or any loved one was still with them and are left with outdated images – or worse, family photos so old that they don’t even contain the whole family. While I will be thinking of Ginette and her family in the days, weeks, and months to come, I am so very thankful that the Charbonneaus are not part of this group and that they’ll have recent photos of Bernie smiling back at them when they most need him.
Here’s to you, Bernie.
