“Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and progress.” — Charles Kettering
Over the past few years, as part of our Christmas gifts from the children, my husband and I have received a very special calendar. Our daughter, whose background in photography has followed a natural path to image editing, has volunteered for the task of putting together this fabulous keepsake, always chock full of pictures of our family. Now, moving from one month to the next has become quite a fun experience.
The calendar we received this past December is an absolute delight. Rather than a selection of recent pictures of our kids, their spouses and children, she dug into the vault and came out with some real treasures.
There are baby pictures, stirring cherished memories. There are pairings, one page dedicated to each combination possible for the four of them — two sisters, two brothers, the oldest together, and the youngest. Finally, there are the ones of the four of them doing what they do best when they find themselves in the same place at the same time — having fun.
While they all rank high on the sentimental gauge, it’s the latter bunch that brings me the most joy. There’s nothing more gratifying for a parent than to see their children happy to be in each other’s company, having a good time, getting along.
The reality is, though, that as January comes to an end, I will, with a modicum of reluctance, have to bid goodbye to the photos of our oldest that have smiled at me for these past few weeks, while looking eagerly to those of our two girls. What a nice way to greet cold, bleak February.
One can’t ignore the fact however, that there is a very practical purpose to calendars. I’d be lost without the notes that accompany each month on specific dates — appointments to keep, birthdays to remember and deadlines for any number of things. The calendar keeps us organized and informed. It does, as the American inventor Charles Kettering said, provide us with a place on which to write ideas and mark our progress.
While we might try to transform it into artwork with photos of landscapes, places and people, or use it to lift our spirits with humour or inspirational quotes, there’s no question it’s real purpose is utilitarian.
So, as we move into 2017, let’s consider the months, days and weeks that make up the calendar. We can take them leaf by leaf or all together in this collection from iCLIPART.com
