Year After Year

Her Light Burns Bright

A couple years ago, thanks to Facebook Memories, I discovered that there were two days in the year where I arbitrarily took a picture of Little Bean for several years in a row. So we decided to continue the ritual. One of those days was this week, Feb. 22, so now we have a full record of her from year one on that date, Feb. 22 2015 through Feb. 22 2024. Ten photos, her growing right before my eyes.

I showed her this series of photos and the first one she remembers is the multi-colored snow cone, which is interesting because I remember that picture as well. When that picture was taken we were a few days away in 2020 from the world shutting down and everything changing, changing just like she would and she has.

Besides that first picture with my wife where she’s only weeks old, I see two very distinct changes - between 2018 which is the picture where she’s slurping the soup bowl and 2019, and then again from 2021 with the strawberry to 2022.

In fact, 21 to 22 looks and feels like the biggest leap.

Through it all, of course, her eyes remain the same. Expressive and joyful.

The photographer Danielle Hark talks about photography as being able to capture the outside world with the light of your inner world. In other words, the more tuned in to your inside – to who you are, your place in the cosmos, your inner eye – then the more stories your photos can convey. Or in Little Bean’s case, the light of her inner world has always shined pretty brightly.

I don’t have any revelation to share today, at least none that has to do with her. I do know that I’m genuinely started by how much and how fast they outgrow us; much faster than we outgrow them.

Actually, I can’t imagine ever outgrowing her. No matter what the pictures say.