17-year-old Jema, frolicking around her hometown of Pella, Iowa — carefree, unaware of all the chapters still ahead. What a sweet, simple time it was.
I remember waiting for my photo album to drop. It felt like waiting for Taylor to finally release a new record on Spotify. Just six weeks after those photos were taken, Midnights came out. My high school friends and I sat around and listened to the whole thing, giggling and “wow”ing at the lyrical genius like it was the soundtrack of our little world.
That August, I stepped into rehearsals for Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Whenever I look at these pictures, I think of that season—layering on stage makeup to play the Evil Stepmother, ballroom dancing across the stage every afternoon with my friends, and feeling like life was big and bright and unfolding.
Every Friday night after rehearsal, I’d pull on my white overalls—the ones my friends and I painted with maroon, gold, and too much glitter. “34” covered the back. Trevor’s number. Back then I wore his number; soon I’ll be wearing his last name.
When I see my big smile in those senior photos, I’m reminded of passing notes in class, giggling with my friends, and living so close to everything I loved. I see a girl who had never lived across the country. A girl who had never moved out. A girl who thought she’d grow up to be a choir teacher. She wouldn’t believe where she is now.
If only she knew how sweet life would get. How the Lord would guide her steps. How her dreams would grow with her. She runs social media for her dream school. She’s marrying that football player. She’s surrounded by more friends than she ever expected.
If only she knew how blessed she was in that season—Mom making dinner every night, Dad starting the car on snowy mornings, laughter filling every hallway, and cheering on her high school sweetheart under the Friday night lights.
Senior photos are a gift. They capture the last moment you see yourself at that crossroad—before you leave home, before you build a life, before God unfolds the next chapters you can’t yet imagine. The memories rush back with every glance. But more than that, they remind you of His faithfulness and how far you’ve come.