Strangers in My Photo Albums

A while back my sister-in-law was asking for pictures for an upcoming family event. I found myself flipping through old albums that are falling apart and pictures in a bin that never even made it into albums . . . in my next life. There was one album missing, which bothered me because it is an album that my daughter-in-law, Rachel, put together as a surprise for Danny and me three years ago for our 30th anniversary. I didn't have time to tear up the house looking for it, so I resigned myself to the fact that it didn't have legs and would turn up eventually.

A few days later as I was getting ready for work, out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of the familiar brown spine of the album in the avalanche that is my dresser . . . in my next life.

I flipped through the album on a quick trip down memory lane. The pictures above are our engagement picture (November 1976), and a wedding picture (December 18, 1976). All the way to work I kept thinking about the pictures in that album. Who the heck are those people? They are pictures of Danny and me, but really -- who are they? I don't remember those people. Are we getting old? I don't feel old -- well minus arthritis, healing broken bones, and the occasional tremor in my hands. As I thought about the pictures, there was one picture that made me smile. The picture below was taken by my friend Cecelia the day my family was sealed in the Oakland Temple for time and all eternity. That day was December 18, 1993.