Evening

There's a sweet relief that comes with evening. The light shifts from gold to blue and like clockwork, I feel my shoulders drop, the hard angles of my body soften. As the sun goes down, I know I can count on the routine of the evening to get me through. There's nothing particularly unusual about it-- dinner, conversation, laughter. Last minute playtime, last minute homework, a collection of bedtime rituals. And then the house is quiet. The sky, finally dark. We collapse onto the big green couch, my husband and I-- let it swallow us whole. Well, we say, we made it through another day. We look around. Dirty dishes, everywhere. Stacks of books, papers, dirty socks, legos scattered like confetti. We're exhausted but we made it through another day. And we're thankful.

Today's prompt is 'evening'. What do evenings look like at your house? Please do share an image or two with us today.

lime green

I don't know if it's her favorite.

I don't know if she knows it's my favorite on her.

I love how it feels against my neck when she hugs me.

I love how the neck of it crinkles when she reaches up to her face to hold her cheek when she laughs out loud.

I love how it wraps her upper arm when she reaches to hold his hand.

I love how it looks against the pink blanket we lay on when we go on family picnics.

I love how when she comes to help me cook, she wears it and doesn't cover it up with an apron.

I love how it covers her soft belly when she puts her feet up on the arm of the couch to cheer for the Lakers.

I love how it welcomes me as I lay my head on her shoulder when my heart is heavy.

I love how it holds my tears as I lean into her for comfort.

I love her, my mother-in-love and her lime green polo.

Share with us your love of lime green today for #sscolormonth.

stolen moments

Just when I thought my night was ready to wind down, my son tells me he has nothing for breakfast the next morning and that we're out of bread to make sandwiches for his school lunch.  To say that I was not pleased about having to go the store at 9 p.m. is an understatement.  I grabbed my keys and purse and stomped out of the house while grumbling all the way to the car. 

Once I arrived at the store, I grabbed a basket and continude my grumbling as I headed out for the items I needed.  Of course the items I need are on both ends of the store.  First I grabbed a loaf of bread on one side and then stomped my way to the other side of the store to the cereal aisle.  I located the requested box of Fruity Pebbles and tossed the box into my cart.  As I prepared to move on, in front of me was a couple, both easily in their 80s.  With their basket sitting in the middle of the aisle, they stood there arguing about which cereal to get and just listening to them made me smile.  

Now I have tell you, I have a thing for the elderly.  I mean, I really do.  If I had a choice of sitting in a room of my peers or a room of senior citizens, seniors win, hands down.  I want to sit with them and soak in as many life lessons from them as I can.  I miss my grandparents tremendously which is why I think I tend to gravitate to seniors so much.  Being near this couple made me miss them even more.   

As I stood there in the company of this sweet couple, my irritation instantly disappeared.  I grabbed my phone and took this photo as they finally decided on their cereal choice and made their way slowly down the aisle. It was my little gift to myself, a stolen moment just for me and I reminded myself that life is too short to sweat the small stuff, fruity pebbles and all.

Today, share your photos of stolen moment with us and let us have a peek inside, too. 

My Medicine

Last weekend, my son had and allergic reaction and went into anaphlyaxis.  I rushed him to the hospital where I was quickly pushed aside while an ER team immediately began working on him and ultimately, putting him on a ventilator. Once it was done and I could see even the doctor give a sigh of relief, my husband and I then awaited the arrival of the critical care team from our local children's hospital to transport him.  It was then that I began to document what was happening in photos.  I needed to.  I've said many times that my camera has been my saving grace. I couldn't do anything else at that time and it was the only thing I felt I had any control over. 

Fortunately, my son made a quick and complete recovery and once we were home, I uploaded my photos into a set on Flickr.  I wanted to share them and I was hesitant at first because I wasn't sure how people would respond to the rawness of the photos, but I wanted, needed, for others to see, to understand.   I then shared them on a Facebook allergy page that I follow regularly.  The owner of the page contacted me and asked if she could share them with others because she thought it was important to do so.  I said yes and didn't give it another thought. 

Immediately my inbox began filling up with messages from people all over the country that I did not know.  Some shared their similar stories with me, others just wanted to tell me that they were glad everything had turned out okay, but all of them thanked me for sharing my photos with them.  It was at that moment that I knew I did the right thing.  As of this writing, those 10 photos have been viewed over 4500 times. 

How many times have you taken a photo that really didn't mean much to you but to someone else it meant so much more?  How many times have you heard, Oh my gosh, I love that photo!  Can I have it?!  I've said many times that I believe everyone brings their own medicine to this world.  Next time one of your photos touches someone, take a moment and realize that perhaps your photography is your medicine, too. 

Today, share those photos that have may have been your medicine...to you or to someone else.

Season of Renewal

Spring is life
Spring is hope
So is love and
happiness.
Spring renews.
Without spring,
life is forlorn.
Spring is nostalgia
after a bitter storm.
Put spring in your heart.

 -Spring, by Archie Greenidge

Spring , in all it's tangible newness, has always held a sense of renewal to me.  I can hear it in the way the birds sing their melodies with the rising sun and see it in the new growth that is starting to show on my favorite tree.  With the passing of my best friend at summer's end last year, the fall and winter were especially long for me.  It was a choice I made, choosing to cocoon myself with my family and a few close friends but it's time to shed the winter and let the spring do it's healing magic.  So bring on the sunshine and do your thing, springtime.  I'm ready for you. 

Today, rejoice in the new season and share a little of your springtime with us.