Unforgettable moments are the memories that leave an indelible mark on your heart.  They are those moments that, when you talk about them years later, you can still vividly remember “that moment.” 

I have always felt compelled to chronicle unforgettable moments in pictures to honor a time in which something amazingly unique happened – something that touched not only my heart but also my soul.  For me, these are sacred moments – time stands still, you find yourself fully present in the moment, experiencing something that is extraordinary.  It’s as though the mundane suddenly becomes the sacred.  My urge to capture these moments through the years has likely been an attempt to anchor the sacred before it escapes my notice or is gone.

During COVID-19, when we were unable to travel, these moments became sustenance for me.  As we sheltered in place we utilized our memories to return to places that were no longer accessible by us.  These unforgettable moments contributed to our encouragement and hope.  

But photographs are typically not terribly accessible – they live on the computer or in books which are typically “closed.”  I wanted to release these moments into a format that made them accessible all the time.  And that’s when inspiration struck – a wall filled with canvas printed magical moments.  All I needed was the “ok!” from my parents to fill a vacant wall in my mom’s office!  

And, with the green light, I began combing through 40 sets of trip pictures, looking for shared unforgettable moments and upon locating a moment I would save it into a “Unforgettable Moments” folder on Shutterfly.  Utilizing the Shutterly canvas printing service, I had over 30 of these photos printed onto canvases of varying sizes.

Approximately 10 days later the first shipment of orange Shutterfly boxes arrived at my parent’s home.  That night, after being sheltered at home for many weeks, my parents opened each colorful box, reliving the moment captured in the photo.  Some memories produced tears, all generated joy in the remembering! 

A couple of weeks later, with the confidence that we would not be bringing the virus into their house, we arrived for the hanging ceremony.  I had diagramed the gallery hang but quickly abandoned the plan as my father and I fit the canvases together like puzzle pieces on the wall.  

Much like an orchestra conductor must feel when completing a particularly emotional section of music, when we stepped back from the completed gallery of images, we were struck with the complete joy emanating from the wall.  There, in living color, were the smiling faces of those we love so dear captured in the midst of an unforgettable moment.  These moments that were once locked away in a photo file were now living and once again a part of my parent’s daily lives.