A Normal Day
On October 18th, my daughter was born and I became the mother of three children. Hundreds of miles away, on the same day, another baby girl was born and another woman added the third child to her family. We were complete strangers at that time, but our love of photography and family brought us together. We started to have a conversation about motherhood with images, because we tell stories with our cameras. Since some tales are so similar, and some are not, we decided to collaborate and share a photo a week from a normal day as a mother to three.
“Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.”
― Mary Jean Irion
So many artists I love (Heather, especially), create this real relationship between their subjects and their spaces. I think I finally see that this window has always played center-stage for us. I'm going to be looking at it and through it in a new way. And isn't that why we do this, share this? To learn to see our lives in new and deeper ways. To make connections, and then make them even stronger?
Photo by Olivia Gatti
i remember years back when you were three and your brother was one. my best friend was over with her son and we were having a playdate. i was stressed because the house was a disaster as usual. my friend looked me in the eyes and said, “just play”. i was embarrassed. i knew she was right. i had become so overwhelmed with trying to juggle two young kids that i had forgotten how to have fun with them. fast forward three years, add your two year old sister to the mix and a baby on the way and i still struggle with this. but it is a battle that i sometimes win. and with a face like yours, how can i not “just play”?
Photo by Heather Robinson Photography