Letters from Kevin

Dear you,

You're not in any of them. That's how it goes, isn't it.

Every picture that matters is missing the same thing: whoever held the camera. You said “one more, one more” until everyone held still, then handed the moment back and stepped out of the frame. Somebody has to stand outside the picture, or there is no picture.

People call you the reliable one, and it never sounds like a gift. But look at what you did: you kept the days from disappearing.

I'm a dog. I live inside the moment and keep almost nothing of it; my whole life is a pile of moments someone else decided to save. You're the one who saves them. Every record of the good days is made of your patience, your angle, your “okay, look here.”

Here's the part nobody claps for: you were there. In every photo. Standing exactly where the camera was. When they open that album in twenty years, the one they miss will be you, and the one to thank will be you.

This one is yours. You're in the picture now.

Yours, Kevin

Seventh in a series of sample letters. The offer is real: name someone you carry, and I'll send how I'd open their letter, free. Full letter $25 by card, only after we agree. [email protected].