art from before

I have never been one to hang on to the past. In fact, perhaps I cast it aside all too easily, eager to forget the painful phases of learning and growing I've gone through. I prefer to think of myself as always having been at the level of competence and accomplishment in which I find myself most recently. My mom, however, treasures artifacts from her children's youth: photos of me as an awkward child hang on the walls; some of the silly nicknacks I used to collect, rescued from the trash by my mom, now reside on shelves about the house; my children play with my old stuffed animals; and my art from age twelve and on is in most every room.

While I was still uncomfortably close to my teenage and young adult years, these things were a bit embarrassing to encounter. But as an adult, comfortable in my own skin, I don't mind these earlier incarnations of my artistic interests. During our recent trip to my parents' house, I snapped some photos of them.

I am currently in the process of scanning every drawing my older daughter has ever created. What fun, how satisfying it is to see her progress. These creations are parts of her and will help to document who she is, even in 25 years.