Humbled

Tonight, I am sitting in the quiet of my home. Every sleepy head is sleeping, and I'm taking a break, resting up for a very busy week.

I have been so moved by this blog post by photographer Deb Schwedhelm, tonight.

Majorly moved. We're talking tears on the keyboard.

I'm left to sit here, in the silence and think about the importance of a mom's presence within her family.

We all struggle in our own unique ways. We look in the mirror and grimace at the sight of ourselves. We resent the work we do. We tire of the mundane nature of our role as a wife and mom. But tonight I am humbled by the story of Kirsten Sandstrom and the stories of others whose time with their babies was all too short. Tonight, I'm going to let go of those little self-criticisms, and bitter feelings.

It's so easy to look at a photograph of yourself and point out the problems. You forget that the photograph tells so much more about the wife, mother, and WOMAN you are, than the size of your thighs, or how long it's been since you've seen the hair stylist. Every little part of you (and of me, too!) is loved. In some way, even the things I'd prefer not to look at, are lovable and beautiful to the people who love me.

As I've thought this through, I've come to this conclusion: Avoiding being photographed doesn't make me invisible, it doesn't make anyone see any less of my roots, or thigh-size. It just makes me a smaller dot on the map of my own family history.

Time is short and to quote Deb Schwedhelm's blog: "In 20 years, your children are not going to say, 'I really love this photo of my family, but I wish my mom had waited until she lost some weight'."

This is not a sales pitch. It's a call to action.

Please don't shy away from the camera anymore. Let your beauty shine through your imperfections. Look into the camera, and smile your happiest smile. Hand the camera to someone and ask them to take a photo of you with your kids. When you look at the photo don't dwell on anything bad. Admire the good and move on.

Memories are important and we just don't get a second chance to make them.

In closing I would like to share a photograph of myself - thighs and all - with my lovely family, who love me everyday.



Goodnight, friends.