Picture Day!

For those of you who know me, you know I've always been obsessed with pictures. I mean WAY before there was such a thing as a digital picture... I used film as if there was. A family trip was easily 7 rolls of film. A day with a friend who knew what could come of it? Not only did I take a million pictures but I printed them all and often got 3 sets of each roll! Because I love to give them away. I once had a friend tell me that when they wanted to tell their kids about our High School experience, they would call me to ask for my scrapbooks!

When I first came to Moz, the kids were so obsessed with seeing the pictures I took of them. We could spend more time looking at the little image on the back of my Nikon that we actually did taking pictures.

Then Nunu and I started dating. I remember his brother was looking though some pictures and I asked Nunu if he had any pictures of him as a child. His answer was simple and to me heart breaking... “No.” I'll never get to pour myself over pictures of Nunu as a child much less a baby and for someone who loves pictures so much, it breaks my heart and more than just a little.

A few months after Nunu and I got married, he spent a few weeks at his dad's. While he was there he found an old bible of his tucked away in a drawer. He had taped a few pictures of himself in the front cover. The one in the top left corner is the youngest picture we have of him.

Nunu at abour 12 years old.
I could recognize that smile anywhere!

While I can't change things for Nunu, I can give pictures to all the kids around us... and so I do. Each time I return to Moz, I have carefully tucked in my carry on (to guarantee it's arrival) a stack of over 100 pictures. For each child who lives at the Center I try to bring a couple and then I print up as many as I can for kids who live around us.

I'm not sure why, but I usually save the pictures until I am about to leave. And so a few days ago I sat down to sort them all out.

The kids at the Center usually pass the pictures around as if they are baseball cards. Each laughing and poking fun at silly faces. When I had pictures out there are usually a few kids missing and it's funny because when they next see me they sort of stare with a half smile. As if they are trying to imagine what treasure I have for them this time!

It's a little heartbreaking because there is no way to bring pictures of everyone. I'm not perfect. Not to mention some of the kids don't realize that I took these pictures a year ago, so if you're new to the neighborhood, I don't have a picture of you from a year ago.

Anyways I gave one of my Itty-Bitties a picture of the two of us. I didn't understand her response but I felt like she was asking me if she had to give it back, as if because I was in the picture it was my picture. When I gave her the picture, she was in a group of other kids who I didn't have pictures of (the little ones always travel in packs so it's nearly impossible to give them the pic when no one is around). Two of the children who were with her started BEGGING me for pictures! I had other pictures for the neighbor that I was also delivering and this little boy was pleading with me for them.

I accidentally print 22 of one of the pictures, not 2 (oops) and so I went back into the house to get a few of those. These 2 little kids were so excited to get pictures of other kids, I ended up giving them each 2 of the same picture! And then other kids came asking for them?!

Sometimes I'm just so caught off by things and this was one of them. I always thought the kids loved pictures of themselves but no, they just love having pictures. It's something I doubt I will ever truly understand but it's just some food for thought that I hope helps you to understand the people we work with.

Since picture day, anytime a kid gets a glimpse of my camera what do I hear? “Mana Manda, picture, picture!!” It warms my heart.

The rest of the day that I hand out pictures even if I don't have my camera the kids call out for me to take their picture. The following are the poses I was given... yes even the last picture!