Once upon a time, an eclipse came by.

At the same time, there was a mom in Arizona preparing for her two older children’s first day of school the following day.

The eclipse was a big deal, but she felt overwhelmed at all that she had to do, so she decided she would just watch coverage on the Internet and be happy for those who saw it. As she drove her first grader to school that day, he told her that he was so excited about all the activities they were doing at school to celebrate the eclipse.

The mom started to doubt her decision and wondered if she should’ve done something to plan for it. Well, it was too late and she would just have to rejoice for those who are participating.

A little while later that morning, the sky got really green. She went outside to remind her 14-year-old not to look at the sun. He laughed and said, “I know mom, I know.” She decided to go ahead and get her camera out and just see what she could get. She set up the tripod, took a few test shots, and the sky returned to normal. She ran inside and looked on the Internet and realized the eclipse had passed her by. The moment was gone.

That’s OK, she thought, I wasn’t really planning on looking at it anyway. She was disappointed, but moreso disappointed that she hadn’t made a big deal for her children. She loved making memories for them and making little events seem big.

Later that night, she uploaded the pictures onto her computer, and she held her breath as she realized what she had captured.

She squealed and called the family in together! They hadn’t missed a thing.

Sometimes, the most amazing things happen when we are looking through the lens. Sometimes, we don’t even realize till later how special the moment was. Sometimes, the reflection of the moment brings the most joy.

Sometimes, just grabbing your camera and getting excited about something is enough to make a memory for everyone. Don’t give up mama. Keep doing your thing.