Most mornings, I hit the ground running. Some mornings I have the luxury to check through my e-mails and have some time to catch up. I have pressing projects that I am working on, but I spent some time this morning with my e-mail and my Facebook.
I have a sweet girl who is going to be graduating from High School next year. I don't know if other parents are ready to hand the world their adult children, but I feel very ill-prepared in that regard. As parents, we create these beautiful little people. We gladly sacrifice whatever we need to for their well-being, happiness and protection. We work ourselves ragged to provide for them and so they can be happy people. We create them to one day leave us. We raise them, so they will one day be out in the world. My head knows this, but my heart tends to lag behind with these matters.
My daughter isn't yet fully driving. It is something she wants, but I'm dragging my heels. I trust her driving skills, but I feel bitter when I read stories of accidents such as the one that happened to Aaron Paquette's wife in Edmonton. Read the story here: https://www.facebook.com/AaronPaquetteArt. Stupidity can destroy a life, tear holes in families and crush spirits, hopes and dreams. He describes the vehicles that struck his wife as "weapons". It is hard for me to imagine my beautiful girl, or my own spouse, or family members in that situation.
Life, by its very design, is meant to be unpredictable and difficult. As a parent, my greatest wish would be that they would be automatically successful, no one will ever break their heart, they will always be healthy and happy, and have everything they need. That won't happen, however. The difficult things in life teach us the most. The lessons I have learned in my deepest sorrow, or most difficult trials have been the ones that have stayed with me and were not forgotten.
...which brings me back to somehow finding the strength to be o.k. in my heart as my kids spread their wings and fly out of the nest one by one. I am a mother, and my cubs are my life.
Even as a photographer, I feel I don't take enough pictures of my own children. Time runs out as they grow. I'm trying to repent and photograph my kids more.
They might sometimes behave like this:
But I'll keep them. :-)
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