the other day, i found a memory and it took my breath away.
I wrote a blog a while back that has been one of my most popular blogs to date. I think it's because we can all relate to the sadness of loss and the bittersweet life we live. It's about those places and people that only exist in our memory, it's for those who are no longer with us. You can read that blog here.
I was at a session recently and I climbed into an old cottage in quite a state of disrepair. But, I love old things and I could feel it's history.
It was speaking to me.
I climbed in to shoot my subject through the tattered and torn curtains. It was clear that no one had been inside for a long, long while.
As my eyes traveled over the space, I took a moment to take it all in. You can tell a lot about the people who live in a space by their belongings and the things they hold space for...or in this case, the ones who used to live here. There were relics, memories, and old possessions stacked everywhere.
I turned to my left and I saw it there, tucked into the corner next to the window. The light cast it in a romantic glow and the thick layer of dust covered it like a veil. A piano with the most beautiful, intricate carvings on the front. It had books and papers stacked around it and old lamps sitting on top.
My breath caught in my chest and the most vivid memory washed over me. I knew this piano, my grandparents had one very similar in their 100 year old home, also filled with relics like this one. I could instantly hear my grandmother playing old hymns and singing along softly, as she picked out the tune. She only played by ear. I could see her hands there hovering over the keys. I could smell something wonderful and warm cooking in the kitchen. I could hear the Braves game in the background. My whole body could remember the feeling of being there in their home. Honestly, it was the sweetest memory.
And, it's funny how these things trigger a memory. That blog I wrote that I mentioned above? It talks about what I would do if I could go back just for one day with my camera and how I would document it...how I would honor that space. But I can't go back, so instead, I shot this moment in the here and now because it reminded me of them.
And surprisingly enough, all of this happened in an instant. Just the tiniest blip of time in my day. That's usually the way these things go, isn't it?
