Smiles

Carl has been complaining lately that Spencer is in a photo-posing stage which finds him smirking every time a camera is pointed in his direction. Many kids go through a phase where it is difficult to get a good picture of them. There were a few years when our very shy little Sarah couldn’t face a camera without bursting into tears. I used to beg the photographers to “Please…just take it!” But in the pre-digital age, they were hesitant to release the shutter until they had a perfect pose. Each one believed that their unique combination of silly antics and gyrating stuffed animals would work magic and produce this child’s first camera smile. More often than not, though, what we ended up with was a picture of four smiling children and one with a trembling chin and red-rimmed eyes.

There are a few of us who consistently take great pictures. (You know who you are!) I am not part of that group. Even at my age I still practice my smile in front of a mirror, trying to get it right. And even with practice, I know that I take a lot of goofy pictures.

So here is my salute to smirks, big-mouthed toothy (and toothless) grins, and cheesy smiles…




“If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you've made me smile, the entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand.”