A Wish for my Daughters

As my girls grow up right before my eyes, I often wonder what it is that they will remember from these days of our togetherness. Will they recall the silly moments, the laughter, the fun? Will they remember the chaotic moments, the impatience, the bickering?  Will it be big trips and special events or the daily routines that stand in their memory? Will they look back at the many wonderful experiences they’ve had or better their childhood disappointments? Will they roll their eyes and commiserate together about all the things I did and said that made them crazy? Likely, the memories will be a little of all of it.

I’m fairly certain that there will be plenty of things that I have said along the way that they will dismiss (both unknowingly and deliberately) as they move into adulthood but I can only hope that they embrace and internalize all the messages I have sent them, both in words and in actions, that are the most important to me; the ones that I hope that they carry with them guide them throughout their lives. About how amazing they are, about how beautiful, strong, capable they are. And that’s just the beginning. There are so many things I want them to grow up knowing.

Every once in a while I see, read or hear something that expresses exactly what I want to say to my girls. When you set a simple, sweet sentiment it to music, like in the case of this song by Lee Ann Womack, it really sings (pun intended). As cheesy as it may seem, I don't mind admitting, I cry every single time I hear this song.

“I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance.”

What messages make you weepy? Tell me I'm not alone.

The Nap Series

 

When my son Max was about 7 months old I was so keenly aware of how important nap time was. Not for him, but for me. I needed Max to go take his nap so I could eat my lunch, decompress, have an hour or two dedicated to “ME TIME”. But Max didn’t get the memo. He would stare up at me and laugh and laugh while I thought about all the things I wish I was doing instead of rocking him back and forth for what felt like an eternity. I finally realized that this nap time business wasn’t going to go away. I needed a way to shift my swirling thoughts back to the present moment.

I decided to bring my iphone to bed and once he fell asleep I took a photo of the two of us in whatever position he ended up in. Seeing that first photo, I was hooked.  When I saw how the light was falling on this frustrating situation my mind quieted. My heart burst open at the sight of the two if us, peaceful and content, tangled together in a compositionally pleasing snuggle. I started to notice deeper clues about our relationship that showed up within the photograph. Our closeness, and our deep connection was revealing itself to me in a way I felt inside but had never really seen in this way before.  The Nap series was born.

Two years later, I am so grateful for the collection of Nap photos of the two of us that document a time in our lives that is short lived and so precious.  I didn’t realize that I was trying to leave a situation that was truly incredible. What was the bigger lesson for me? Don’t leave before the miracle happens. Use the camera to shift perception from mind to soul. I remember this whenever I find myself frustrated, stressed out, or in fear. Bring it back to the present. Grab your camera and see with your heart.  Creating this nap series has increased my ability to “see” in ways I didn’t expect. It continues to help me connect more deeply with the preciousness of these fleeting moments.

Photo essay and words courtesy of Catherine Just. You can view a larger portion of the nap series on Catherine's blog.

What better photo essay to share when our prompt is "bed"? Share with us how you get cozy in your bed today and tag your snuggly shots #sselevate.

touched

Bees are a pretty big deal in the life of my one-year-old son. He has developed enthusiastic feelings for anything with black and yellow stripes but until a few days ago his only bee reference had been the ones he saw in books and toys. His tiny finger would point as straight as possible while emphatically exclaiming "BEEE!". But last weekend we found ourselves surrounded by beautiful wildflowers buzzing with hundreds of big fuzzy bumblebees. The real deal! These little workers were focused on their job and not the least bit interested in the little voice repeating the same word over and over again ("bee? bee? bee?"). And they certainly didn't mind the pointed finger reaching out to gently pet their back. What an exciting moment for a little boy and equally as thrilling for his mama.

I'm so thankful to be able to capture these small, but victorious moments. Do you have a special moment to share?

Don't forget to tag your shots #ssmoment, all July long, and join Shutter Sisters as we play along with Haagen-Dazs and their 50 Summer Moments project. (tag #hdmoment)

the magic of a moment

It was a 9^th birthday fit for one very special little American girl; mine. A small group of good girl friends. The women in our family. A cafe that seemed straight out of a movie. It was a beautiful day in early summer with enough noontime sun to illuminate the whole room (photo moms appreciated things like that). A savory lunch. An enchanting cake. A rousing version of the birthday song with 9 candles for one big birthday wish.

As the birthday girl reveled in being celebrated—as any birthday girl should—I observed. Each interaction between she and her guests, I heard. Every gesture and expression—the sparkle in her eye, the doll at her side and the crooked birthday crown—I noticed.

