A Normal Day
“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
After the bath, before bed, I called you all in to my room to take in some beautiful evening light. My big girls' awareness to my art is very present now. They want to collaborate, or at least cooperate much of the time. They want to see the final images and know what I've shared and how many people have "liked" the image. But when they ask me not to photograph or to leave my cameras home, I listen. We've come this far from listening to each other.
Photo by Olivia Gatti
I should probably feel a higher level of concern for your well-being since you are younger than your brother and sister. They could take advantage of you and make you feel inferior because of your age and size. But, you have shown me time and again that I mustn't worry about you. You can hold your own. In fact, today as I watched you laughing maniacally as you held the shower door shut while your big sister bathed in the tub and begged you to leave the door open, I realized that I should probably be focusing my energy on making sure the older two aren't being pushed around by you.
Photo by Heather Robinson Photography