A detailed analysis of the photo that has changed my life...

Anyone who's ever visited my home has likely noticed it. Most visitors have asked the question, and just a few have noticed it but were not sure what to make of it, so kept quiet.

And when someone asks The Question, excitement and anticipation rev up inside.

"Why do you have a framed picture of Seal in your house?"

And the answer is always the same:

"It's there to remind us that we're never gonna survive unless we get a little crazy."

So as I've most certainly caught your attention, I'm sure you're wondering about the story behind the picture.

It was about three years ago. Chris and I were checking out the neighborhood Goodwill and came across the photograph. We were enamored with it from the start. The calm, yet slightly concerned look on his face, that says something along the lines of, "I know what you feel. Don't be so hard on yourself. My baby." The majestic gold and snake-skin type frame that served as a vessel for the photograph. I turned it over. $2.56. We hemmed and hawed about it and decided to hide it and think about it for at least a day or two before committing to this purchase.

I couldn't sleep that night. I couldn't stop thinking about those eyes. That look. And oh, my, the frame.

So I went back first thing the next day, found it right where we'd hidden it, and made my purchase. The picture looked amazing in our house. It now sits on our hutch, among several family photos. Because he's like a member of the family.

A few weeks ago, Chris and I decided to unravel some of the mystery behind the photograph. For the first time, we opened the back of the frame to take a look. The picture has a very Olan Mills vibe to it - was it taken in a Kmart photo studio? Is there writing on the back of it, dating the time and place and, of course, name of the subject?

And just like that, the magic was gone. Turns out the picture was clipped out of a magazine (likely by a four year old or a very hasty clipper, as it was a terribly executed clipping job).

So from there, I started to wonder what kind of a person hastily would clip a picture of Seal out of a magazine and put it in a gold and snake-skin type frame? I appreciate and admire the resourcefulness and creativity, but I do wonder if this person had this photo in their home so they could perhaps tell people that Seal is a friend of theirs? Or did they have an alter dedicated to Seal and his wisdom? I could see that.

Let me just note, right here, that Chris and I love us some Seal. In fact, we're not fully convinced that "Kiss from a Rose" wasn't inspired by a conversation he had with an angel. The dude's got heart and soul in his music - nobody can deny that.

Anyway, we of course were not ready to put the photograph in storage. I don't think we ever will. Knowing that it is just a clipping from a magazine is disheartening, but alas it still harbors the heart and soul of that for which Seal stands. You can see it in his eyes (which do not become large in the picture, thank goodness).