photo by Don Rutledge

Memories are essential in our lives because they allow us to grow and learn to be a better person. Our recollections can teach us necessary life lessons, demonstrate skills and abilities, and can make us feel happy and entertained. 

By having memories, we will know what is right and wrong. We can remember where we made our mistakes and learn from them.

We have birthdays as a way to celebrate and remember the year that has past and the clean slate we have going forward.

Wedding anniversaries are where we gather with our friends who helped us in our journey. We can celebrate because our friends and family helped us through those moments where it was difficult and also the times that we observed.

I loved that at Chick-fil-A corporate offices, they celebrate work anniversaries. Every five years, they celebrate. On your 20th anniversary, there is a big party thrown by your department. One of those traditions is getting a cartoon drawn of you and surrounding you are things you are known for contributing to the brand.

My mentor, Don Rutledge, helped me understand how important photography is to humanity. It helps capture moments and tells stories. Sometimes we need to be sure we capture our own stories and families.

Maybe when you were in school, your English teacher assigned you to read “Black Like Me.” My mentor Don Rutledge traveled with the author John Howard Griffin in 1955 as he did his research for his book. He photographed him when he took drugs and, using makeup, transformed himself from a white man to a black man to be able to write about what it was like to live as a black man in the south.

I did my master thesis on Don Rutledge. If you want to read it, here are the links to the chapters of the book:

• Master’s Thesis on Don Rutledge: Chapter One
• Master’s Thesis on Don Rutledge: Chapter Two
• Master’s Thesis on Don Rutledge: Chapter Three
• Master’s Thesis on Don Rutledge: Chapter Four
• Master’s Thesis on Don Rutledge: Conclusion

I gave a copy to Don. Just before Don retired, he had mini strokes affecting his memory. After retiring, he had a few powerful strokes and couldn’t remember much. When I would call to talk to Don, he told me how much he appreciated my work in telling his story. He was reading it repeatedly to help him feel good about his life but couldn’t remember. Here is an article I wrote for NPPA News Magazine.

Now while you might not be photographing or creating videos of content that goes onto a newspaper, you are recording history. Sometimes the most critical documentation is that of your family and friends. I have been doing this for our family.

Here are examples of photos of my daughter through the years

We all need to remember our past, the good and the bad. We celebrate not just the good times but also that we pushed through and overcame adversity.

Remember, if you are a leader, you celebrate those who work for you. Celebrate those work anniversaries. Remember to tell those stories of how your people overcame obstacles and grew and helped your team succeed.

I believe one of the best ways you can celebrate is by using photos and videos to play back some of those memories. Sometimes for us to “Seize the Day,” we need to remember we did it before.