off the cutting room floor

The back of my National Geographic magazine has a page that shows one picture that didn't make the cut. One picture that was tossed aside and didn't make it into the preceding pages of stunning photography. Yet there was still something special about the photo. Special enough to rescue it from the cutting room floor and share it at the close of the magazine.
When I go through my week there are many posts that get written in my head that never make it to the blog. And there are many pictures that get taken but never shown. So today, I decided to rescue a few of those shots from my past week or so and share them here together--off my "cutting room" floor, if you will...

There is the picture that is one of my favorites I've taken in a really long time--shot holding my camera out the car window, feeling warm and blessed for the beautiful place where I live and wide open spaces.

The sunset shot, on the same evening that really captured the colors my eyes were seeing.

A day of lingering in the parking lot of the farm, watching the girls roller skate. The lingering that put me in the right place at the right time, to hear someone's cries for help, who was seriously hurt.

The post that made me notice and appreciate an early morning with all my girls in the kitchen with me.

The climax of the Star Magnolia tree outside my grandmother's porch.

The pillow--made for my dear college girlfriend--who sent me "the" envelope--and asked me to put together a package that would reveal the surprise to her and her husband. The pillow says, "oh boy!".....

The rainy day of math disguised as games...that started out so fun, but soon turned to attitude problems and then ended with me, sitting on the floor by myself wondering what happened.

Sometimes it makes me sad, when an idea or a moment, doesn't get shared. Because more often than not, I forget those moments. I've been keeping a five year journal now for the past six months. When I flip through old entries, I'm amazed while reading those four or five lines I jot down each night, how much I've forgotten. It's just the nature of life, I suppose. So maybe I'll start doing this a little more often--rescuing a few photos, a few stories off the cutting room floor at the end of the week. Then just maybe they won't be completely forgotten and that simple sentence or picture will remind me of a moment, a lesson learned, or a beautiful view that I don't want to lose.

Comments

[miss chris]

Great photos, Molly. :) I like the idea of a little bitty couple line journal, for jogging the memory. And OH, that magnolia tree!

[Sarah S.]

I really liked this post. As usual the pictures are great. You really capture the valley in all it's glory. Lucky us we get to live here!

[Rachel L]

What a great idea. Those pictures are lovely, I'm glad you shared them with us.

[Kate]

Great post Molly, the photos beautiful and the whole thing feels incredibly authentic.
This post feels a lot like what our whole blog is, often ordinary stuff but stuff that I don't want any of us to forget!
Happy Friday to you :)

[erin]

i love this idea, molly. it's true - things are so easily forgotten.

[Kim]

=)

[stephanie]

great idea...and great post! i love your new header too :) i remember reading about your five year journal...and i think you had a link to the one you use....i would love to buy one...do you still have the link?? thanks molly!

[Sam]

Love the sunset shot! I've got to drive the kids out to some farmland so we can see one. And how fun to get to be the one to share happy news with your friend...

[A. Chionis]

Not to sound stalker-ish, I do love your words and what you share about your life and children. I've been following along for a few months now.
I love the horse obsession. I had it bad as a girl and it has morphed into a career with small animals. But when I noticed Marguerite Henry on your girls' book sidebar I had to tell you, I kept a lot of her books and I still go back and read them once a year. I anticipate sharing them with my little one some day. Thanks for the good feelings!

[Crystal]

Wonderful post.

Love your new banner.

[Lori]

great idea - love your scraps. :^)

[Grace]

This post! You're always making my breath catch in my throat. And you're brilliant with that salvaging-some-photos-from-the-cutting-room-floor-at-the-end-of-the-week thing.

[melmo]

I love this idea. And I love the idea of sending the envelope to a friend, so that they can care and reveal "the surprise". Makes me very curious about your friendship with her. It's incredible to be able to share in each other's lives' joys and sorrows. Maybe that's why we love blogs so much, we get a taste of that kind of sharing.

[Sheila at Dodging Raindrops]

Great post.

I used to keep a 5 year diary. Hallmark stopped carrying them in their stores. Where did you get yours?

Thanks.

[Deb]

Oh, wow, I read your entry but didn't even realize it was your blog b/c of your new header. I thought to myself: I should read this blog more often. Lol.

Really, I loved this entry. I recognize that tea towel, too. Our mother-daughter discipelship group made aprons out of them.

[val]

beautiful post....it reminded me of something. Years ago my sister was going thru a stressful time. Each phone call was worse than the one before. For Christmas that year, I bought a journal and wrote one funny memory as an entry on each page. I laughed and cried as I wrote each entry remembering. My sister loved it.....

[val]

beautiful post....it reminded me of something. Years ago my sister was going thru a stressful time. Each phone call was worse than the one before. For Christmas that year, I bought a journal and wrote one funny memory as an entry on each page. I laughed and cried as I wrote each entry remembering. My sister loved it.....

[Kimma]

Crazy what revelations can be evoked by a national geographic magazine- so much in this post rings true to me :)

Today I wrote an entry that just noted that my husband told me I looked pretty (while i looked like crap) and although it may not seem important to the rest of the world, it was special to me, made me warm inside, and I just had to note it.

I love how you capture so many of lifes little moments on camera- a sunset, skating, gametime- it reminds me that I need to whip out my own camera more.

Cheers to life and its many memories! :)

[georgiap]

I totally relate to this post. There are so many posts I write in my head during the week and when it comes to actually sitting down in front of the computer none of them seem "important" enough Snippets and observations. But they are important really; they are the mosaic of our lives.