a normal day

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

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one gives to you.  the other takes away from you.  it is a peculiar place to reside.  you are pulled between desires to become big and desires to remain little.  some days you take back what was once yours and you linger there in the comfort of the in between.

photo by Heather Robinson

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You had a week of being shuttled here and there. So typical of the littlest one, with busy sisters and places to be. But you sing your ABC’s and you count your 3,4,5s. And you seem to take it all in stride, even calling out “Home” every time we return.

photo by Olivia Gatti

the effect of her being

“But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive:

for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts;

and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been,

is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life,

and rest in unvisited tombs.”

– George Eliot, Middlemarch

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Heather Robinson

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 Amanda Voelker

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a normal day

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

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 i haven’t actually begun homeschooling yet.  but now that we have our buddy home with us every day he is doing his best to school you. today’s lesson was all about flying.

photo by Heather Robinson

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Aren’t you two so lucky to have a little sister who seems to be up for just about anything you want to dish out for her?
photo by Olivia Gatti

the effect of her being

“But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive:

for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts;

and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been,

is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life,

and rest in unvisited tombs.”

– George Eliot, Middlemarch

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Heather Robinson

blog | Facebook

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 Amanda Voelker

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freelensing | may

the other day i decided to freelens a common occurrence in our house – “wrastling”.  when i began shooting, i felt frustrated by my inability to achieve the focus that i wanted.  everyone was moving so quickly, so wildly, so joyfully.  so i let go.  i just let the moments unfold and got what i got.  and later when i looked through my shots, i saw each one as beautifully imperfect gifts.  i was reminded of a recent interview with the extraordinary Sally Mann.   she spoke about how photography is an art form that can produce these happy accidents, these moments of serendipity.  and this is what i love about freelensing.  i hope you will journey through the circle to see what beautiful gifts each one of my friends are sharing this month.  the next photographer is the wonderful Cynthia Dawson.

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