Frank S. Malone writes a powerful and touching essay about the power of a photograph:

This past Christmas, thanks to a photograph I received from out of the blue, I was able to turn to my wife and sons and say, “There’s my childhood.” And to tell myself: even though it was nearly a half-century ago, it was real.

"On the Farm", ©1962 Frank Christopher

Thank you for sharing your touching story, Mr. Malone.  I think the lesson here is that paradise is never truly lost; it lives on within us, ready to be re-experienced and shared anew.  Here’s hoping your story will prompt others to look within for their paradises, too.