I have talked before about the importance of being in the photographs with your families. We moms are often the ones behind the camera, but I want my children to remember our relationship too. In case you hadn't noticed, I love to take photos of my kids, but this is just as important. If anything were to happen to me, I want a record for my kids to see how much I loved them. I am not trying to be morbid, I hope we will look at these together in the years ahead, but we just never know.
I lost my mom eight years ago, totally unexpectedly, the day before my son's first birthday. I can go back in a second to that morning, waking to the message on the answer machine from my sister in England (calling in the early hours of the morning) telling me that I needed to call her right away. It was the worst day of my life.
Pain and grief are strange emotions that lessen with time; my father leaving home, the death of my grandma, the betrayal and heartbreak of my first boyfriend, the miscarriage of our first baby, they were all things that seemed devastating at the time but as life moved on there was healing. It has not been so easy dealing with the loss of my mother.
It took me becoming a mother, to fully appreciate her and her love for me. What I wouldn't give for a picture like the one above of me with my mom. That would seriously be priceless. There are questions that will forever remain unanswered. There were children she never got to hug and brothers and a sister she didn't watch marry. I miss her terribly still and it's a hole that cannot be filled by anyone else.
Be in photos with your children! Hire a professional, ask a friend, or a neighbor, or a stranger, use your phone, I don't care how you achieve it, just do it - you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I promise you, you will treasure them and your children will thank you for it later. These are memories people, invest in them!
(For anyone who cares, I set the camera manually and shot with the interval timer - camera on tripod)
I cried from the moment I saw that first picture. Thank you so much for sharing and for the important reminder. xoxo
ReplyDeleteI love it too :) My baby, even though there's no baby left in her at this point. There's a place for the smiling family photo, but I love capturing moments like these, the real, unscripted honesty of our relationship.
ReplyDeleteI am totally inspired. These shots are precious. You are right that we never know when the end will come for us and I can appreciate that you would love to see yourself in the arms of your mother in a photo. I love these.
ReplyDeleteAlice I'll look forward to seeing you in more photos with your precious kiddos - do it!
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