I lifted my camera to my eye. Click, click, click. I captured every joyful moment of the afternoon. But it was one single shot that made my mama heart skip a beat.

Maybe it was the sideways glance or the impish—somewhat mischievous look—as she pulled the crooked crown down on her sweet head. Something about it took me back to birthdays past when my growing girl was much younger, much smaller, much less grown-up than she looked today. In that moment, I saw both the yesterday and the today. The glimmer of the past made me teary; my heart was full of gratitude that although I can never stop the clock, I would always have that moment captured, exactly how I will always remember it, forever in one single photograph.

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We invite you to join us this month as we celebrate the moments of our lives for our One Word Project. We are partnering with Haagen-Dazs in asking you to share your favorite moments with us; with them. We’re excited to be participating in their 50 Summer Moments project and we want to encourage you all to do the same. Savoring moments through our lenses is what our community is all about, so we feel like it’s the perfect way to honor those moments and let them shine all month long.

The 50 Summer Moments project has a few neat layers to it. First off is the sharing. The second is the incentive for sharing. Every image you share, Haagen-Dasz will donate $5 to honey bee research at UC Davis. Sweet! The third—and perhaps the cherry on top (we couldn’t leave out a good ice cream pun)—is the 50 Summer Moments eBook, An Ode to Summer where 50 images will be chosen and featured with the help of the awesome chef Alex Guarnaschelli.

Want to get in on the fun? All you need to do is tag your images on Instagram and your tweets on twitter (you can share tweets about your summer moments too) with the tag #HDMoment and you might see your moment on the HDMoment website. We’ve got our own Shutter Sisters tag too for the OWP (#ssmoment) so be sure to use it on everything you want to share with us (on Instagram and in our Flickr group). Its how we keep track of all the amazing stuff you’re capturing.

And, in celebration of summer and all this moment making, we’ve also got a very special day planned. We thought it would be totally amazing to pick one day this month where we can all celebrate our summer moments together! Won’t you join us in our first ever Shutter Sisters virtual ”collective moment”?

We’re declaring Saturday, July 28^th the day that all of us are going to “Take a Moment” together.  We’ll be sharing more details throughout the month but for now, put us in your calendar because we want to celebrate our summer moment with you!

For today, help us kick off this month of moments by sharing a moment of your own!

rainbow sprinkles

 

June is always a busy month at our house. From the end of the school year festivities, to dance recitals, to awards banquets, to the kick-ff of summer, to birthdays, it’s a hectic (albeit fun) time of year. Although I have often wished that my youngest daughter didn’t have to vie for celebratory space by having a birthday in June, I realized this year that her June birthday, if seen in a new light, is actually a gift.

I’m always mindful—as  most parents are—to be sure my kids gets rightly celebrated. That we thoughtfully choose the proper way to celebrate; serving the favorite meal, making the favorite cake, using the favorite plate, and hosting a party that fits the age and the era. Although this can be overwhelming sometimes amidst all the other activities that are jammed into June, this year, I felt like my daughter’s June birthday gave us a chance to actually slow down and focus on what matters most. Instead of feeling like it was just another thing on the calendar, it felt like the perfect respite from the chaos.

This year we eagerly and deliberately planned ahead,  setting time aside for a lovely lunch with close friends, a dinner out with the immediate family unit, and made the decision to buck our annual cake-baking tradition for a more unique birthday treat; a do-it-yourself sundae bar. I will admit, I lingered for a bit on that one. How could I possibly be OK with changing up a family tradition that hadn’t been modified since my oldest daughter was born 14 years ago? I’m not sure how. But I was OK with it. We all were. And it created just as much of a special celebration as would have come from baking a cake. By letting myself off the hook on that one (sundaes are soooo easy) I gave myself and my daughter the opportunity to add rainbow sprinkles—quite literally—to a celebration fit for a very special nine-year-old.

I’ve been wishing for ways to create a new energy around this time of year and the rest of the summer for that matter (less anxiety, more ease) and what I’ve learned is that wishes like those can come true.  All it takes is a little foresight and allowing yourself the chance savor the moment.

As we begin to wind down our vibrant month of color here at Shutter Sisters (#sscolormonth), today we have chosen to celebrate them ALL. It’s rainbow day! Rest assured, July will be bringing all kinds of opportunities to shoot and share your summer moments with us (yes, that’s a hint to our next OWP theme that will be announced on Tuesday, July 3rd) but it’s still June so let’s celebrate all the colors of the rainbow right now. Share with us every shade today!