France - Post 1

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How do you capture a moment?

Is it possible to remember every detail of a day...of an hour...of a moment? Why is it true that time must erode all memories? True, there are some memories I am glad to have been dulled by time...but there are others - so many others - that I never want to fade. Isn't this why, in fact, I reach for my camera so often? But there are those things that a camera can never capture...the things I really want to remember. The taste of a freshly baked baguette; the sweet voice of a little girl as she told me, in French, about the elephant she colored; the smell of a homemade dinner as it filled the narrow alleyways in the city of Langeais - proving to me that people really, actually live in such an indescribably beautiful, beautiful place; the sheer size of the Alps; the heartache and uncontrollable tears some nights when I could think of nothing but how much I missed my kids, and the freedom that came with their absence; the excitement I felt from Brian when the language started to click again; the sound as the most beautiful water I've ever seen crashed as waves into the rocks; the lightheartedness and giddiness Brian and I shared together; the fear as we drove down narrow, winding roads at the posted speed limit that felt way too fast; ... I won't bore you with so many others - but these are the things I want to remember most about our vacation to Europe. And these are the things that are impossible to share...they must instead be experienced.

Here is a brief slideshow of 16 of the most beautiful pictures we have...

I drink heavily from this moment,
And sadly know
That almost every drop
Will be lost.

So,

I will cherish the drops that remain,
And fondly remember
That there is so much more
That was lost.
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