It shouldn't be that hard. It is a really simple task. Pick four pictures from my phone, print them, and frame them. And yet I have been avoiding the task for months. Only because the choice of pictures you put around your home makes a statement. It tells anyone who looks at them who you value, who you cherish.
But when relationships no longer follow the traditional path, every expression of them takes on an added dimension. Now that I am no longer with my spouse, how do I define family pictures? Is my husband still my family? Will I be giving the wrong signal to my son if I include him, or even worse if I don't?
My mother would say I am over thinking this. They are just four pictures. But the way I see it they are just FOUR pictures. Just four opportunities to represent everyone that means the world to me. When I left my husband, so many other relationships came in to fill the vacuum. Friends, sister, brother, mother- all took on a whole new meaning. They all took a part of me that was lonely and gave it their companionship. If I do not do an adequate job of including them where it matters, I am afraid I will disappoint them. In the absence of the center, the periphery must be marked out clearly so that you are not left completely without a tether.
So to all who will make it to the frame I say, this is an expression of my love for you. This is me defining what my family looks like and by no means are they just four pictures.
