by Sister Margaret McKenna, RSHM

LOS ANGELES, CA. There are all kinds of picture frames from plastic, to wood, to metal; some are plain, others are ornate. Yet, all have one thing in common: frames are the “Memory Keepers” where the “Treasures of Our Lives” are stored. It is in a frame that we see pieces of our identity showing us quite clearly what and who we are, what and whom we love, what and whom we value. It shows our connection to a life bigger than our own.

New technology has brought about the digital frame that allows a stream of photos to pass in and out of our view, giving witness to the gift of life that has been and is ours.

We can collect in a digital frame the stories of life: of our youthful parents and days of happy beginnings; and most of us have images that followed our parents’ lives into old age, seeing them change, and enjoying them as they make room for the next generation.

As the images change, they serve as life’s signposts, stopping for a split second the movement of time and highlighting our life cycle with the occurrences of new births, communions, confirmations, and weddings. It is in what is framed that we have memories of renewed life in rituals such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter that tie family and friends together.

I think that images framed are the surest way to capture those irreplaceable, once in a life-time moments where a young child’s smile betrays a missing tooth, and in the grin displaying the pride of a seven year old wearing a baseball uniform with a glove too big for his hand and a cap too big for his head. And the frame clearly marks the passage of time with pictures that show the joy over the addition of a newborn and the wistfulness when older faces are no longer present in the group, and become part of our memories.

Frames are the “Memory Keepers,” holding together our life, our loves, and our values. It is no wonder that Frames—Memory Keepers—are what help us to be grateful for the gifts that we’ve been given, gifts that have become “Treasures Framed.”