Margaret Bogdanski: A Sunny Morning at the Beach

Margaret Bogdanski and her family—along other close friends and their children—stopped by a lake in the Kenai Mountains on the road to Seward. They spread out on the beach with an early summer view of the mountains, laced with old snow and spring greenery.

“We were having a great time,” says Margaret, who lives in Anchorage.

Her youngest son, Kaleb, (two at the time) loves the outdoors and was soon sitting alone on the gravel, contemplating the scene all on his own. Margaret captured the image.

“We gave him a bag of chips, which he enjoyed to himself, and just loved the view as well,” she says. Also, “he was great about not putting dirt in his mouth.”

“He is a clean child,” she adds in an email message, accompanied by the smile emotican “:)”

This moment, from several years ago, is poignant for Margaret.

“Unfortunately, my son's father and I split paths in life, but kept close as we are firm believers that our children need both parents in their lives,” she says. “We do our best co-parenting.”

But there’s a bit more.

“I especially love this memory, because we lost our friend, the father of the other family, to suicide not too long after,” she adds.

Margaret hopes to return to the lake soon, with sons Kaleb (now 8) and older brother Kacey.

“Cherish life,” Margaret says. “A moment can last for a minute, but can be remembered for a lifetime.”