Photo Finish

 

This weekend the Huangs are going to a Target at a local mall to get portraits, which is about as mundane a family task as it comes, especially around this time of the year with the holidays approaching. But for us the act is infused with deep meaning.

Since becoming parents, Amy and I had been in the habit of doing portraits every other year. Every year seemed too ambitious for us but every three years seemed too much of a gap, so two years in between felt right for us. It is, to this day, a marvel to see snapshots in time of Aaron and Jada in these increments. And then our most recent one had a fifth party member, little Asher at less than one year old. 

That was in late 2015. When late 2017 rolled around, we were still reeling from a particularly close failed adoption as well as a few other possibilities gone south. So we deferred, hoping for a match and another family portrait with a new little one in the mix. Much of 2018 we were still in waiting mode before giving up, so the end of 2018 still felt too raw.

Late 2018 is now four long years and a pandemic ago. In late 2019, 2020, and 2021, we just weren't feeling it, for various reasons. But here we are, a date set and matching outfits ready to go. 

Eager to see how these turn out. But a bit melancholy too, for this snapshot in time is a sort of final acknowledgement that we're no longer waiting for anyone. It's a loss, or perhaps more precisely the absence of a gain, that still smarts.

Nevertheless, life goes on and so do the Huangs. We are deeply, profoundly grateful for who and what we do have. Can't wait to show you what that looks like.