On October 18th, my daughter was born and I became the mother of three children. Hundreds of miles away, on the same day, another baby girl was born and another woman added the third child to her family. We were complete strangers at that time, but our love of photography and family brought us together. We started to have a conversation about motherhood with images, because we tell stories with our cameras. Since some tales are so similar, and some are not, we decided to collaborate and share a photo a week from a normal day as a mother to three.
“Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.” – Mary Jean Irion
there are moments when i look out and see all three of you before me. no one is crying. no one is bickering. no one is trying to pile toys on top of the baby. you are all safe, healthy, happy, nourished, clean. well, the clean part might be a bit of a stretch. but you are all okay. i am okay. we are making it. in this moment, i click the shutter, exhale, and smile.
photo by Heather Robinson
