My son will be turning 21 this Easter. I decided that I wanted to make him something special for his big day and thought I’d make him a scrapbook about his life so far.  This is proving to be harder than I thought. How do you select from hundreds of photos those that reflect a life?  Each one has a story of its own.  Every picture reminds me of how quickly time has passed and how he has grown and changed.  How do I pick the ones that show how my precious firstborn has gone from a 7 lb. 13 oz., 21 ½” long treasure from God to a 180 lb., 6’5” man of God?  Some are easy; baby pics, firsts, Christmas’s, and family photos, but which ones do I include to show who he was and who he has grown to be.  I think our lives are much like the task before me.  Which events do we choose to define our existence?  Which episodes do we include in the scrapbook of who we are?  Do we choose only the major happenings or do the everyday moments earn a place among the pages of our life?  I think both are needed to get an accurate account.  So along with his baby pictures, the many firsts and the family photos, I will include pictures of him playing in the mud, riding his bike, doing schoolwork and chores, and other everyday activities that will remind him that everything in our lives defines who we are.

1 month

20 years