While walking along the trail, off to the side in the dirt and leaves, was a broken pictured frame.
(The photo that was found)
Inside the frame were two people: what is assumed to be a father with his young son. They appear to be dressed quite eloquently, wearing suits while admiring the downtown city skyscrapers for this photo.
I would like to imagine what they may have been celebrating. Dressing up to go downtown is not a common event -- for goodness sake, simply take a walk downtown to see what I'm talking about! 🥴 So, given that they're wearing suits, I must infer that they attended some event.
My mind is set on the music scene. I believe that the father may have been a musician, perhaps to play in a band. He gives off the vibe of a drummer for a jazz group or something... After the performance, they may have grabbed a bite to eat. Then, to end off such an exciting evening, they took this photo to commemorate the memories made.
To find such a lovely moment just thrown off to the side in the dirt... That alone is heartbreaking, but the implications of finding it on the trail makes it even more gut-wrenching.
The trail is often frequented by homeless and addicts alike. Many from the downtown area take to the woods in order to create little dwellings and encampments for themselves. At one point, their hoarded items littered this environmentally-protected trail; that's how active the trail was.
So, if I had to wager a guess between "found in the garbage after being thrown away" or "thrown away by the father," I would probably go with the latter. Most stable families don't throw away family photos, least of all of their children (unless it was a REALLY 🍑hurt freshly divorced mother who couldn't stand looking at her ex), whereas most addicts have been known to "throw their lives away," regardless of who it hurts -- and I say this as a recovered homeless droog addict.
Granted, I did not have children during my addiction -- praise be to God -- but that additional factor only confuses me more. My children SAVED my life; they became my entire purpose in life. The fact that anyone could care about themselves more than their children is unfathomable to me.
(My children and I)
But, I do know that people are capable of doing it. People who have yet to realize that raising children, to see life from God's perspective, is the whole point of being here.
