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I listen to Jamey Johnson’s words and swell with emotion. Looking at old photos always gets me, even if the people in the photographs aren’t my people — even if they are my stepfather Johnny’s people. Their lives mattered, and pictures preserve a piece of their lives. During their time here on earth, they loved and were loved. They experienced joy and sorrow, ecstasy and pain, easy days and hard times, and someone in their lives cared enough about them to snap a photo and capture their image at a single moment, recording it for future generations.

We are that generation, so next time you come across an old snapshot, pause, take it all in, and give thanks to those who passed this way before us. We owe it to the mighty ones who are gone now to stop and contemplate their grand existence — one that transcends the simplicity of black and white.