Mirror of Erised

I need a little humor in my life right now and Awkward Family Photos is one of my favorite sites. Though I can see the humor in this photo, I was also struck by sadness upon seeing it. It reminded of The Mirror of Erised in the Harry Potter series, where Harry sees himself with his deceased parents. Dumbledore tells him that the mirror shows your greatest desires, but warns him that you can waste your entire looking into the mirror. Sometimes your greatest desires are unreachable.

And so it is with me. Looking at what might have been. Flashes of a different future. But then I think I cannot waste my life wishing for something that will never be. I do have hope for what is to come. I need to let go and hold on all at once.