The Perfect Frame

My husband and I have taken to watching Pawn Stars.  The show is yet another reality program and is based on a family owned pawn shop in Las Vegas.  Every episode focuses on about six different items that have been brought into the shop to be sold or pawned. We have seen people selling coins, guns, posters, toys and countless other interesting and unique items.  One thing that I have seen over and over is that an item brought in that has been framed is worth much more than a item that has not.  In fact, an item that is not framed is actually devalued.


The idea of a good frame isn't lost in the Rockwell home.  I love to pick out my favorite picture from the latest photo session and begin the hunt for the perfect frame.  The frame should never over power the picture.  It should always have just enough color and dimension to draw your eye away from all the other distractions in the environment and allow you to focus on just the picture.  


When I began writing this post, I was sitting in a hospital room visitors chair.  Like many hospital visits, this too was unplanned and full of anxiety and despair.  My thoughts took me in countless different directions.  I couldn't help but think about what my problems had been before I had arrived.  I honestly had been in an epic battle with the scale.  I was disappointed with my weight-loss progress and was trying to stop myself from diving into the fridge to ease my "sadness".  I had placed a frame around my day that allowed me to focus only on myself and a problem that has been heavily self-inflicted.


As the hospital events unfolded, I was reminded of how often we lose sight of those things that are important to us.  That day - I was reminded in the worst way possible...


My best friend of 15 years, the Godmother of my children, lost her precious little baby girl at just 20 weeks.  No price could be placed on the frame that was placed around her life that day and everyday to come.  


I bet if you look in the basement of your lives, you would find dozens of frames that have been  tossed aside.   That day I dug out an old frame of mine and I was reminded of the value it added to my life.  There are some things we can not change but the frame in which we use to look at them is for us to decide.


May the frame you choose today add value.