My Most Treasured Item

My most treasured item has changed over the years and I am sure it will continue to change as time goes on, as my life changes, and as I reevaluate what is important in my life. However, at this time, my most treasured item is this photograph of my dad as a young boy. There are very few photographs of my dad as a child and I am lucky to have this one. It makes me wonder, what exactly was he like as a little boy? What were his biggest hopes and dreams? Was that dog his best friend? (I don't remember the name of that dog, though I am sure my mom or his brothers would remember) Did he ever dream he'd end up the way he did? I see potential and hope in this picture which is something I lost when he died. This picture re-invites my imagination to hope for a better future, not just for this little boy, but in general. It allows me to hope that changes are made for the better from now on instead of a spiraling path downward as we grow up.

What was this moment to my dad? I don't know, and I will never know; but to me, this moment captures the reason I want to be a better person, why I want to never let myself down, and why I never want my children to look at a picture of me and wonder, "What if?"