I spent a good part of the day scanning some 150 family photos for a friend. He’ll be hosting his parents’ 50^th wedding anniversary celebration in a couple of weeks, and he wants to present a digital slideshow.

At first I feared the job would be tedious; the six stacks of prints looked daunting.

But the more photos I scanned, the more engrossed I became. Those 150 images told a beautiful story of two lives entwined.

I watched Arlen and Allen grow up through faded vintage photos from the 40s and early 50s. I saw them as high school sweethearts, dancing and clowning around. Then there were the official graduation portraits, the first job, the photos in their first home, some snapshots of their infant sons in the 60s, and Allen’s retirement party a few years back.

I was struck by how happy they both looked through it all. I’m sure they must have had some hard times, some disappointments, probably their share of grief. But none of that registered in print.

Well, maybe one unhappy moment registered in print:

Anyway … it was interesting to look at another family’s history, so intimately documented through their heirloom photos. It made me reflect on my own family — and on my future with Esteban as well.

I can only hope that we’ll be lucky enough to share 50 years. And to have them graced by so many smiles.