The picture held many miracles.

Our son attended Boys State last week. It was a full week of early mornings, late nights, and 500 young men from all over the state. We arrived home from the beach just in time to pack again and travel to Cookeville to attend a picnic and ball on Friday evening. I was so excited to see our son again and stay the night at a new Holiday Inn Express. My daughter and myself had fun getting dressed up. I wore a black, evening halter dress and my daughter wore a navy sundress. As my husband made the final tug of his tie, we were off to meet our son on the steps of the Roaden University Center. I wasn't prepared for the emotion I felt as we turned the corner and spotted him. His new sportcoat from Clyde Phillips Men's Store fit him well and the black color made him seem older. As I glanced to catch our daughter's eyes, I realized she was glad to be here as well. Our children share a special bond. They have leaned on each other and comforted one another. The evening was full of loud music and teenagers dancing to moves I did not quite reconize. As the night wore on, we made a lazy move to the door to say our goodbyes to other parents and go back to our hotel room. I asked one of our son's friends to snap a quick picture of our family on the massive steps of this building. As we moved in closer to each other, I was overwhelmed with graditude. I felt the warmth of our children on each side and the strong arms of my husband as he embraced us all. Truly a Kodak moment. A year ago, we weren't on the same steps for the picture, but our hearts were connected by the same light that gave us hope, endurance and the belief we would all be together once again. Blink. Snap. A quick picture. Our friend said 1,2,3, smile. A picture of our family, smiling, standing on the steps. We all knew this night was important for more reasons than a picture could show, and the light in our hearts lit up the screen.